Muirkirk ( gd, Eaglais an t-Slèibh) is a small village in
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 headq ...
, 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 th ...
. 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 just o ...
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
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 ...
(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
{{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 ...
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 s ...
, former professional footballer with
Queen of the South F.C.,
St Mirren and
Clyde F.C.
*
Danny Masterton
Daniel Masterton (5 September 1954 – 5 January 2020) was a Scottish footballer, who played as a striker.
Masterton was from Muirkirk, Ayrshire. He began his career with Ayr United, before moving to Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde ...
, 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
Queen of the South F.C.
*
John Lapraik, 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
References
External links
*
Muirkirk's Official WebsiteMuirkirk Enterprise Group
Villages in East Ayrshire
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