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104:. He returned in late 1801 to support his family. His father died soon after his return and he cared for his infirm mother. As he reported in a letter to a friend, "My brother Hugh and I are all that remain at home, with our old mother, bending under age and frailty; and but seven years back, nine of us used to sit down at dinner together." Then Hugh married and Robert was left the sole support, making a resolution which he records in a touching but substandard poem in English, "The Filial Vow". As things fell out, however, his mother was to outlive him by thirteen years.
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175:, as was common at the time, but the poet later objected to this as demeaning. It was for this reason that he made unsuccessful attempts to get his work accepted commercially. But it was not long after his death that such editions began to come from the press: in 1815 and 1817, with a reprint of the original collection in 1822. In addition, there was a large selection in Motherwell's
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As well as R.A.Smith's settings, other songs were set by John Ross, the
Aberdeen organist. More had been written by Tannahill to accompany traditional Scottish airs, and some from Ireland too. Several have now entered the oral tradition. Perhaps the most enduring is "The Braes of Balquhidder" –
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cast doubt on the belief that he deliberately took his own life. According to the researchers, Tannahill was suffering from tuberculosis and was experiencing "episodes of incoherent delirium". He entered the stream in a confused state, in an attempt to cool himself in the water. This explains why he
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in 1819 and later accompanied editions of the poems in 1822, 1825, 1838, and 1846. Later came bust-size portraits in oil, of which one was made in 1833 by
William Beith, a Paisley flower painter. Another by Thomas Carswell, a Greenock artist, was made for Mr. Marshall of Ladyburn, who had been at
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Most of
Tannahill's poetry dates from his return home in 1802, when he composed as he worked at the loom, ‘weaving threads and verses alternately’. His interest in poetry was of long standing and his reading was almost solely confined to it. Using both Scots and English, he experimented with many
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and in 1807 he published a small collection of poems and songs in an edition of 900 copies which sold out in a few weeks. Out on a walk some time later, he heard a girl in a field singing his "We'll meet beside the dusky glen on yon burnside" and was greatly encouraged. But in 1810, following the
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to Janet (née
Pollock) and James Tannahill, a silk gauze weaver. Soon after his birth the family moved to a newly built cottage in nearby Queen Street, which became both family home and weaving shop. Tannahill had a delicate constitution and a limp, due to a slight deformity in his right leg. On
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forms: tales, fables, epitaphs, verse epistles, odes, besides the body of dialect song on which his reputation mainly rests. Among the odes are three written for the Burns anniversary, of which the first is a bravura performance. Here the tartan-clad
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255:, one of the most frequently mentioned landscapes in his work, attended by 15,000 people. A series of annual concerts at which his songs were performed were held on the Braes between 1876 - 1936. The penny admission charge went towards paying for
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Cemetery) on Canal Street in
Paisley. In 1866 a granite monument was erected there by public subscription, marking the growing recognition of the poet's importance. The centenary of his birth was marked in 1874 by an edition of his
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enters the assembly of the gods on
Olympus and begs for a national bard, which is immediately granted with the birth of Burns. Poverty is a frequent theme in his work, including that brought about by the
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Likenesses of the poet all seem to have stemmed from a pencil sketch made the day after his death by local artist John Morton. The first copperplate engraving of this appeared as the frontispiece of
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A bust of the poet was sculpted by John
Fillans in 1845, again using Morton's drawing as a basis, and this was presented to Paisley Museum in 1873. Elsewhere, a bust of the poet was included in the
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and
Edinburgh, he fell into a despondency aggravated by fears for his own health. Eventually he burned all his manuscripts and apparently drowned himself in a culverted stream under the
179:, dating from 1819 and several times reprinted. Later collections of Tannahill's work, augmented by copies of poems preserved by his friends and associates, followed soon after.
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took the time to remove his coat and watch, and why he hadn’t headed for the deeper waters nearby. The researchers concluded that his death was accidental rather than suicide.
171:. The title piece was a dramatic fragment in dialect couplets, serving as frame for accompanying lyrics, of which Tannahill (but few others) thought highly. The book had been
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203:", which has the chorus "Will Ye Go Lassie, Go?" In it he refers to a story from his nursemaid, Mary McIntyre of Balquhither parish, that she and her mother had baked
215:. Tannahill also wrote "Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea", the tune of which was later modified to form the music for the famous Australian bush folk song "
286:’s Hall of Heroes in 1869. And in 1889 his portrait appeared among others in the stained glass windows at Lamlash House commissioned from Stephen Adam.
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leaving school at age 12, he was apprenticed to his father as a handloom weaver. It was during this time that he began to show an interest in poetry.
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and checked against
Marshall's remembrance of his old school-fellow. Still another by Alexander Blair was engraved by Samuel Freeman for the
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After a period of intermission, the Burns Club he helped found now meets during the winter months in the old
Tannahill cottage.
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As a suicide, Tannahill was buried in an unmarked grave in the burying ground adjacent to the West Relief Church (now
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In the years which followed, his interest in poetry and music blossomed after he became acquainted with the composer
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origin. Known as the 'Weaver Poet', he wrote poetry in English and lyrics in Scots in the wake of
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311:, active since 1976, are named after Robert Tannahill, and have recorded several of his songs.
