Composer. Born in Tarbolton (South Ayrshire), Barr worked for a publisher in Glasgow. He went on to teach music in the city. He was a friend of Robert Tannahill (1774 - 1810) and set various of his poems to music. Tannahill wrote of Barr:
There's blithe James Barr, From St. Barchan's town, When wit gains a kingdom, He's sure o' the crown.
Barr emigrated for Canada in 1832, where he worked as a farmer until 1855. He died in Kilbarchan (Renfrewshire).
Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry
If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...