Born in Dalmore (Dail Mor)

I was born at 5 Dalmore on the 13th of October,1941 and Hitler,or I should say his bombs,could take the dubious credit for the relocation of my heavily pregnant mother from Renfrew to Dalmore.The German bombers had visited Clydebank,Port Glasgow and other places on the River Clyde.There was great destruction and loss of life,and some "stray" bombs landed in some unexpected places.The bomb which landed in the Robertson Park,in sight of our room and kitchen on Inchinnan Road,Renfrew(and actually exploded!) concentrated the minds of many in the Royal Burgh.Following a telegram to her father Donald Macleod("Glass") in Dalmore,"bha Anna Glass a'mach a'seo"(Annie Macleod made a sharp departure to the safety of her father's croft near Carloway).Guided by the skilled hands of the local nurse/midwife Mary Macarthur,my mother was delivered of a healthy boy at 6.10 am "up in the room"at 5 Dalmore.I was the only child ever born there,but when you look at the facts,that is hardly surprising.Until about 1920,Dalmore and Dalbeg had been managed as a sheep farm(since 1860) and was only divided into crofts at the end of The Great War. Glass was eventually given the croft at No.5. Both sides of my family came originally from Garenin and settled in Dalmore,the Maclennans("Shoudie") at No.4 and the Macleods("Glass") at No.5.
The house at No.5 was occupied in1923 and when it was abandoned in the early 1970s, it had only a life span of about 50 years.Glass and his wife saw all of their nine children born in Garenin,but from around 1940 onwards,only Glass and various unmarried members of his family stayed at 5 Dalmore(Peigi.Dollag,Shonnie).There were no unmarried mothers nor unmarried fathers in Dalmore in those days,so barring Adolf Hitler and the Luftwaffe,nobody at all would have been born at No.5.
My reminiscences will not necessarily be in chronological order,and there may be a mix of old and new.Many stories of the "olden days" were passed on to me by many worthy folklorists (actually historians). Tales of early Dalmore (1760-1860),lost in the mists of time,may be visited again, and hopefully you will visit this site,and add your own comments,but bear in mind that I retain editorial authority (ha,ha).

You may be interested in the other Dalmore blog,
" DALMORE - A FEW MORE TAILS "
blog address :- www.dalmoretails.blogspot.com