This Is My Glasgow

A threshold mosaic at the entrance to the Corona Bar on Pollokshaws Road on the Southside of Glasgow. The symbol in the middle is a play on the local place name Crossmyloof.

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#glasgow #crossmyloof #scottishhistory #architecture #maryqueenofscots

Feb 9 at 10:14amWeb
Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9

Loof or Luif is an old Scots word for palm, and the name is said to have originated with a local fortune-teller who offered to tell Mary Queen of Scots her fate at the upcoming Battle of Langside (on a site near this pub) in 1568, as long as she crossed her loof (or palm) with silver.

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#glasgow #crossmyloof #scottishhistory #architecture #maryqueenofscots

Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9

Queen Mary obviously didn't do as she was requested, and she went on to lose the battle and was forced to flee to England where she sought asylum from her cousin, Queen Elizabeth. This was an unfortunate choice which eventually led to her trial and then her execution on the 8th of February 1587.

#glasgow #crossmyloof #scottishhistory #architecture #maryqueenofscots

Show threadPeter BrownFeb 9
@thisismyglasgow excellent, thanks!
I had no idea of the origins of Crossmyloof
Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9
@peterbrown It's one possible origin, but is the one with the best story!
Show threadBodhipaksaFeb 9

@peterbrown @thisismyglasgow The key phrase in that account is "said to have." There are lots of local legends about place names in Scotland (my granny claimed that Alloa got its name because at a meeting to decide the town's name no one could agree until one person announced it was time to depart by yelling "All awa! All awa!).

An alternative etymology for Crossmyloof that's more likely genuine is that it's from the Gaelic Crois MoLiubha, (Saint) Malieu's Cross.

Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9
@bodhipaksa @peterbrown Yep. One possible, and probably apocryphal, origin, but it is the one with the best story, and when has a Glaswegian ever let the truth get in the way of telling a good story? 😀
Show threadBodhipaksaFeb 9
@thisismyglasgow @peterbrown The most entertaining etymologies probably began life on barstools.
Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9
@bodhipaksa @peterbrown Which makes it so appropriate that it then ended up being used as an illustration for the threshold of a pub! 😀
Show threadPeter BrownFeb 9

@thisismyglasgow @bodhipaksa yes on balance it’s probably the Gaelic version but the other version is very memorable.

While we’re on the subject, my theory for the etymology of the Gorbals is na garbh eileach.
A wet boggy area beside the river punctuated with small rough islets.

Any takers?

Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9
@peterbrown @bodhipaksa Not from me. I tend to go with Gort a' bhaile (garden of the town or something similar) as the origins. I've got little evidence to back this up, though, and my understanding of Gaelic is very, very limited.
Show threadWenFeb 9
@thisismyglasgow TBF, her clumsy plotting might have had a wee bit to do with it as well :-)
Show threadRedFeb 9
@thisismyglasgow ohhhhhhhhh! Thank you, been wondering what Crossmyloof's etymology was for the past four years
Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9
@redthewizard It's one possible, and probably apocryphal, origin, but it's the one with the best story! 😀
Show threadRedFeb 9
@thisismyglasgow Well, definitely taking the story behind it with a palmful of salt, but if "loof" actually means "palm" then I'm happy with that!
Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9
@redthewizard 👍🙂
Show threadCharlie Phillips/DolphinchazFeb 9
@thisismyglasgow My parents used to compete in championship ice skating competitions at Crossmyloof Ice Rink many decades ago.
Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9
@Dolphinchaz As it happens, I learned to skate on that particular ice rink. 👍🙂
Show threadCharlie Phillips/DolphinchazFeb 9
@thisismyglasgow Ha - small world, so did I 😂
Show threadThis Is My GlasgowFeb 9
@Dolphinchaz 😀👍