Glendaruel (
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
: ''Gleann Dà Ruadhail'') is a glen in the
Cowal
Cowal ( gd, Còmhghall) is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute, in the west of Scotland, that extends into the Firth of Clyde.
The northern part of the peninsula is covered by the Argyll Forest Park managed by Forestry and Land Scotland. The Arroch ...
peninsula in
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...
, Scotland.
The main settlement in Glendaruel is the Clachan of Glendaruel.
Features
![Kilmodan Church, Argyll](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Kilmodan_Church%2C_Argyll.JPG)
The present
Kilmodan Church
Built in 1783 Kilmodan Church (or Kilmodan Kirk), is in the Clachan of Glendaruel in the Kilmodan parish of the Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. It is constructed to a Georgian T-plan design and a category B listed building. ...
was built in the Clachan of Glendaruel in 1783. The Clachan of Glendaruel is the current location of Kilmodan Primary School, and the ground of
Col-Glen Shinty Club
Col-Glen Shinty Club is a shinty club based in Clachan of Glendaruel, Cowal, Argyll, Scotland.
History
The club was founded in 1920, and was originally called Colintraive and Glendaruel Shinty Club. The name reflects the two villages from wh ...
.
The ruined
Dunans Castle
Dunans Castle is an historic structure located in Glendaruel, on the Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The property is owned by Charles and Sadie Dixon-Spain. A property at Dounens was shown on maps in 1590; Dunans House was elaborate ...
is also located in Glendaruel, while Glendaruel Wood and Crags and the Ruel Estuary are both included in the
.
As the nearest Hospital is some miles away in
Dunoon
Dunoon (; gd, Dùn Omhain) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As wel ...
, a disused phone box in the village was converted to house a defibrillator. Just weeks before the installation, a tourist in Glendaruel had died from a heart attack.
Decline
The community is home to around 188 people as of 2008 and has been subject to a general decline in the late 20th century continuing into the early 21st century. The closure of the Glendaruel Hotel, a 17th-century coaching inn housing the only local pub, was in particular described as "a body blow." The hotel closed not long after a widely publicized legal case was won by three Polish former employees who had been described as "Polish Slaves" by a former hotel proprietor, who subsequently went on to sell the hotel in 2007, failing to advise the new proprietor of the impending legal case, forcing the new owner into voluntary bankruptcy when his business was ruined by the adverse publicity. Over the past two decades a number of facilities within the community have been lost, notable examples include the post office, general store and tearoom with even
Kilmodan Church
Built in 1783 Kilmodan Church (or Kilmodan Kirk), is in the Clachan of Glendaruel in the Kilmodan parish of the Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. It is constructed to a Georgian T-plan design and a category B listed building. ...
becoming part-time, holding services only 2 Sundays in a month.
Glendaruel is marked out at government level as a typical example of a 'failing' rural village in an area of 'deprivation'.
School
Kilmodan Primary has been earmarked for closure at various times in recent decades including in 1998 and in 2010 when the school roll stood at just 22 students. As of June 2012 the school had "two teachers, 19 pupils and handful of support staff."
Notable residents
*The Scottish
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
Colin Maclaurin
Colin Maclaurin (; gd, Cailean MacLabhruinn; February 1698 – 14 June 1746) was a Scottish mathematician who made important contributions to geometry and algebra. He is also known for being a child prodigy and holding the record for bei ...
was born in Clachan of Glendaruel in 1698 to the Reverend John Maclaurin, who was minister to the parish of
Kilmodan
Kilmodan is a civil parish situated on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, in Scotland. It includes the valley of Glendaruel and surrounding areas, with Kilmodan Church located in the Clachan of Glendaruel. The alternative historical spellin ...
.
*
Michael Russell MSP
Michael William Russell (born 9 August 1953) is a Scottish politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs from 2020 to 2021. He served as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning from ...
lives in an 18th-century cottage in Glendaruel with his wife and son. Russell represents the
Argyll and Bute Scottish Parliament Constituency which includes Glendaruel.
*
Peter Sinclair (1819)
Peter Sinclair (November 18, 1819 – October 9, 1906) was a Scottish farmer and politician in Prince Edward Island. He represented Queen's County in the House of Commons of Canada from 1873 to 1878 as a Liberal member.
He was born in G ...
was born in Glendaruel, he later emigrated to Canada and entered politics there.
*
Kirsty McLuckie
Kirsty McLuckie is a Scottish journalist. Since 2007, she has been property editor of ''The Scotsman''. She appeared on the now-axed the Fred MacAulay show on Radio Scotland, including acting as one of his guest hosts for one week during summer 20 ...
, journalist and broadcaster
Cultural depictions
Mythology
Glendaruel is thought to be one of the glens praised in the
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
poem "The Lament of Deirdre",
in which reference is made to a ''Glenndaruadh''. It is found in the 15th-century
Glenmasan manuscript
The Glenmasan manuscript is a late 15th-century Gaelic vellum manuscript in the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, where it is catalogued as Adv.MS.72.2.3. It was previously held in the Advocates Library, Edinburgh, where it was classified ...
, which may go back to an original written down in 1238.
Deirdre
Deirdre ( , Irish: ; sga, Derdriu ) is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish legend and probably its best-known figure in modern times. She is known by the epithet "Deirdre of the Sorrows" (). Her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-know ...
is a
tragic heroine
A tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragedy. In his '' Poetics'', Aristotle records the descriptions of the tragic hero to the playwright and strictly defines the place that the tragic hero must play and the kind of man he must be. Aristotle ...
in
Irish mythology
Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...
, and in the poem she is lamenting the necessity of leaving Scotland to return to Ireland.
Music
Glendaruel is the inspiration for a number of bagpipe tunes, including ''The Glendaruel Highlanders'', ''The Sweet Maid of Glendaruel'', and ''The Dream Valley of Glendaruel''. The tune of ''The Glendaruel Highlanders'' was used for the popular Scottish comic song
Campbeltown Loch
Campbeltown Loch ( Scottish Gaelic: Loch Chille Chiarain) is a small sea loch near the south of the Kintyre Peninsula facing eastwards towards the Firth of Clyde. The town of Campbeltown, from which it takes its name, is located at its head ...
, as sung by
Andy Stewart.
Geography
Gallery
Image:Glendaruel Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 31673.jpg, Glendaruel Bridge
Image:Road to Glendaruel from Loch Fyne - geograph.org.uk - 1599401.jpg, Road to Glendaruel from Loch Fyne
Image:Chapel on the Glendaruel Estate - geograph.org.uk - 362767.jpg, Chapel on the Glendaruel Estate
References
External links
Gaelic place names of Scotland - website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glendaruel
Kilmodan
Villages in Cowal
Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Glens of Cowal