Gin ye’r a body that’s ever haed ocht tae dae anent the Scots leid, than ye’ll ken fine wha Billy Kay is. Born an reared in Ayrshire, but lang time bider in the north o Fife, an weel kent aboot Dundee an ither gaits, Billy burstit on the Scots scene throu his buik Scots The Mither Tongue. Deed, for mony o us, this buik wis ane o the first we haed ever read anent the Scots leid, an it steert twa-three o us tae tak tae the streets, sae tae speak, for Scots richts. Billy Kay is kent as a braidcaster an screiver forby an haes pit mony, mony man hours intae speirin at, an makkin recordings o, Scots speakers, Inglis speakers, an jist speakers, drawin oot o fowk the stories, no jist o thair langage, but o thair lifes an wark.

Sae we doot that Billy’s split-new buik, cryed Born in Kyle: A Love Letter Tae an Ayrshire Childhood, will intress jist aboot awbody that’s aquent wi his wark. He descrives a bairnheid in Ayrshire, amang a warking-cless faimly, that maist fowk reared up in the mid-20t century will readily identify wi, alang wi aw thae cheils that weans gets up tae. Billy belanged thon kith-end afore Soothron-speakin TV wis in awbody’s hame in the 1960’s an he speaks o thae days wi fondness, an stories o characters he kent, and stories haundit doun fae his ain, hamelt airt. An its set agin the backgrund o whit wis whiles gauin on the braid warld. For ae instance, the boys in 1962 that jaloused the wad be  nuclear weir an set oot tae play thair hinmaist fitba gemm. Noo the’r a rare gliff o the Scots mindset!

Billy’s buik, fundit bi the Scots government throu its grant for publications in the Scots leid, can be coft for £16.99 hardback (ISBN 978-1-9993309-4-1) or £9.99 paperback (ISBN 978-1-9993309-3-4) or as a recordit buik. Billy will be giein Born in Kyle its ootset at 7pm in the Community Centre at Gawston (Galston) on Friday 17 November 2023, an again at the Dick Institute, Kilmaurnock (Kilmarnock) at 2pm on Seturday 25 November 2023. Forby, Billy will be at Gawston leebrar, on Henrietta Street, on Seturday 18 November atween 11am an 12.30 for tae meet wi fowk an sign the buik. Ingait tae the abuin is free, but a body maun speir aboot a seat throu Gawston (01563 821729) or bi gait o email info@eastayshireleisure.com for Kilmaurnock. For ony ither wittins, or tae speir anent signed doobles, please clap yer device on Billy’s wabsteid at www.billykay.scot .

The'r a soond file o this story in Scots ablow.