Boston's Statue to Scotsman Robert Burns Returns Home to The Fens after 44 Years

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The wandering bard has finally returned home.  

The bronze statue of Scotland's poet Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 – July 21,1796) was returned to The Back Bay Fens in Boston in a ceremony on October 30, with local Scottish leaders, open space advocates and consular officials.  Scottish vocalist Maureen McMullan and friends provided the music for the event. 

The Burns statue was originally unveiled in the Fens on January 1, 1920, near the Westland Avenue entrance, in a full-fledged ceremony that included Governor Calvin Coolidge, Boston Mayor Peters, and a regiment of Highland bagpipers.  
  
Then, inexplicably, the statue was moved in 1975 to the newly opened Winthrop Square in Boston's Financial District.  Apparently the developer requested a statue of John Winthrop, and because one wasn't available, the city's Fine Arts Commission offered up the Burns statue instead. 

Local Scots were furious and protested to city officials, who were also sheepish about the decision made behind closed doors.  A letter to The Boston Globe by Julie Ransom stated, 

"The beautiful statue was abruptly removed from this appropriate site and rudely set down in the new Winthrop Square.  This maneuver, to enhance a developer’s investment at the expense of a politically powerless neighborhood, was authorized by a man who does not live in Boston.  Surely a more suitable statue could be found to preside over Winthrop Square, and the poet-farmer can return to his home.  He is indeed sorely missed by all who live near the Fens."

Created by sculptor Henry Hudson Kitson, the bronze statue has a 30 ton granite base and depicts Burns with his dog Luath, walking the highlands of Scotland.  Kitson was a well-regarded artist who created a number of important statues in Boston, including the memorial to Patrick Collins, which is part of Boston's Irish Heritage Trail.

Best known for composing  the unofficial anthem to New Year's Eve, Auld Lang Syne, Burns was a prolific poet who wrote over 300 poems, as well as various epistles and ballads. He was prolific in other ways too, fathering fourteen children.

For details on Irish and Scottish cultural activities in greater Boston visit IrishBoston.org



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