Searching for a Saltcoats Poem

[Hughie]

Interested in finding a copy of a poem about Saltcoats by the late Tom Martin.
If you can help post it here, or contact me at hugh.mccallum@gmail.com

In the meantime here's a couple of Saltcoats poems we already know about.
Poem by Maureen Moffat - forwarded by George Loughran

My hearts in Old Saltcoats,
My heart is bereft,
My hearts in Old Saltcoats
Not what they have left.

I used to could go to the old bathing pool,
Or down Springvale Street to the site o ma school,
But now they've all gone and lots more I fear,
My hearts in Old Saltcoats, my heart isnae here.

Now I used to get a hot Herdmans pie,
And a big sody scone from Ross's near bye,
And rolls oot a Howies and slice oat o Grubs,
My hearts in Old Saltcoats
And I hate they new shrubs.

At Nelsons we queued for their guid rhubarb pies,
McAliisters swiss tarts just lit up oar eyes
And Thomson's was famous for their tattie scones
My hearts in Old Saltcoats
But where have they gone

We went to the Maypole for butter and tea,
The smell outside Coopers was nectar tae me,
Jack Boyd's for our photos Owen Kelly for tea,
My hearts in Old Saltcoats,
Am sure you'll agree.

We went to the pictures we liked them so well.
Now the Regals shut up and The Countess itsell,
Toni Lami, Winnie Baird's, Hilda Fleming's every wan
My hearts no in Saltcoats
Wi all of them gone

Did yeas ever remember going up Gibsons stair,
And many a crony you'd find sittin there,
Del Greco's is good
But it cannot compare
My heart is in old Saltcoats
My heart is nae here.

Now what have they done to the place we once knew
With their Band Stands and flooers and tiled pavements too,
I could go on forever with places knocked down,
But my hearts in Old Saltcoats
And not in this town

And this from the PDF file in our topic: Saltcoats Quater Centenary 1528-1928 PDF File

[Hughie]

Interested in finding a copy of a poem about Saltcoats by the late Tom Martin.
If you can help post it here, or contact me at hugh.mccallum@gmail.com

Thanks to Gerry Flinn for forwarding the poem to me. And, thanks to Tom and George McGrattan for their help in finding it.

[brian f]

Interested in finding a copy of a poem about Saltcoats by the late Tom Martin.
If you can help post it here, or contact me at hugh.mccallum@gmail.com

Thanks to Gerry Flinn for forwarding the poem to me. And, thanks to Tom and George McGrattan for their help in finding it.

Loved reading that! Thanks to you all .

[Scotsexile]

Hi all,
I was sent these two photos by a relative who found them in an old family photo album. Through this site I was able to work out which Centenary it was. It is the Quater Centenary in 1928 and the first crowning of the Queen of the Sea. It is also mentioned with a couple of photos in the "Old Saltcoats" pictorial book. It celebrated 400 years from the establishment of Saltcoats as a "Borough of the Barony" in 1528 and the town was therefore entitled to hold fairs and carry on trades. I enjoyed looking at the film of the event from the Scottish Film Archive and it appears that the John Robertson (pork butchers) float had a live pig on it! John Robertson is my 2x gt grandfather.
I wonder if these two pictures were in the "Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald "of the time?
The poems are great too. Very evocative of the place. Both my parents came from Saltcoats.