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(Bronze statue on Irvine's harbourside)

Modern Irvine (A.K.A. Irvine New Town) is made up of a number of other towns and villages, some of which are Kilwinning, Auld (Old) Irvine itself, Dreghorn, Springside, Dundonald and many more. 

The Marymass Festival (source Neil Stirrat)

Irvine is rich with tradition but none is held more highly than the Marymass Festival. Every year for almost 1000 years the festival has been celebrated on the third Saturday following the first Monday of August

On that day Irvine Moor becomes the stage for what is the oldest horse racing event in the world to claim a continuous history stretching throughout the centuries. The history of Marymass has two roads leading from the ancient pasts: on one hand - tradition relates the Festival with pre- Christian rites and with the coming of Christianity the celebrations assumed the early Christian emphasis on the worship of the Virgin Mary. In 1451 a Confirmation of grant in the reign of James II refers to" the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin in Irvine". On the other hand - the modern relation of Marymass to the past, as associated in the minds of today's citizens of Irvine, is with Mary Queen of Scots, who according to tradition visited the now ruined Seagate Castle in 1563 and took part in the celebrations that year.

The association of Carters dates back to this time when some of the men left the Burgh of Irvine to join the battle forces of Mary Queen of Scots to fight at the battle of Langside in 1568. It is from this that comes the historical reason for the introduction of the Annual Ceremony of the crowning of the "Marymass Queen" - an innovation to the Festival made in 1928. The actual proceedings on Marymass day are worthy of note in this account because of the survival of the ancient pageantry still incorporated and will doubtless will be maintained in all future celebrations. In the forenoon of the day brothered Carters, led by their Captain elected by a vote a week earlier ride the marches of the town - according to tradition - the horses in gaily decorated procession being those which in the afternoon participate in the races on the Moor. Following-the crowning of the Queen, Councillors with the Carters proceed to the racecourse, where they join with the townsfolk of Irvine in celebrating 1000 years of tradition.

Seagate Castle (Source Neil Stirrat)

Irvine's oldest ruin, is situated in Irvine's oldest thoroughfare, "sea gait" "gait" didn't refer to a barrier or gate, but meant walk or way. The castle owes it's location to the port which was situated at the foot of seagate.
A stone castle was built in seagate in the13th century, complete with a watchtower in the north west corner, overlooking the harbour.T he ruin we see today is a composite building, as Hugh 3rd Earl of Eglinton had it redesigned more in keeping with a townhouse than a castle, after his
marriage to Lady Agnes Drummond in 1565.On the roof of the vaulted entrance are two bosses, one with the coat of arms of the Eglinton family and the initials H.M. (Hugh Montgomerie) ,the other with Lady Agnes's coat of arms and her initials A.D., they can be seen today through the wrought-iron gate from the roadway.
By the 18th century the castle was uninhabited and the 10th Earl had the roof removed to provide timber for a church in Ardrossan.
Hugh the 12th Earlof Eglinton, made extensive repairs to the
castle about 1810,blocking up the windows and doors. A fierce storm in 1839 caused a considerable fall of stone.
The Earl of Eglinton ordered a clearance of the site which took four weeks.
It was discovered during one of the clearing up campaigns,that what was considered the 1565 building, had been
raised partly on the walls of a much older fabric.This older castle is conjectured to have formed the Tofts mentioned as belonging to King Malcolm, which he had in all the burghs for convenience of collecting the Royal revenues, and to have passed into possession of the Eglinton family when they were appointed chamberlains in 1366.
The round arch over the main entrance is considered the most perfect specimen of Saxon or Norman work in Britain. 
The ruin came into the posession of the burgh through a gift by the late Mrs Walker of Castlepark.