About Andrew Carnegie

ANDREW Carnegie forged the world's greatest fortune in the steel furnaces of Pittsburgh and lavished his millions on funding libraries, education, science and the arts.

Now his living legacy is being celebrated in his native Dunfermline with the launch of a new festival inspired by the "father of modern philanthropy".

Royal Dunfermline is re-asserting its city status as the precursor to Edinburgh as Scotland's capital and like its much older cousin, the Edinburgh International Festival, Carnegie Festival 2008 promises to be a multi-dimensional experience, encompassing film, politics, innovation and enterprise.

In what is planned to become an annual fixture, the inaugural Carnegie Festival has joined forces with the Scottish Parliament's Festival of Politics - in its first outreach beyond Holyrood - and the Edinburgh International Science Festival to mount an exciting programme of events which will run from 21st August to 6th September.

Andrew Carnegie was a strong proponent of international peace and democracy alongside his passions for libraries, education, science and the arts. He was a prolific writer, his books including Triumphant Democracy. Andrew Carnegie established over 20 foundations and institutions worldwide, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington D.C. to the Peace Palace in The Hague.

Here in the United Kingdom, Carnegie institutions support democracy and civil society, youth empowerment, community regeneration, further and higher education and scientific research.

Now the Carnegie UK Trust, the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust and Carnegie College are partnering with Fife Council and sponsors in the corporate and higher education sectors to mount an eclectic programme that is designed to entertain, inform, inspire, provoke and challenge...