Funeral date set for Scots Makar Edwin Morgan

Edwin Morgan was Professor of English at Glasgow from 1975 until he retired in 1980

The funeral of the late Edwin Morgan, Scotland's first national poet, will take place on Thursday at the University of Glasgow.

Mr Morgan, who was widely recognised as one of the foremost Scottish poets of the 20th Century, passed away last week aged 90 after suffering pneumonia.

Dr George Reid, former presiding officer of the Scottish parliament, will deliver the eulogy at the service.

Among guests to read from Mr Morgan's work will be Scots poet Liz Lochhead.

The service will be followed by a private cremation attended by Mr Morgan's family and close friends.

The poet was Professor of English at Glasgow from 1975 until he retired in 1980.

He became the inaugural Poet Laureate for Glasgow in 1999 and was appointed Scotland's first national poet - or Scots Makar - by the Scottish Parliament in 2004.

Mr Morgan was awarded an OBE in 1982 and was winner of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 2000.

He penned more than 60 poetry books and was the last remaining member of the "Big Seven" poets of Hugh MacDiarmid, Robert Garioch, Norman MacCaig, Iain Crichton Smith, George Mackay Brown and Sorley MacLean.