James Edward McGrory (1904-82) is a Celtic legend, remembered today as the greatest goal-scorer in the history of Scottish football. His record of 550 goals in his 15-year career at Parkhead from 1922 to 1937 is unlikely to be surpassed and will stand forever as a memorial to a player who was a typical product of the period between the two world wars. At a depressing time when wages were low and work was scarce, his feats on the field provided a welcome and much-needed escape for the thous...

Like Charles Rennie Mackintosh, John Cairney began his career at the age of 15 at the Glasgow School of Art. He tells of the working life of Charles Rennie Mackintosh as well as the beautiful love story which tragically ended with Mackintosh's sudden death at the age of 60. His wife and co-artist, Margaret Macdonald died three years later.

A book for actors, for would-be actors and for everyone who has a curiosity about theatre as it is on the inside. The bareback performance of the histrionic art as it has been since the Greeks. This is one actor's experience over 60 years as a professional, including roles in The Avengers, Dr Finlay's Casebook, Jason and the Argonauts and This Man Craig.

Andrew Carnegie: self-made Scottish-American steel millionaire and international philanthropist, remembered through trusts, charities and public buildings on both sides of the Atlantic. Robert Burns: Scotland's greatest poet and most famous philanderer; an inspiration for future liberal politicians and an almost mythical cultural icon. What do the world's greatest tycoon and Scotland's finest bard have in common? More than you might think. Despite dying thirty nine years prior to Carnegie'...

This guide follows a trail of places associated with Robert Louis Stevenson. John Cairney, perhaps best known for writing and starring in The Robert Burns Story, is one of the few people to have visited all the places on the RLS trail.

Is there anything new to say about Robert Burns? John Cairney says it's time to trash Burns the Brand and come on the trail of the real Robert Burns. He is the best of travelling companions on the convivial, entertaining journey to the heart of the Burns story. Alloway – Burns' birthplace. Tam O' Shanter draws on the Alloway Kirk witch stories first heard by Burns in his childhood Mossgiel – Between 1784 and 1786 in a phenomenal burst out of creativity, Burns wrote some of his most memorab...

The Immortal Memory remains the centrepiece of the traditional Burns Supper and although that rite might be seen by some to have had its day, the "Immortal Memory" itself still retains its importance and prestige to Burns lovers all over the world. It is an honour to be invited to present this toast and it is to honour this status and to further respect its subject that Dr Cairney's third book on Burns is devoted to his "Immortal Memory". The extraordinary thing is that the contributors, w...

This is not another complete works collection but a personal selection of sixty favourite poems, songs and other works, chosen by the Man Who Played Burns , as well as an introduction that explores Burns' life and influences, his triumphs and tragedies. The Luath Burns Companion is a unique introduction to the works of ona of Scotland's best loved poets by a man with an obvious love and depth of understanding for Burns and his work. This selection reveals the drama, passion, pathos and hum...

Those who have been football supporters all their lives can never forget the first match they ever saw, although they might not recall the result. This is because it is the players that stay in the memory and the magic moments they provided for millions of spectators in their time.Every generation throws up its own football field magicians and The Scottish Football Hall of Fame encapsulates the Saturday afternoon spell cast by fine footballers for ordinary working men who lived to cheer on...

Life is there for the taking. We can choose to take it, or leave it to float by as it will. If we have the confidence, we can reach out and grab it. Life is divided into four sections: birth, adolescence, maturity and old age. Writing from 'the final quarter', John Cairney looks over each section of his life and draws wisdom from the places he has been, the people he has met and the events he has experienced. He's been shot at (twice). Survived a hurricane at sea and an earthquake. He has ...

This publication is actor John Cairney's life with Robert Burns in theatrical terms. Since 1959, he has been involved with Burns as actor, director and writer. Over the years, Cairney has taken the opportunity to investigate different aspects of Burns as they relate to performance in the theatre. For the first time he has brought all these working playscripts, which have already been tested before a live audience, together in book form. Others interested in the prismatic attraction that is...

A wander through twelve of Glasgow's finest parks, and through the mind of a treasured Glasgow resident, John Cairney. Cairney's exploration of his home city's dear green places ranges from Tollcross Park in the east, to the Botanic Gardens, pride of the West End, and even right out to Hogganfield Loch in the city's furthest reaches. Written with a deep love of the city, A Walk in the Park takes us on a journey into Glasgow's past as well as through its outdoor spaces. Cairney traces his c...