River Doon
The River Doon is a river in Ayrshire, famous the world over, at least amongst devotees of Robert Burns, for the 'Auld Brig o' Doon', featured in the epic poem Tam o' Shanter.
The river flows 23 miles from Loch Doon, joining the Firth of Clyde just south of Ayr. Its course is generally north-westerly, passing near to the town of Dalmellington, and through the villages of Patna, Dalrymple, and Alloway, birthplace of Robert Burns. The source of the Doon is Loch Enoch, high in the Galloway Hills.
In the 1930s, the Loch Doon was dammed to provide water to the Galloway Hydro Electric Scheme.
In literature
The Doon is mentioned in Burns' classic narrative poem "Tam o' Shanter", along with the Brig o' Doon, which crosses the river just outside of Alloway. It is also the major setting for his lesser-known poem "The Banks O' Doon".
The Big o' Doon also inspired the saccharine Hollywood creation Brigadoon, which is a very different place far from Galloway; in the story Brigadoon is a Highland village which appears for a day once every hundred years. It is a tribute to the memory of Burns no doubt.
Outside links
- River Doon at the Ayrshire Rivers Trust
- Map: 55.43944 -4.650
