Cumnock (Cumnag in Gaelic) is a burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland. An industrial town with a population of around 10,000, it was once a centre for coal mining and textiles - however hardly any industry remains. Unemployment is high and the towns postcode (KA18) was announced as the poorest Postal Code in Britain in 2001. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the River Lugar. There are two neighbouring housing projects which lie just outside the town boundaries, Netherthird and Logan, with the former ironworks settlement of Lugar also just outside the town. A sign in Linlithgow, Scotland. ... Logo of East Ayrshire Council East Ayrshire (Siorrachd Inbhir Àir an Ear in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. ... The River Lugar is created by the confluence of the Bello and Guelt Waters, both of which flow from the hills of the Southern Uplands which lie to the east of the county of Ayrshire. ... Public housing describes a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ... Ironworks at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, England An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. ... Lugar is a small village in East Ayrshire, South-West Scotland. ...

Though it housed many miners, Cumnock was not just a mining town - it served as the market town for the other, smaller towns in the district, like Auchinleck, Ochiltree, Lugar, Muirkirk and New Cumnock (parts of which, incidentally, are said to be older than Cumnock)

The town has a strong socialist heritage due to its role as a mining centre. The father of the Labour Party, James Keir Hardie, resided in the town for a large part of his life, and though he never actually represented it as an elected figure, a statue to him sits outside the town hall, and a small housing scheme in the town (Keir Hardie Hill) is named after him. The popular left-wing politician Emrys Hughes was local MP for a time in the mid-20th century, and also lived in the town. Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... James Keir Hardie (August 15, 1856 - September 26, 1915) was a Scottish born socialist and labour leader, and the first Labour MP to be elected to the UK parliament. ...

William Wallace allegedly lived in Cumnock for a short time, according to the book, The Wallace, by Blind Harry. Cumnock is also in the heart of Robert Burns country and the poet is said to have spent time there. William Wallace Sir William Wallace (c. ... Blind Harry (ca. ...

As it lost its railway station and local industries declined in the later 20th century, Cumnock's economy suffered badly, and for a time it seemed to be destined to become a ghost town. In more recent years however things have looked brighter. With a new road development providing a faster link to Kilmarnock and Glasgow, it seems to be becoming something of a commuter town, with new modern housing developments appearing in the suburbs.

Cumnock also plays host to one of Scotland's biggest Junior football teams, Cumnock Juniors. Though attracting big attendances and spending large sums of money in pursuit of success, they have been overshadowed by the achievements of local rivals Auchinleck Talbot, who hail from the adjacent town and local derby matches between the two put the likes of the Old Firm, Milan and clasico derbies in the shade. Cumnock Juniors are a Scottish football (soccer) club based in Cumnock, Ayrshire. ... Auchinleck Talbot are a Scottish football (soccer) club based in Ayrshire. ... In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby (pronounced dar-bee after the English city) means a sporting fixture between two (generally local) rivals, particularly in Association Football. ... One of the fiercest rivalries in world football The name Old Firm (sometimes called the Auld Firm) is a collective term for the Glaswegian football clubs, Rangers and Celtic. ... Milan (Italian: ; Lombard: Milán (listen)) is the main city of northern Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. ...

Like many towns in the area, Cumnock is divided on religious grounds, with strong Catholic and Protestant communities. For many years there were two secondary schools, Cumnock Academy and Saint Conval's High School - which was later annexed with St Joseph's Academy in Kilmarnock and became known as St Joseph's Cumnock Campus. In 2004 however St Joseph's Cumnock Campus was shut down due to falling attendance figures, and the town's Catholic children now attend the original St Joseph's Academy in nearby Kilmarnock. Map of Kilmarnock town centre in 1819 Kilmarnock (Cill Mheàrnaig in Scottish Gaelic, and Killie locally) is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of about 60,000. ...

External links

• cumnock.netThe local community site for Cumnock, more information on Cumnock
• undiscovered scotland more information on industry
• tripod.com more information on The Wallace
• East Ayrshire Forums - Tenants Portal

Coordinates: 55°27′N 4°16′W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...