Greenock

Greenock (Grianaig in Scottish Gaelic) is a town (burgh of barony) in the district of Inverclyde in Western Scotland. Its population was recorded as being 45,467 in the 2001 census, a decrease from about 78,000 in 1966. It lies on the South bank of the River Clyde in what was the traditional county of Renfrewshire.

Famous Residents

Greenock's most famous son is the engineer James Watt. He is remembered in the name of the local college, at the library instituted in his memory and near the place of his birth in William Street, commemorated by a statue.

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Other famous Greenockians include: the composer Hamish MacCunn, musician John McGeoch, poets Denis Devlin and Jean Adams, merchant Matthew Algie, actor Richard Wilson and pirate Captain Kidd were born in the town.

Related Topics:
Hamish MacCunn - John McGeoch - Denis Devlin - Matthew Algie - Richard Wilson - Captain Kidd

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The novelist John Galt lived in the town, and based some of his work, most notably Annals of the Parish (1821), on Greenock and surrounding towns. He is buried in the Inverkip Street Cemetery.

Related Topics:
John Galt - 1821 - Inverkip

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Mary Campbell, Robert Burns's Highland Mary, is buried in Greenock Cemetery where there is a monument to her memory.

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Its most infamous resident is Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan intelligence officer and former head of Libyan Arab Airlines, who was convicted on January 31, 2001 of murder after causing a bomb to be placed on board Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988 with the loss of 270 lives. Megrahi was moved in February 2005 from solitary confinement in Barlinne Prison in Glasgow to Greenock Prison, where he is expected to serve the rest of his 27-year sentence.

Related Topics:
Abdel Basset al-Megrahi - Libya - Libyan Arab Airlines - January 31 - 2001 - Pan Am Flight 103 - Lockerbie - Scotland - December 21 - 1988 - 2005 - Glasgow

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Its most bizarre resident was covered in a article by The Daily Telegraph in recent years called "The Catman". He is a man of about 60 years who lives in the wild like an animal, travelling barefooted on his hind legs. He has been seen by many and his diet is made up of wild animals he has caught. However the local population occassionally leave food out for him. He has been taken in by social services before for mental illness but he was deemed uncurable and was released.

Related Topics:
The Daily Telegraph - Social services - Mental illness

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