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219:". Finally, Tannahill wrote "The Soldier's Adieu", which became the basis for the folk song "
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Tannahill is one of the sixteen writers and poets depicted on the lower sections of the
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in 1883. A memorial well was also built in the glen, although now it is much neglected.
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234:. Volume 2 was released in 2010 to coincide with the second centenary of his death.
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The soldier's return, a Scottish interlude in two acts, with other poems and songs
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to music. While taking part in the literary life of the town, he helped found the
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With his apprenticeship completed, Tannahill left Paisley in late 1779 to work in
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school with Tannahill. This was partly done from the engraved portrait in the
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and became its secretary. His work now began to appear in periodicals such as
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The poems and songs of Robert Tannahill, with life and notes, by David Semple
456:(online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. ref:odnb/26960.
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The poems and songs of Robert Tannahill, with life, and notes by David Semple
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510:"Who is Scotland's 'forgotten bard' and why is his death being re-examined?"
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Waltzing Matilda: The Secret History of Australia's Favourite Song
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rejection of an augmented collection of his work by publishers in
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727:- LP, Dunkeld Records, 1995 - CD, Blix Street Records, 2015
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Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004).
405:. Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier. pp. 22
259:'s statue of Tannahill that was erected in the grounds of
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Tribute to Robert Burns, Neil Gow, and Robert Tannahill
301:. He appears on the right side of the southern face.
652:"The Songs of Robert Tannahill: THE SOLDIER'S ADIEU"
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for returning soldiers and sailors or their widows.
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343:Robert Chambers, ed. (1856). "Robert Tannahill".
677:"Portraits & Engravings of Robert Tannahill"
607:. Paisley: Alexander Gardner. pp. 182–185.
570:"The Braes of Balquhidder (Wild Mountain Thyme)"
362:Poems and Songs, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect
328:. A biography of Tannahill appears in the book,
743:. Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier.
447:"The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"
8:
277:Biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen
49:Biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen
824:Suicides by drowning in the United Kingdom
353:Thomas Wilson Bayne, “Robert Tannahill”,
453:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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137:However, in 2024 research conducted by
92:Tannahill was born in Castle Street in
232:The Complete Songs of Robert Tannahill
59:Robert Tannahill as appearing on the
30:For the American philanthropist, see
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167:The 1807 collection had been titled
111:, who set some of his songs in the
34:. For the Scottish footballer, see
765:Works by or about Robert Tannahill
307:The Scottish folk music group the
69:(3 June 1774 – 17 May 1810) was a
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508:Carmichael, Josh (11 June 2024).
401:Douglas, George Brisbane (1899).
346:Cyclopaedia of English literature
814:Poets from Paisley, Renfrewshire
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424:(1872), ed. William Motherwell,
355:Dictionary of National Biography
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141:and Dr Moira Hansen from the
36:Robert Tannahill (footballer)
789:Tannahill's Well, Glen Park.
713:Paisley Burns Club (website)
477:UK public library membership
780:(public domain audiobooks)
630:. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
574:Renaissance Festival Lyrics
349:. Vol. 2. p. 490.
251:and by a procession to the
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199:the basis for the ballad "
191:The statue of the poet by
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774:Works by Robert Tannahill
626:O'Keeffe, Dennis (2012).
385:Robert Tannahill (1874),
360:Robert Tannahill (1817).
173:published by subscription
737:Douglas, George (1899).
422:The Harp of Renfrewshire
268:The Harp of Renfrewshire
389:, Paisley: A. Gardner,
221:Farewell to Nova Scotia
32:Robert Hudson Tannahill
462:10.1093/ref:odnb/26960
332:by Sir George Douglas.
257:David Watson Stevenson
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193:David Watson Stevenson
109:Robert Archibald Smith
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690:A photographic record
326:"Famous Scots Series"
230:released Volume 1 of
209:Charles Edward Stuart
190:
58:
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558:Open Library archive
273:Harp of Renfrewshire
177:Harp of Renfrewshire
599:Tannahill, Robert;
321:Scottish literature
228:Brechin All Records
201:Wild Mountain Thyme
47:Engraving from the
702:Lamlash House site
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157:Genius of Scotland
122:The Scots Magazine
117:Paisley Burns Club
102:Bolton, Lancashire
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637:978-1-74237-706-3
580:on 25 August 2012
545:Poems and songs,
475:(Subscription or
309:Tannahill Weavers
16:(Redirected from
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217:Waltzing Matilda
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18:Weaver Poets
809:1810 deaths
804:1774 births
535:Text online
798:Categories
740:James Hogg
584:23 January
514:The Herald
479:required.)
432:References
403:James Hogg
330:James Hogg
244:Castlehead
613:13516086M
547:pp.176-88
516:. Glasgow
415:13492155M
395:13516086M
378:20460574M
364:. Cowie.
299:Edinburgh
778:LibriVox
749:7132098M
603:(1874).
467:20 March
370:79738431
315:See also
226:In 2006
213:Culloden
128:Greenock
71:Scottish
767:at the
520:12 June
205:bannock
94:Paisley
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426:p.37ff
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407:et seq
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238:Legacy
150:Poetry
51:(1875)
183:Music
632:ISBN
586:2008
522:2024
469:2022
366:OCLC
88:Life
74:poet
776:at
458:doi
297:in
293:on
223:."
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