Welcome to The Arran Banner

An unusual new event is being planned for Arran this spring.

Called The Hoofed Lady Festival,it promises to be something a little out of the ordinary.

It is festival is scheduled to take place in Corrie and Sannox,and it takes its name from the legend of The Hoofed Woman as originally published on page 281 of The Book of Arran and more recently on page 10 of the Banner 29 October 2011 as part of a feature on Arran’s ghostly past.

This event is to be ‘a weekend-long celebration of Arran’s history,culture and outstanding natural beauty,fused with contemporary Scotland-wide music and arts’. Attractions planned are a main stage with an array of performers,village pub hosting ceilidhs,quizzes and traditional music,a tea tent and various local food and craft stalls as well as a campsite.

See the Arran Banner of February 11 2012 for the full story or online at www.arranbanner.co.uk/digital

When the Arran branch of the National Farmers Union of Scotland celebrated its 75^th anniversary in 1995,the group compiled a small booklet detailing the history of the organisation.

A copy has just come into the Banner’s hands and it gives a fascinating insight into the changes in the rural landscape and communities on Arran.

The retail price for milk in 1920 is quoted as being eight old pence for a quart. A resolution was passed by the Union in 1922 asking Bute County Council to prohibit the use of Arran roads as a motorcycle track. In the same year,the Shiskine branch of the Union approached Bute Council about ‘the deplorable state of the Shiskine roads’.

In 1926,freight and farriers’ charges and pier dues were of concern to the Branch as freight from Glasgow via Brodick cost two shillings and sixpence a ton more than freight from Glasgow via Pirnmill.

For more interesting stories from this fascinating booklet,see the Arran Banner edition February 11 2012 or see the online edition at www.arranbannerco.uk/digital.