Scottish Authors > Robert Tannahill Poet 1774-1810

In 1756 James Tannahill left Kilmarnock for Paisley to find work in the textile trade. He met Janet Pollock of Lochwinnoch, and the couple were married there in 1763. Their son Robert Tannahill, the fifth of eight children, was born on 3rd June 1774 at Castle Street, Paisley. His education consisted of rudimentary reading, writing and accounting at what was called an "English" school. He taught himself the German flute and read widely, having had a talent for verse from an early age. Later, he would develop an interest in theatre, going regularly to performances in Glasgow.

In his twelfth year he was apprenticed to his father (Robert was a weaver all his life). The family had earlier moved to the cottage in Queen Street which was to remain Tannahill's home, except for two years in Bolton between 1800 and 1802. Soon after returning from Bolton his father died and in the eight years following most of his published work was written.

He composed new lyrics to existing airs and had a love of Irish music. RA Smith of Paisley and John Ross of Aberdeen set original music to Tannahill's songs. With his work growing in popularity, The Soldiers return, a Scottish interlude in two acts, with other poems and songs, was published in 1807.

Much of his writing was inspired by the countryside surrounding Paisley, where the poet took regular walks, despite a deformity of the right leg. Songs such as The Braes O' Gleniffer and The Flower O' Levern side refer to local landmarks and poems like Will MacNeil's elegy and Allan's ale feature local people.

Overall, his work is broad in its understanding of humanity. Descriptions of friendship, love and the responsibility one human being has for another, come up frequently; with the characters being sweethearts, acquaintances and soldiers, lucky or unlucky in love. That he often wrote about soldiers was perhaps due to the impact of recruitment to Scottish Militia Regiments on his everyday life. In June 1809 he wrote to his friend James King, "I see no end of this war system".

The Queensferry boatie rows light,

And light is the heart that it bears,

For it brings the poor soldier safe back to his home,

From many long toilsome years.

But fled are his visions of bliss,

All his transports but 'rose to deceive,

For he found the dear cottage a tenantless waste,

And his kindred all sunk in the grave.

(The Worn soldier)

Tannahill was prone to bouts of melancholy. His 1810 manuscript was rejected by an Edinburgh publisher, and distressed he "consigned to the flames" as many of his writings as he could. His body was found in a sidetunnel of the Candren Burn, near his home, on 17th May 1810.

That the Paisley Tannahill Club still meets in the Queen Street cottage is a testament to the endurance of his work.

Jim Ferguson

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