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| English and Gaelic spelling |
We stumbled upon it when we were exploring the area one day and it's really lovely, with traditional houses, a river running through it, and ducks roaming free.
Duirinish used to be one large farm but in the early 1800's the land was split up into crofts for families that had been displaced in the Highland Clearances which were started after the battle of Culloden (see previous post).
The very sturdy stone bridge which carries the main road over the river and away was designed and built by the famous engineer Thomas Telford in 1826. Telford also built the Caledonian Canal, redesigned the Crinan Canal (which passed in front of the house my beloved grew up in) and built 32 churches across the Highlands and Islands - he's buried in Westminster Abbey in London.
At the end of the 1800's the village had a population of just over 100, but now there are about 20 people living there. Both of the world wars had a major impact on the population with men killed in the war and land being reappropriated by the government for an ammunition store.
As you walk from one end of the village to the other (it doesn't take very long) you see evidence of crofting with these beautifully restored and painted pieces of farm equipment.
Then further along in the village there are rusty old bits of farm equipment - I think I prefer these weathered pieces.
I love this piece of the old machine as it has the Yin and Yang in it.
This was my favourite house in the village - it may look a little rough around the edges but it's pink!! How perfect is that? Not only is it pink, it has a cat flap in the front door so it's already set up for a crazy cat lady like me to move in - the only problem is that the commute would be a bit of a killer.
There's my brief D post, which matched the smallness of the village of Duirinish. Before you go, why don't you pop over to the A to Z Blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for the letter D - click HERE to visit.
Until next time, stay safe, be good, and enjoy where you live this week.
Pamela & Ken
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P.S: The mention of cats has made me want to share a recent picture of Princess Cookie Cat with you - she never features in our trips out and about as she stays home to look after our place and be a diva.
Looks beautiful, but you'd really need a car to live there. Which may be why there are so few people in it. A friend of mine lives in a somewhat bigger village in Northamptonshire. There are no shops, no High Street, just houses. A weekly grocery van came past when I was visiting her, and, of all things, a weekly hairdresser van! Otherwise you had to drive to the nearest town to do your shopping and such.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from the Challenge and thanks for the link. That's very thoughtful!
Agree, I love the solitude to visit, but I need to know that there's at least a shop where I can buy milk and other essentials not too far away.
DeleteIt's amazing how certain things happen no matter where you live. This describes a lot of small town in Oklahoma too that never recovered from WW2 or I-40 cutting right through the state. Now if only Western Oklahoma were that green and had that many trees!
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people forget how badly small rural areas were affected by the wars - in some areas whole generations were practically wiped out.
DeleteBeautiful country, with the river running through. What are crofts?
ReplyDeletehttps://missivesfrommissouri.blogspot.com/2017/04/a-to-z-challenge-day-4-d-is-for-diner.html?m=1
A croft is a small, rented farm which is usually part of a larger estate.
DeleteBeautiful! I too want to know what crofts are? Beyond sad how towns and villages slowly empty out due to war or urbanisation, some or other utterly manmade and totally avoidable reason.
ReplyDeleteNilanjana
Madly-in-Verse
Theme : Arabiana
Crofts are small, rented farms which are usually part of a larger estate.
DeleteA croft is a small, rented farm which is usually part of a larger estate.
DeleteI wish I had a river in my backyard, not to mention a lovely stone bridge in my town. We don't see ducks, but do have plenty of Canada geese.
ReplyDeleteD is for Denver Airport: Alien Circus Reptiles Stole Your Luggage
It is lovely the river running through the village, but I would always worry about it flooding with the amount of rain we get in Scotland.
DeleteI love tiny villages like this! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Multicolored Diary: WTF - Weird Things in Folktales
It is cute. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteOh how I love Scotland. I was born there but taken to live in Rhodesia (as it was in the good old days) and ended up in South Africa. Thanks for the link! I'm also doing the challenge. https://shirleycorder.com/determine/
ReplyDeleteI did not realize that England took over lands until I watched a recent episode of Midsomer Murders. I still have Scotland on my to see list.
ReplyDeleteI remember visiting years ago; still looks cute
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! Looks like a really interesting place.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdgallantking.ca/2017/04/d-darcy-mcgee-irish-rebel-and-one-of.html
What a neat little village. Your cat is super cute!
ReplyDeleteDiscarded Darlings - Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction