Memories of Kilbride by Margaret Small Allan

Margaret “Tich” Small Allan grew up in Oban in the 1950s and 60s, spending much of her time, especially in the summer, with her uncle at Kilbride Farm. Margaret currently lives in Lothian, and has been writing her memories for Friends of Kilbride. 

‘It’s been a long time since I was playing at Kilbride Farm, where I was mainly brought up in the 1950s and 60s. Kilbride is approximately three miles south of Oban, and has an old ruined church and graveyard with the private burial aisle of Clan MacDougall standing within it, and the farm had buildings around the old drystane dyke around the built up graveyard. I had various jobs to do- feeding the poultry, gathering eggs and feeding the dogs and cats in the old barn. I nursed orphaned lambs in the old range oven, with the door open, and as soon as they warmed up, they were brought in a corner of the kitchen, and then they too went into the barn. I could milk the cow, which was called Elaisech, and an old gelded garron called Bodach and she were firm friends. The largest part of the farm was a piggery, where the Griffin family have built their home. It held 100 pigs, and there were always sows farrowing (having piglets). In the evening my old Uncle, who I refer to as He himself would not take the shortcut through the cemetery, which I did, and was there well before him. As there were no other children in the glen, and had not been one for many years, I busied myself by cleaning grave stones from lichen moss and liked to keep them nice, so all who were interred there were my friends. The special one was “Old MacDougall”

Tich

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