River Ayr

The River Ayr (pronounced like air, Uisge Àir in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At 65 km (40 mi) 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 comes from a pre-Celtic word meaning "watercourse". The town of Ayr was formerly known as Inver Ayr meaning "mouth of the Ayr", but this was later shortened to just Ayr.

Geography

The River Ayr has a watershed area of 574 km² (222 sq mi).

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 passes through the villages of Muirkirk, Sorn, Catrine, Failford, Stair and Annbank, as well as passing the location of (the now ruined) Ayr Castle. The largest settlements being Ayr, Cumnock, Catrine, Ochiltree, Muirkirk and Sorn.

Ayr

Coordinates: 55°27′29″N 4°37′44″W / 55.458°N 4.629°W / 55.458; -4.629

Ayr (/ɛər/; Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town and former Royal Burgh sitting along the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland. It forms a part of the South Ayrshire Local Authority area, serving as the areas administrative centre. Historically, Ayr was the county town of Ayrshire until 1975. Ayr is currently the most populated settlement in Ayrshire and the South of Scotland. It is the 13th most populous locality in Scotland.

The town was established in 1205 and soon developed as the central market and port along the west coast of Scotland, becoming a prominent trading port to Ireland. Oliver Cromwell also established a Citadel along the south of the river Ayr, the ramparts of which remain visible to this day. As the birthplace of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns, the suburb of Alloway, in the south of the town, houses his former home and the Robert Burns Experience. Across the Victorian era coal and iron remained the central export of the town, with fishing and shipping also forming a significant sect of the local economy. Ayr later developed as a holiday resort, aspects of which remain the case today with the continued presence of a Butlins holiday park to the south of the town. The Gaiety Theatre, Ayr ran various shows across the late 20th century, attracting performers from across the United Kingdom, and despite its decline throughout the 2000s, it remains in operation today.

Ayr (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Ayr is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) which elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) via the plurality (first past the post) electoral system. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland electoral region which elects seven additional members to the Scottish Parliament via a proportional electoral system known as the Additional Members System (abbreviated AMS) which allows for fairer representation for the region as a whole.

Electoral region

The other eight constituencies of the South Scotland region are Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Clydesdale, Dumfriesshire, East Lothian, Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Galloway and West Dumfries, Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley and Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale. The region covers the Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, Scottish Borders and South Ayrshire council areas in full and elements of the East Lothian, Midlothian and South Lanarkshire council areas.

Ayr (Parliament of Scotland constituency)

Ayr was a royal burgh that returned one commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland and to the Convention of Estates.

After the Acts of Union 1707, Ayr, Campbeltown, Inveraray, Irvine and Rothesay formed the Ayr district of burghs, returning one member between them to the House of Commons of Great Britain.

List of burgh commissioners

References

See also