(pronounced  dal'rye)

Lying five miles from the coast along the railway line from Prestwick Airport to Glasgow, Dalry is situated in a valley both beautiful and fertile — the town's name coming from Dail-Righ, the King's Valley. The River Garnock helps to irrigate the valley and, joined by the tributaries Rye Water and Caaf Water, it was the driving force behind the establishment of the town. Before a bridge was built, the simple pleasures in fording the burn by Dalry were commemorated in Rabbie Burns' famous song "Coming thro' the rye". [This is hotly debated by Burns experts — see "The Burns Connection?" - Ed.]

Initially, weaving and textiles provided the chief employment of Dalry's population; during the industrial revolution it was also an iron and coal town. While there are several smaller textile firms still operating around Dalry today, the main industry is the DSM (formerly Roche) pharmaceutical plant on the northern outskirts, which manufactures vitamins. Agriculture - beef, dairy, and sheep - is also a major contributor to the local economy.

Like much of Ayrshire, Dalry is steeped in history, some of it on the macabre side. Nearby the town is the ancestral Blair Castle, the tower of which dates back to the fifteenth century. It was home to the great patriot Sir Bryce Blair who fought and bled with Wallace, and never saw Sealty the Edward. Local midwife Bessie Dunlop was charged with witchcraft in 1576. Though she testified that she had been taught second sight and healing by a "faerie" and not the devil, she had the misfortune of entering the history books as the last witch burnt at the stake in Scotland.

Today, happily, the town is a more enlightened and outward looking community. It enjoys good communications with a railway station and several local bus links as well as a service to Glasgow. Several restaurants are within striking distance, Michelin star-rated Braidwoods lies a mile outside town on the road to Saltcoats. Leisure pursuits are plentiful, and as in any rural area, the best are to do with the outdoors with lovers of horses, walking, angling and golf all looked after.

Adapted from an article in The Herald, Wednesday 16 May 2001