Alloway Auld Kirk

The Alloway Auld Kirk, which dates back to the 16th century,[1] is a ruin in Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland, celebrated as the scene of the witches' dance in the poem "Tam o' Shanter" by Robert Burns.

William Burnes, father of the poet, is buried in the graveyard together with his daughter Isabella as well as two of his nieces.

[2] Alloway was where he and his wife had first raised their family before moving to Mount Oliphant and Lochlea, and William had attempted to maintain the grounds of the Kirk, which was already a ruin at the time.

[1] Robert Burns presented his friend John Richmond with a silver mounted snuffbox made with wood taken from the rafters of the Auld Alloway Kirk.

[5] Following restoration work, the Kirk and graveyard were reopened to the public by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond in April 2008.

The kirk ruins and William Burnes 's grave