#greenock

[lionofchaeronea]

Greenock Shipping, John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881

[classic-art-favourites]

Greenock by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1882.

[scotianostra]

Edinburgh Park Heads

W S Graham.

Doesn't this one have great character? Or is it just me?

William Sydney Graham, known to his friends by his middle name, was born in Greenock, on 19th November 1918. He was educated at Greenock High School, leaving in 1932 to become an apprentice draughtsman before studying structural engineering at Stow College, Glasgow. In 1938 he won a years bursary to Newbattle Abbey College, which was very close to my High School in Dalkeith.. Sydney became interested in poetry, he initially looked to Joseph Macleod for mentorship around this time. He began publishing in the early 1940s, including a collection brought out by the great Glasgow printer and publisher William Mclellan, who did so much to encourage and promote contemporary Scottish literature.

According to Poetry Archive Graham was neglected in his own lifetime but his reputation as a major modernist romantic has been growing steadily since his death. The verse on his plinth is an extract from a longer poem, and as per usual I prefer another of his poems. And it is probably due to me having vivid dreams from time to time and trying to make sense of them. My dad has featured in some, and I had a difficult relationship with him, I think my two brothers will no doubt feel the same. However my dad tried to reconcile a bit during his later years, he was a great grandad to my sisters laddie, Stephen. He got on well with an ex girlfriend that I used to come up with when I lived in Somerset, she loved dancing with him at the club. Anyway the last line of the poem is what resonates most with me, or perhaps it is because he also spent some years in the South West of England, in his case it was near St Ives in Cornwell, anyway the poem is called To Alexander Graham, which I assume was his father's name.

Lying asleep walking Last night I met my father Who seemed pleased to see me. He wanted to speak. I saw His mouth saying something But the dream had no sound.

We were surrounded by Laid-up paddle steamers In The Old Quay in Greenock. I smelt the tar and the ropes.

It seemed that I was standing Beside the big iron cannon The tugs used to tie up to When I was a boy. I turned To see Dad standing just Across the causeway under That one lamp they keep on.

He recognised me immediately. I could see that. He was The handsome, same age With his good brows as when He would take me on Sundays Saying we’ll go for a walk.

Dad, what am I doing here? What is it I am doing now? Are you proud of me? Going away, I knew You wanted to tell me something.

You stopped and almost turned back To say something. My father, I try to be the best In you you give me always.

Lying asleep turning Round in the quay-lit dark It was my father standing As real as life. I smelt The quay’s tar and the ropes.

I think he wanted to speak. But the dream had no sound. I think I must have loved him.

[sonofshermy]

"Greenock, Scotland, 1973; Bronx, New York, 2015" by Sarah Amy Fishlock

[screampotato]

I want to make a public apology for recently mentioning Greenock in a post without appropriate trigger warnings, and a large number of people let me know that it affected them, causing jumpscares and other types of emotional distress.

Henceforth, all mentions of Greenock will be accompanied with content and trigger warning tags, and the word itself will be appropriately censored as Gree*ock.

Once again, I apologise for all the distress I unwittingly caused. It won't happen again. If you have been personally affected by issues surrounding Gree*ock, please contact Inverclyde Council for support, counselling and compensation.

[wally-b-feed]

Anthony Fineran, Greenock Hal In, 2024

[guitarbomb]

John McGeoch: The Light Pours Out Of Me

John McGeoch: The Light Pours Out Of Me is the proposed new film all about the legendary Post Punk guitarist. The project is currently attempting to raise £40,000 to get the film off the ground and into production. John McGeoch John McGeoch: The Light Pours Out Of Me. The Kickstarter campaign for this biography, all about the life of John McGeoch has just launched. It aims to raise at least…

[biopot]

Brown Girl In The Ring

Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip; distorted views across the Clyde, Hiss of stove and kettle sings, much too wet to play outside.

[papercutartist]

Went to see Paul Bristow, Magic Torch Comics, at a local library today. He helped early on when I was working on TRACE. Great to hear about his work with children, local stories and myths. We are both at the SEC Comicon in September this year.

[ce-ayr-blog]

Redbeard - Unicorn Challenge

Copyright Ayr/Gray The Unicorn Challenge. A magical new weekly writing opportunity from her – Jenne Gray – and me.Visit her blog every Friday to see the photo prompt, and post your amazing story in her comments section.Or on your own blog, and stick the link down in her comments.The rules are:Maximum of 250 words.Based on photo prompt.That’s it.To hear me read my story, just click…

[koolbatogo123]

Best Indian Takeaway Near Greenock -Koolba To Go 

[andygibsontv]

It was very clever how Waterloo Road storylined their move from #Greenock. The school being called #WilliamBeswick then having the name changed to Waterloo Road due to Beswick being linked to racism. I did wonder if it would be the same school or not. #WaterlooRoad #WaterlooRoadReturns https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm-UNT9oDXh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[revtimgraves]

In the Marrow of Bones

It was a moan, a wailing, part breath, and vocal cords in concert with something deep inside her. Thirty-five years after her death, I still have a visceral response...

Audibly, it was a moan, a wailing, part breath, and vocal cords in concert with something deep inside her. Thirty-five years after her death, I still have a visceral response to her expressed grief at the end of our visits to my paternal grandmother’s eastern Kentucky home. It needles its way through my skin, muscles, and burrows deep into the marrow of my bones. We were a part of my…

[opjueckweltweit]

Hast du schon einmal von #Greenock gehört? Das kleine, schottische Städtchen ist Geburtsort von James Watt. Ein Spaziergang an der Esplanade führt an vielen Unternehmervillen vorbei. Im Zentrum gibt es einige historische Gebäude. Und am Hafen sieht man viel Kunst und Skulpturen. #schottlandtrip #greenockscotland (hier: Greenock, Scotland) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdD12FrMQeq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

The Catman of Greenock. 

The legend of a man with skin as black as coal and who eats rats with his bare hands has been used to scare Greenock children since the 1970s. Known as the Catman of Greenock, he is usually spotted at night, hiding in bushes and under cars and buses, identifiable by his supposedly glowing eyes that stare back from the darkness. He’s a peculiar, non-verbal man who crawls around on his stomach, is covered in dirt and survives through eating rats. 

Local legend says that he was a Russian sailor who abandoned his ship that was docked in the harbour in the 1970s due to poor mental health and fighting with other crew members. Stranded, the sailor began begging on the streets before being attacked by local youths who broke his legs and jaw, leaving him unable to walk and struggling to talk.

Reports say that he physically resisted medical treatment or being taken to any kind of shelter, which meant that he had to crawl on his stomach for mobility. He earned the nickname of the Catman due to rumours that he lived with a group of wild cats, caring for them, some believe that he thinks he is a cat. The area where most sightings have been made is in the east end of Greenock, near Scotston lane.

This area is where the first videos and photos were taken in 2007, they show a man with skin covered in what appears to be motor oil lying prone on the ground with a dead rat in his mouth.

Most locals think these images are a copycat and that the real Catman died long before they surfaced.

[raspberry-beret]

Art Weekend - Greenock Shipping by John Atkinson Grimshaw

Originally a photographer, John Atkinson Grimshaw used a camera obscura to project a scene onto the canvas to create the framework that he built upon, creating realistic paintings reminiscent of Pre-Raphaelite works. Despite being self-taught, Atkinson Grimshaw had a strong grasp on color and lighting, especially given that he often depicted nught scenes. His works often depicted multiple light sources, such as harsh gaslights and soft natural moonlight, and intricate details such as fog and mist.