Muirkirk ( gd, Eaglais an t-Slèibh) is a small village in East Ayrshire, southwest

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. 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 sacrificia ...

, 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 ...

and Glenbuck 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 ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd ...

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 as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey bac ...

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

Population

The 2001 United Kingdom census recorded a population of 1,865.

History

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

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) 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. The name is derived from '' Covena ...

movement. 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 which was set up in 1999.

Notable people

Jocky Dempster John 'Jocky' Dempster (born 8 October 1948) is a former Scottish 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 Scottish League One, the third tier of Scottish football. They are traditionally nicknamed the '' Doonhamers'' but are mo ...

, St Mirren and Clyde F.C. * Danny Masterton, footballer with Ayr United and Clyde, lived almost his whole life in Muirkirk.The Scotsman, 23 May 2020. * Willie Ferguson, professional footballer with Chelsea F.C. 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 m ...

, who developed his system of road laying in Muirkirk * Isobel Pagan (Tibby) - poet * Bill Shaw, pre-war footballer * Prof Sir Tom Symington, pioneer in Cancer research

References

External links

*
Muirkirk's Official Website

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