Alloway Kirk

The old Alloway Kirk 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.There is a still a Church of Scotland parish church in Alloway; the minister (since 1999) is the Reverend Neil A. McNaught. The new church building was opened for worship on 10 October 1858 and the first minister was called in 1859. As originally built, the new church was rectangular. Modifications in 1878 and 1890 created the present shape.The suite of halls beyond the churchyard was erected in 1965, the session house in 1977 and the octagonal hall in 1987.William Burnes, father of the poet, is buried here.Following restoration work, the kirk and graveyard were reopened to the public by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond in April 2008