Glendaruel
Glendaruel is a glen in the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland.
The main village in Glendaruel (Gaelic: Gleann Dà Ruadhail) is the Clachan of Glendaruel.
Features
The present Kilmodan Church was built in the Clachan of Glendaruel in 1610. The Clachan of Glendaruel is the current location of Kilmodan Primary School, and the ground of Col-Glen Shinty Club.
Dunans Castle is also located in Glendaruel, while Glendaruel Wood and Crags and the Ruel Estuary are both included in the List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Mid Argyll and Cowal.
Decline
The community is home to around 188 people as of 2008 and has been subject to a general decline in the late 20th century continuing into the early 21st century. The closure of the Glendaruel Hotel, a 17th century coaching inn housing the only local pub, was in particular described as "a body blow." The hotel closed not long after a widely publicized legal case was won by three Polish former employees who had been described as "Polish Slaves" by the hotel proprietors. Over the past two decades a number of facilities within the community have been lost, notable examples include the post office, general store and tearoom with even Kilmodan Church becoming part-time, holding services only 2 Sundays in a month. [1][2][3][4]
Glendaruel is marked out at government level as a typical example of a ‘failing’ rural village in an area of ‘deprivation’.[5]
Notable residents
- The Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin was born in Clachan of Glendaruel in 1698 to the Reverend John Maclaurin, who was minister to the parish of Kilmodan.
- Michael Russell MSP lives in an 18th century cottage in Glendaruel with his wife and son. Russell represents the Argyll and Bute Scottish Parliament Constituency which includes Glendaruel.[6][7]
Cultural depictions
Mythology
Glendaruel is thought to be one of the glens praised in the Gaelic poem "The Lament of Deirdre",[8] in which reference is made to a Glenndaruadh. It is found in the 15th-century Glenmasan manuscript, which may go back to an original written down in 1238. Deirdre is a tragic heroine in Irish mythology, and in the poem she is lamenting the necessity of leaving Scotland to return to Ireland.
Music
Glendaruel is the inspiration for a number of bagpipe tunes, including The Glendaruel Highlanders, The Sweet Maid of Glendaruel, and The Dream Valley of Glendaruel.
References
- ^ Kirsty McLuckie (2008-07-15). "Pubs are often the canary in the coalmine for small communities - News". Scotsman.com. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
- ^ "HOTEL BOSS CALLED US 'POLISH SLAVES' Sacked cleaners win 16k pay-out. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. 2007-05-15. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ^ "MY POLISH SLAVES; Taunts from hotel boss cost him pounds 16k at tribunal. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. 2007-05-15. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ^ Gordon Thomson (2007-05-15). "Warning as Polish staff win case". Evening Times. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ^ "News Archive". Dunoon-observer.com. 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ^ DOUGLAS FRASER, Scottish Political Editor (2007-05-29). "Swinney pledges to speed up SNP's reforms". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ "About Mike | Mike Russell MSP for South of Scotland". Web.archive.org. 2010-03-13. Archived from the original on 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
- ^ "The Lament of Deirdre". Electricscotland.com. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
External links
 | This Argyll and Bute location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |