Alloway Auld Kirk

Visited the Auld Kirk in Alloway yesterday - an amazing place.  The parents of the Scottish poet Robert Burns - William Burns and Agnes Brown - are buried here.

Alloway Kirk takes centre stage in Burns' famous poem Tam O'Shanter published in 1791 as the meeting place of the devil "Auld Nick" and various ghosts -

Warlocks and witches in a dance; 

Nae cotillion brent-new frae France, 

But hornpipes, jigs strathspeys, and reels, 

Put life and mettle in their heels. 

A winnock-bunker in the east, 

There sat auld Nick, in shape o' beast; 

A towzie tyke, black, grim, and large, 

To gie them music was his charge: 

He scre'd the pipes and gart them skirl, 

Till roof and rafters a' did dirl.-- 

Coffins stood round, like open presses, 

That shaw'd the dead in their last dresses; 

The church dates back to the sixteenth century with some parts from even earlier.  The building fell into disuse when the congregation moved to a new church.

There are some very decorative grave stones in the kirkyard.

It was a very interesting place to visit.  Joining with InSPIREd Sunday - come along and see some more interesting churches.
Love, Liz