Category: Kilbirnie / North Ayrshire

#poem About A Rowan Tree, #kilbirnie #northayrshire

I’ve been writing poetry about Kilbirnie and the area for many years now. You can see all of them here on my site. This one is about the Rowan Tree which was in my Grandfather’s garden in Castle Drive. Its likely still there.

In the shade of Grandpa’s house
There stood a Rowan Tree
Where my Brother tried to climb
With Rosalyn and me

Every day my Grandpa came
Admired towering boughs
While we as children playing there
Saw darkened twigs and crows

Shadows hung upon his life
With towering darkened power
Yet we as children plain could see
Their withering every hour

Its leaves held back the sunshine light
Its branches stern with years
Sitting with his chair and pipe
It calmed away his fears

Yet we as children playing in sight
Saw only twigs and leaves
Revealing more of sky to us
Than he could ever see

We pointed up at shafts of light
Throughout the darkened power
Whilst he preferred the shaded glade
To pass the wakened hour

We saw sun and endless days
Upon his chair he sat
Despite the passing years it stood
The tree was sound at heart

1980s #radiojingles from #westsound radio #northayrshire

I visited west sound in 1986 and had a tour of their studio. The photos I took are very interesting. I wrote to them recently but they didnt want the photos so I passed them to Andy Walmsley who runs an online radio history site. You can see them on his site (search for west sound) here along with my collection of Autographed photos of West Sound Presenters

Here is a jingle montage I found on Soundcloud, the best ones are about half way through. They had a really weird theme called mystical waters which was recorded by a group of kids singing “lalala” in North Ayrhsire, the opening jingle is the music only version the other one on this demo is  with the kids. They used it to close the station at 8pm every night. It was recorded at one of our Local schools in the Garnock valley. Their first kids show on Saturday mornings was with Dippy the Dolphin, John MacAuley and Fiona MacDonald. (was it Fiona?)

The Reading Room #glengarnock #kilbirnie #northayrshire

Reading Room

North Ayrshire´s first library over at the Steel Works operated by Willie Rabey. It also held Brethren Assembly meetings before the Hebron Hall was opened in 1921. I recognise one person in this picture, Malcolm McMillan.