CARLISLE is to celebrate an Alternative Burns Night for the eighth year – and organisers say this year promises to be bigger and better than before.

Brent Kennedy of the Carlisle Friends of Burns said: “No doubt a few members of the audience will chip in with their favourite Robbie Burns poem and there will be the address to the Immortal Memory of the bard followed by a toast, and everyone singing Burns’s international anthem A Man’s A Man For A’ That.

“Our hot supper of haggis, neeps and tatties will be welcomed with the appropriate address to the Haggis”.

So far, so traditional a celebration of Scotland’s national poet. So what’s the alternative bit? “We don’t want to limit ourselves to the same old boring ritual with the same poems every year,” said Mr Kennedy. “As the evening goes on folk may quote other poets, play and sing their own compositions or modern popular songs we can join in with.”

Two additional performers will take part in a series of short musical sets, and the main attraction of the night will be Now and Again, who will play three sets of traditional Scottish and Irish folk music plus modern songs.

Mr Kennedy went on: “Burns’ own contributions to the night will have a broader content than the usual narrow selection, reflecting the discovery by Patrick Scott Hogg from Dumfriesshire of ‘The Lost Poems’. These were poems which Burns published under pseudonyms calling for democratic rights for ordinary people when only about two per cent of the population elected a corrupt parliament from ‘rotten boroughs’ controlled by the local big-wig.

“Burns, a man of the people for the people, wanted democracy. The Pitt government answered with a brutal dictatorship.

“This is the fine tradition of Burns’ love of a good night out in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, which we have revived. And it’s a real compliment that groups of Scots will be coming from Langholm and even Burns’ hometown of Dumfries itself to enjoy the fun.”

The celebration will take place on Friday, January 24, at 7pm in the Ex-Servicemen’s Club on Victoria Place/Albert Street, Carlisle.

Food can be ordered in advance and there will be vegetarian and vegan options.

Places can be booked by calling 07539 755 554.