Mounted near the Armed Services Careers Office in Bridge St

 

On 27th July 2009, Past Club President and Local Councillor, David Henderson, unveiled a plaque on the Army Careers Office at 3 Bridge Street (site of former Ettles Hotel where Burns and Nicol stayed while in Inverness) to commemorate the visit of Robert Burns to Inverness in September 1787. David gave a very detailed introduction before unveiling the plaque to assembled guests including Provost Jimmy Gray, property owner David Sutherland CBE, Committee Members and Past Presidents of the Inverness Club with Past Presidents, Cliff Parr of the Enthusiasts Burns Club Inverness and Ian MacMillan of Wester Ross Burns Club.

 

The event was arranged to coincide with the arrival in the city of an 18 strong party from the Atlanta Burns Club in Georgia, USA and they were led by their courier for their Highland trip, Founder and Past President of Wester Ross Burns Club, Mr Ian MacMillan. They had previously toured Ayrshire and Dumfries, before attending the Clan Gathering in Edinburgh over the weekend and were now following part of Burns Highland Tour.

 

After the ceremony everyone present was hosted by Provost Jimmy Gray at a Civic Reception in the Council Chamber of the Town House where the visitors were presented with Homecoming 2009 Certificates as a memento of their visit. It was in this very same Council Chamber that Prime Minister Lloyd George held the historic first Cabinet Meeting outside London on 7th September, 1921.

 

There is also a later Inverness connection with the Burns family in that two of Robert’s own sons, Col William Nicol Burns and Major James Glencairn Burns, were on 4th August 1845 presented with the Freedom of the Burgh during a visit to their country of birth from Cheltenham where they had retired after army service in India.

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Cliff Sim – President – Inverness Burns Club  (2008-2010)