Our latest exhibition is now underway and it focuses on telling the story of the Polish armed forces during the Second World War! The exhibition tells the story of the Polish 1st Armoured Division and the contributions they made to the Allied war effort. Collected and curated by Sean Szmalc of Titanic Honour and Glory Exhibitions, his fascination with the …
What’s in the Box?
The following blog post was kindly written for us by our student volunteer, Grace Levine. Growing up in upstate New York, I was surrounded by history from a very young age. With not much to do in my rural town in the Hudson Valley, my parents brought me to local museums, historical societies, and heritage sites. As I got older, …
Alan Johnstone – “A Natural Goal-Scorer”
The following post was kindly submitted to us by Gordon McCreath, who is a keen Ayrshire junior football historian. There were barely five minutes played when Alan Johnstone gathered the ball in midfield and played it wide to Eric Morris on the left touchline. Morris beat his defender and raced towards the corner of the penalty box. He spotted Mike …
Crochet at the Heritage Centre
The following blog post was kindly written for us by one of our student volunteers, Julia Kahn. At the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre, I have had the pleasure of inventorying the costume and textile collection over the past several months. The collection holds many treasures, from Harry Kemp’s costumes to beautiful Ayrshire white work. As a crocheter myself, my favourite …
New Video Tour of Haylie Neolithic Tomb
We were recently at Haylie Neolithic Tomb in Largs for the unveiling of the new interpretation board which now sits at the site. The board tells the story of the tomb and was created in conjunction with Historic Environment Scotland, Archaeology Scotland, Forestry & Land Scotland, Largs Museum volunteers and the North Ayrshire Council Heritage Team. While there, we managed …
New Interpretation Board at Haylie Neolithic Tomb
On Monday the 19th of May, North Ayrshire Council Provost Anthea Dickson was joined by fellow councillors at Haylie Neolithic Tomb in Largs for the unveiling of a new interpretation board at the site. Created in conjunction with Historic Environment Scotland, Archaeology Scotland, Forestry & Land Scotland, Largs Museum volunteers and the North Ayrshire Council Heritage Team, the board tells …
Kenny Beaton – Another Kind of Hero
The following post was kindly submitted to us by Gordon McCreath, who is a keen Ayrshire junior football historian. When we read reports of Junior football matches we often encounter the term “hero” to describe members of Scottish Cup winning teams, goalkeepers who defy the odds in keeping a clean sheet or maybe saving a crucial penalty. Or perhaps it …
Gentleman George – “An Inside Forward of Sublime Skill”
The following post was kindly submitted to us by Gordon McCreath, who is a keen Ayrshire junior football historian. Now that the dust has settled after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it seems appropriate to consider the contribution that Irvine meadow XI has made to the biggest football tournament on Earth. To be realistic, the “contribution”, such as it …
William ‘Bill’ Jolly
The following post was kindly submitted to us by Gordon McCreath, who is a keen Ayrshire junior football historian. When it comes to writing about the men who created the history of football clubs, attention is inevitably focused on cup-winning goal scorers James F Delury and cranky goalkeepers. But for every player who is singled out in this way, there …
Eddy Gemmell – “They Said I Was Too Wee”
The following post was kindly submitted to us by Gordon McCreath, who is a keen Ayrshire junior football historian. Football fans throughout Ayrshire will recognise Eddy Gemmell from the excellent “Fitba’ Shorts” reports he and his enthusiastic team of young volunteers have been presenting on YouTube over the past few years. Eddy also does a lot of fundraising for charities …