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Muirkirk
Muirkirk ( gd, Eaglais an t-Slèibh) is a small village in East Ayrshire, southwest Scotland. It is located on the north bank of the River Ayr, between Cumnock and Glenbuck on the A70. Conservation The Muirkirk & North Lowther Uplands Special Protection Area was set up to protect the populations of breeding hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria), merlin (Falco columbarius), peregrine falcon (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 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, former professional f ...
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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 of MEG is to regenerate the whole village community to provide sustainability, respect and hope for the village for future generations. Issues MEG had to address Muirkirk is a rural village set in the border of East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire with a population of around 1800. At one time Muirkirk was a hive of industry with coal mining, rail connections and ironworks. The demise of the mines brought widespread unemployment and the village suffered from relatively high levels of poverty. Muirkirk was rated as one of the most deprived areas of Scotland by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2003. At that time the village experienced an unemployment rate of 30 per cent. MEG identified a number of local issues in consultation w ...
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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 Kirkconnel ( Gaelic: ''Cille Chonaill'') is a small parish in Dumfries and Galloway, southwestern Scotland. It is located on the A76 near the head of Nithsdale. Principally it has been a sporting community. The name comes from The Church of S ... in Dumfries and Galloway. The SPA is of outstanding interest for its variety of upland habitats and breeding birds. There are large tracts of blanket bog, wet and dry heaths and upland grasslands which provide a diversity of habitats that supports a rich variety of moorland breeding birds. External links about the Special Protection Area MuirkirkBirdlife Fact Sheet for Airds Moss and Muirkirk UplandsJoint Nature Conservation CommitteeScottish Executive announcement of launch of SPA on 7 March 2003Scottish Natural Heritage Protected areas of Dumfries and Galloway Pro ...
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Glenbuck
Glenbuck ( gd, Gleann Buic) 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 was surrounded on three sides by South Lanarkshire. The Ayrshire/Lanarkshire border runs north to south across the Loch. The "Loch" is in fact a dam created in 1802 by James Finlay for his Catrine cotton works. Much of the dam banks was created by French prisoners of war. The dam was situated so that the water to power the mill took exactly 12 hours to reach Catrine. The Tenant of West Glenbuck Farm had his rent paid by James Findlay to open the sluice at 18.00 and close it at 06.00, mirroring exactly the working hours of the Mill. The water turned the famous Catrine Wheel which powered the Mill. The double wheel was in diameter and revolved three times per minute, using of water whilst generating .The water also powered a do ...
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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 signing for Queen of the South at the start of the 1969–70 season. Dempster is best known for his time Queens in Dumfries. The 1970s goalscoring winger and penalty taker found the net 98 times during 355 first-team matches for the ''Doonhamers'' and is the sixth highest goalscorer in the club's history. Dempster played alongside teammates Allan Ball, Iain McChesney and Crawford Boyd, who were named amongst the best eleven that Dempster played with at Palmerston Park. Queens narrowly missed out on promotion in Dempster's first season at Palmerston, the 1968-70 season, as the club finished third in the table behind Falkirk and Cowdenbeath respectively, in Scottish League Division Two. After leaving Palmerston Park, Dempster played for s ...
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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 Scotland and after her defeat at Langside he settled at Dalfram Farm. Lapraik was born at Laigh Dalquhram, about three miles west of Muirkirk, Ayrshire, in 1727. After attending the local school he succeeded his father, as the eldest son, to the family estate, which was of considerable extent. He also rented the lands and mill of Muirsmill, in the neighbourhood. In March 1754 he married Margaret Rankine, sister of Burns's friend John Rankine.John Lapraik
lapraik.com, accessed 9 March 2017.
She died about 1762 after the birth of her fifth child. In 1766 Lapraik married Janet Anderson of Lightshaw, from a ...
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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 horse burials have been found along its banks, mainly concentrated around the town of Ayr. Etymology The name ''Ayr'' may come from a pre-Celtic word meaning "watercourse". ''Ayr'' could also be of Brittonic derivation, perhaps from the element ''*ar'', an ancient river-name element implying horizontal movement. The town of Ayr was formerly known as ''Inver Ayr'' meaning "mouth of the Ayr" (see Inver), but this was later shortened to just ''Ayr''. Geography The River Ayr has a catchment area of . The river originates at Glenbuck Loch in East Ayrshire, close to the border with Lanarkshire. It winds its way through East and South Ayrshire to its mouth at the town of Ayr, where it empties into the Firth of Clyde. On its way, the river pa ...
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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 from birth with a deformed foot, she also had a squint and a large tumour on her side. Unsuited for hard labour she settled in a cottage now romantically situated on the banks of the Garpel water, where she made a living by writing verses, singing and opening her cottage as a howff – a meeting place and an unofficial pub where whisky and strong drink was served in a convivial atmosphere. She was in the habit of satirizing in verse those who had offended her. She was noted for her sarcastic wit and was apparently an exceptional singer, often singing her own compositions to the delight of her rustic audience. During the shooting season her howff would be filled with aristocrats who were glad to enjoy a laugh at her humour and to hear her sing. ...
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East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two 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 Road, Kilmarnock. With South Ayrshire and the mainland areas of North Ayrshire, it formed the former county of Ayrshire. The wider geographical region of East Ayrshire has a population of 122,100 at the last 2011 census, making it the 16th most populous local authority in Scotland. Spanning a geographical area of , East Ayrshire is the 14th-largest local authority in Scotland in terms of geographical area. The majority of the population of East Ayrshire live within and surrounding the main town, Kilmarnock, having a population of over 46,000 people at the 2011 census. Other large population areas in East Ayrshire include Cumnock, the second-largest town in terms of population and area, and small ...
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Willie Ferguson
William Copeland Ferguson (13 February 1901 – 31 August 1960) was a Scottish footballer and manager best known for his time at Chelsea and Dumfries side Queen of the South. His position was usually as a left winger. Early years Ferguson was born in Muirkirk, Ayrshire to Daniel Ferguson, a coal miner, and Barbara, née Brown. He was still a child when his family moved to Kirkconnel, where he started in football with local junior side Kello Rovers. Queen of the South (1st spell) Willie Ferguson first joined fledgling Queen of the South in nearby Dumfries during season 1921–22, their third season after formation. Ferguson was the fourth of the players at the club in its first three seasons who would go on build successful careers in England's top division. The others were Dave Halliday, Ian Dickson and Hughie Gallacher. Ferguson failed to complete the season at Queens as his talents attracted big name attention. Chelsea Ferguson signed for London club Chelsea. B ...
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Kilmarnock And Loudoun (UK Parliament Constituency)
Kilmarnock and Loudoun is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system. Boundaries The constituency consists of the northern half of East Ayrshire and contains the town of Kilmarnock and the Irvine Valley. In 2005, the constituency was expanded to include part of the disbanded Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley constituency. There was a Kilmarnock and Loudoun local government district covering a similar area, from 1975 to 1996. At the 1983 general election, this district was coterminous with the constituency boundaries It does not share the same borders as the Scottish Parliament constituency of the same name. The main towns are: * Newmilns and Greenholm *Catrine * *Auchinleck * * Darvel * Galston *Hurlford *Kilmarnock *Kilmaurs *Logan * * Lugar * *Mauchline * *Muirkirk * *Ochiltree* *Sorn * *Stewarton Stewarton ( sco, Stewartoun,
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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 mixed particle size and predetermined structure, that would be more durable and less muddy than soil-based tracks. Modern road construction still reflects McAdam's influence. Of subsequent improvements, the most significant was the introduction of tar (originally coal tar) to bind the road surface's stones together, " tarmac" (for Tar Macadam.) Early life McAdam was born in Ayr, Scotland. He was the youngest of ten children and second son of the Baron of Waterhead. He moved to Lagwine at Carsphairn when still a child to live with his grandparents. The family name was traditionally McGregor, but was changed to McAdam (claiming descent from the Biblical Adam) for political reasons in James VI's reign. He moved to New York in 1770 and, ...
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A70 Road
The A70 road is a major road in Scotland, United Kingdom . It runs a total of from Edinburgh to Ayr. It begins as Dalry Road at the Haymarket, Edinburgh junction with the A8, passing near but not through Lanark and ending as Miller Road in Ayr. Between Edinburgh city centre and Lanark it passes through the Edinburgh suburbs of Slateford, Juniper Green, Currie and Balerno; then Carnwath (where the A70 joins the A721 for three miles), Carstairs (where the two roads separate again), and Ravenstruther, while between Lanark and Ayr it passes through Hyndford Bridge, Rigside, Douglas, Muirkirk, Smallburn, Cumnock, Ochiltree, and Coylton. The Scots name of the road is the "Lang Whang", a whang in the Scots tongue being a narrow strip of leather, usually a long leather bootlace. Much of the road is over elevated, desolate moorland; it ascends several times on its course to heights over 1000 feet above sea level. Because the wind enjoys an easy and uninterrupted passage over its lengt ...
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