Aberchirder

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Aberchirder
Obar Chiardair (Gaelic)


OS grid reference:	NJ624522



Population:	1,230 (2004) [1]



Council area:	Aberdeenshire
Constituent country:	Scotland
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom

Police force:	Grampian Police
Lieutenancy area:	Banffshire
Former county:	Banffshire

Post town:	HUNTLY
Postal:	AB54 7xx
Telephone:	01466 780


Scottish Parliament:	Banff and Buchan
UK Parliament:	Banff and Buchan
European Parliament:	Scotland

Aberchirder (Gaelic: Obar Chiardair), known locally as Foggieloan or Foggie, is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated on the A97 road six miles east of Turriff. Where did the nickname "Foggie" originate? There are various theories; the most likely is that there is a stretch of moorland north of where the farm town existed (and, now, north of the village) which was named Foggieloan Moss from two Gaelic words foidh (peat moss) and lon (meadow), so Foggieloan means peaty or boggy meadow. Aberchirder, which has several church buildings, was associated with the Disruption of 1843 that created the Free Church of Scotland.

Local lad Irvin Duguid was born in the village in the Police Station house on the 18th December 1969. Irvin became keyboard player in the live line-up of Stiltskin, a Scottish rock band with the number 1 hit single "Inside" in the UK in 1994. Duguid went on to work with other Scottish acts such as Gun, Fish (ex-Marillion vocalist), and has appeared on several albums by Stiltskin's old vocalist Ray Wilson, who for a short time in the late 1990's was lead singer with British pop group Genesis.