As I’ve mentioned before about the town where we’re based, there’s a whole load of history going on here. And since it’s halloween, and that he’s been trending in the past week or so, I’ve done a new video about Irvines connections to Edgar Allan Poe.
He’s an author of gothic stories, mainly known for his horror stories such as The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, and the story that’s been trending on social media recently, The Cask of Amontillado. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but moved to Irvine when he was still very young, living here for 2 years, attending the Kailyard School in Kirkgate, right next to the Old Parish Church until it closed and the Irvine Grammar School opened at the other end of the town, which he then attended for the last 2 months or so of his stay in the town.
As his aunt is buried in the Old Parish Churchyard, and his school was only yards from it, it can probably be assumed that he spent some time in the Old Parish Church, and knew the churchyard fairly well. But records from this time are sketchy, and there are few records of exactly where in the town and with who that Edgar Allan Poe lived while he was resident in the town.
With connections to an author of this stature, and others such as Robert Burns, the Old Parish Churchyard is an important historical site. If you’re interest in our campaign to Digitally Preserve the Old Parish Churchyard please visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/record-of-irvine-scotland-old-parish-churchyard-history-photography/x/2892856#/ or to find out more please visit http://IrvineScotland.info