Muirkirk () is a small village in

East Ayrshire East Ayrshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Roa ...

, southwest

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It is located on the north bank of the

River Ayr The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At it is the longest river in the county. The river was held as sacred by pre-Christian cultures. The remains of several prehistoric sacrificial ...

, between

Cumnock Cumnock (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cumnag'') is a town and former civil parish located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing projects which lie j ...

and

Glenbuck Glenbuck () is a small, remote village in East Ayrshire. It is nestled in the hills east of Muirkirk, East Ayrshire, Scotland. Glenbuck Loch The site of the village was slightly to the north-west of Glenbuck "Loch", on the River Ayr, and w ...

on the A70.

Conservation

The

Muirkirk & North Lowther Uplands Special Protection Area Muirkirk & North Lowther Uplands Special Protection Area is an extensive area of moorland extending south from near Darvel in northern Ayrshire to near Kirkconnel in Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitar ...

was set up to protect the populations of breeding hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria), merlin (Falco columbarius),

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

(Falco peregrinus) and short-eared owl (Asio flammeus).

Population

As of 2019, the estimated population of Muirkirk is 1,386.

History

The village developed around its church, which was built in 1631, and was a fertile recruiting ground for the

Covenanter Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son C ...

movement. The village partook in

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide #Curling stone, stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take t ...

since at least 1750, and has one of the earliest written accounts of this, by the minister, Rev John Sheppard. In recent times, the village has fallen into decline due to its geographic isolation and the collapse of its coal and iron industries, but attempts are being made at regeneration through the

Muirkirk Enterprise Group {{More citations needed, date=May 2015 Muirkirk Enterprise Group (MEG) was set up in 1999 with the aim of regenerating the rural village of Muirkirk which was, at one time, labelled the most socially deprived village in Scotland. The ongoing aim o ...

which was set up in 1999.

Notable people

Jocky Dempster John 'Jocky' Dempster (born 8 October 1948) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a right winger, mainly for Queen of the South and also St Mirren and Clyde. Career Dempster played with junior outfit Muirkirk before sig ...

, former professional footballer with

Queen of the South F.C. Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club formed in 1919 in Dumfries. The club plays in , the third tier of Scottish football. They are traditionally nicknamed the '' Doonhamers'' but are more usually referred ...

, St Mirren and

Clyde F.C. Clyde Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football club who play in . Formed in 1877 at the River Clyde in Glasgow, the club host their home matches at New Douglas Park, having played at Broadwood Stadium from 1994 until 2022. The ...

* Danny Masterton, footballer with Ayr United and Clyde, lived almost his whole life in Muirkirk. *

Willie Ferguson William Copeland Ferguson (13 February 1901 – 31 August 1960) was a Scottish people, Scottish association football, footballer and manager best known for his time at Chelsea F.C., Chelsea and Dumfries side Queen of the South F.C., Queen of t ...

, professional footballer with

Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club was founded in 1905 and named after neighbouring area Chelsea. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, pl ...

and

John Lapraik John Lapraik (1727 – 7 May 1807) was a Scottish farmer and poet, and friend of Robert Burns. Life The family name is derived from the French 'Laprivick' or 'Lekprevick' and the first of the Scottish branch had accompanied Mary Queen of Scots to ...

, poet *

John Loudon McAdam John Loudon McAdam (23 September 1756 – 26 November 1836) was a Scottish civil engineer and road-builder. He invented a new process, "macadamisation", for building roads with a smooth hard surface, using controlled materials of mi ...

, who developed his system of road laying in Muirkirk *

Isobel Pagan Isabel Pagan (c. 1740 – 1821), also known as "Tibbie", was a Scottish poet of the Romantic Era. Biography Pagan was born in 1741, about 4 miles from Nith-head in the Parish of New Cumnock, where she lived until 14 years of age. Lame fro ...

(Tibby) - poet * Bill Shaw, pre-war footballer * Prof Sir Tom Symington, pioneer in Cancer research * Alan Gebbie, professional footballer with

St Mirren F.C. St Mirren Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire, that competes in the after winning the 2017–18 Scottish Championship. Founded in 1877, the team has two nicknames: ''The Buddies'' and ''The S ...

and

Aldershot F.C. Aldershot Football Club was a football club from Aldershot, Hampshire, England, that played in the English Football League from 1932 to 1992. The club was nicknamed ''The Shots'' for both the last syllable of the town name and the military link ...

Cameron Menzies Cameron Menzies (born 27 June 1989) is a Scottish darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. A PDC Tour Card holder since 2022, Menzies has won two PDC ranking titles in Players Championship events. He reached hi ...

- darts player

References

External links

*
Muirkirk's Official Website

Muirkirk Enterprise Group
Villages in East Ayrshire {{EastAyrshire-geo-stub