Robert Burns Night Supper

Past Burns Night Fundraising Beneficiaries

Each year the ASCI Dunkeld and Birnam Comittee in consultation with the Dunkeld and Birnam Friends of Asheville, NC jointly decide on a beneficiary for a portion of the proceeds from the Robert Burns Night Supper fundraiser. Below are some of the beneficiaries from past Burns Night fundraiser. All net proceeds from the Robert Burns Night Supper go to Asheville Sister Cities Inc. (ASCI), a 501c3 organization.

Burns Cottage Restoration

Proceeds from 2019 Burns Night made possible a $1200 donation to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, Scotland for the restoration of the Burns Cottage. Repairs were needed to the thatched roof, plaster walls and chimney of Burn’s birthplace. This donation helped to raise the urgently needed £100,000 to carry out thatching, limewashing, and weatherproofing.

Niel Gow Memorial

Proceeds from 2020 Burns Night made possible a $1200 donation to the Niel Gow bronze statue memorial in Dunkeld completed in 2020. Niel Gow (1727–1807) was the most famous Scottish fiddler of the eighteenth century. Many of Niel Gow’s compositions are still played today at ceilidhs and country dances. The annual Niel Gow Fiddle Festival takes place every March in Dunkeld and Birnam celebrating the life and music of Gow. Photo Credit: Doug Orr

Birnam Arts

Proceeds from 2021 virtual Burns Night made possible a $1200 donation to Birnam Arts. Since its founding in 1880 as a community facility for 'education and entertainment', Birnam Arts has been a vibrant arts center, delivering dynamic arts and community programs.

Dunkeld Community Archive

Proceeds from 2023 Burns Night made possible a $2000 (£1620) donation to support the work of the Dunkeld Community Archives. The archive plays crucial role in helping Dunkeld's stories live on to inspire future generations and to remain an important and relevant part of people’s lives – today and long into the future.

Dunkeld and Birnam in Bloom

Proceeds from the 2024 Burns Night made possible a $1000 donation to fund the Dunkled and Birnam in Bloom committee which maintains St. Ninians Gardens in Dunkeld and Torwood Park in Birnam amongst other locations. On August 30, 2025 an ASCI delegation was honored to attend the dedication of the Dunkeld and Birnam in Bloom Committee's landscape installation. A plaque describing the relationship between our sister cities was unveiled. This plaque includes a link to a website describing the history of our twinning. Photo Credits: Group: Alan Young, Plaque: Fiona Ritchie

The Thistle & Shamrock Roots Music Collection

Proceeds from the 2025 Burns Night funded $5000 for the moving, cataloging, planning, and installation of The Thistle & Shamrock Roots Music Collection at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Asheville which is scheduled to be dedicated in July, 2027. Fiona Ritchie, Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), created, produced, and hosted the highly acclaimed weekly The Thistle & Shamrock radio program for over 41 years since its inception on WFAE in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1981. The Thistle & Shamrock became the world's most listed to and popular radio program exploring and presenting Celtic roots music and broadcast on 237 National Public Radio (NPR) stations including over 2000 episodes. In 2025, Fiona donated The Thistle & Shamrock Roots Music Collection of 4500 CDs, 900 vinyl albums, and associated books and music manuscripts used in the production of the radio program to the UNC at Asheville's Center for Roots Music to make this unique and valuable archive available for music scholarship.

Hurricane Recovery

Proceeds from 2025 Burns Night made possible a $1000 donation to each of three local charities for Hurricane Helene recovery: Manna Foodbank, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, and River Arts District Artists.

Royal School of Dunkel

Proceeds from the sale of student art at several Burns Nights funds the Royal School of Dunkeld.

Writer in Residence

Proceeds from the 2026 Burns Night will contribute to a Writer in Residence Program in Dunkeld and Birnam. Elizabeth Kostova, a New York Times Best Selling author living in Asheville, will be the first writer in residence for 8 weeks in the Spring of 2026. While in Scotland, she'll bring her wide experience into local schools, senior citizens groups, Climate Café, and the broader community, leading writing workshops and working on projects around the theme of 'A River of Words'.