By Rory Reynolds
TOP Scots author Irvine Welsh has revealed that his dream of being able to buy a home for his mum came true after the success of Trainspotting.
The 51-year-old offered his beloved mum Jean a house anywhere she wanted, to be paid for by the multi-million pound fortune that came after the success of his gritty Scots novels.
But his mum, a former waitress, insisted on staying in the home where she and her late husband Peter lived in Edinburgh.
So the best-selling author forked out £19,000 to purchase the modest house from Edinburgh City Council for his hard-working mum.
His mum and dad had moved there after bringing Irvine up in Muirhouse, West Pilton and, most famously, Leith – the setting for most of his novels.
Welsh rose to fame after penning the cult classic Trainspotting in 1993, which was adapted for the silver screen in 1996.
The hit British movie also launched the careers of fellow Scots Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Kevin McKidd and Kelly Macdonald – all of whom have achieved massive success in the wake of the production.
Welsh has since splashed out on luxury homes in Edinburgh’s New Town, Chicago and Miami, along with a townhouse in Dublin’s trendy Rathmines area, where he lives with his wife Elizabeth.
He said: “Everybody was better off than my parents were.
“They both had poorly paid jobs and lived in council houses all their lives.
“It’s great to be able to make sure that at least my mum is OK now, in that respect.”
And in an interview last month, Robert Carlyle revealed that Trainspotting director Danny Boyle is “edging closer” to making Porno, Welsh’s sequel to the hit novel and movie.
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