Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Born in Kyle

  • A Love Letter tae an Ayrshire Childhood (Scots Edition)
  • By: Billy Kay
  • Narrated by: Billy Kay
  • Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Born in Kyle cover art

Born in Kyle

By: Billy Kay
Narrated by: Billy Kay
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Scots: The Mither Tongue cover art
Food of the Cods cover art
Tunnel of Mirrors cover art
Window in Thrums cover art
The Worst Lyrics of all Time cover art
Songs of Jamaica cover art
Abide with Me cover art
Winter's Orphan cover art
Christmas Is for Children cover art
Breadboy cover art
The Young Team cover art
A Working Class State of Mind cover art
Scotland cover art
Down Lambeth Way cover art
In Highland Harbours cover art
The Pearly Queen cover art

Summary

One of the most important figures in the Scots revival of the late 20th and early 21st centuries is Billy Kay. Through radio, television, plays, creative writing and especially his hugely influential book Scots The Mither Tongue, Kay’s work helped change people’s negative perception of Scots and paved the way for its acceptance as a key element in Scottish cultural identity.

In Born in Kyle Kay goes back to his own linguistic and cultural roots and celebrates a sense of place and belonging in his native Galston in Ayrshire’s Irvine Valley. Looking back, Kay realises that his was the last of the pre-television generations, and life was lived in a strong Scots-speaking environment which would be eroded when television in English was beamed into every household from the early 1960s onwards.

In a vivid, gutsy and realistic Scots prose shot through with humour, Kay brings alive the characters he grew up with, some in personally recalled memoirs, others in short stories which bring out a history and a literary history inherited by local folk going back hundreds of years. This is his love letter to working class life in small town Scotland.

©2023 Billy Kay (P)2023 Billy Kay

More from the same

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Transform your day

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Listen everywhere

Listen everywhere

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Carry your entire Library

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Listen and learn

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Reach your reading goals

Reach your reading goals

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Find your niche

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for £0.00 £7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

What listeners say about Born in Kyle

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ayrshire as I remember it

Like Billy Kay I was born in Ayrshire in the early’50s so much of the book reminds me of my childhood. I had the advantage of living on the coast though in sight of the Arran hills! Billy has reminded me of words I don’t hear in Kent where I live now-but some I do still often use. He tells some great stories of his family and neighbours in guid Scots! Being a lad he could be more adventurous (hitch hiking in Europe at 15; not for lassies back then!) Much enjoyed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!