Greenock is a town in the district of Inverclyde in western Scotland. Its population was recorded as being 45,467 in the 2001 census. It lies on the south bank of the River Clyde.

The history of the town's name is uncertain. The story that it is named after a green oak is almost certainly unfounded. Another explanation is that the town's name is a distortion of the Gaelic "Grian Cnoc", or Sunny Hill.

The town has a daily evening newspaper, The Greenock Telegraph, a football team, Greenock Morton FC, and is also home to Greenock Cricket Club, winners of the SNCL Premier Division in 2002 and holders of the Coronel Scottish Cup. It has featured recently as the backdrop to two successful films: Sweet Sixteen [1] and Dear Frankie. [2]

Historically, the town relied on shipbuilding and wool manufacturing for employment. As these traditional industries declined, computer and computer-chip manufacturers began to provide many of the town's jobs.

The engineer James Watt, musician John McGeoch, poet Denis Devlin and pirate Captain Kidd were born in the town. Its most famous resident is Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan intelligence officer and former head of Libyan Arab Airlines, who was convicted on January 31, 2001 of murder after causing a bomb to be placed on board Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988 with the loss of 270 lives. Megrahi was moved in February 2005 from solitary confinement in Barlinne Prison in Glasgow to Greenock Prison, where he is expected to serve the rest of his 27-year sentence.

Areas of Greenock

Arran View , Bow Farm , Braeside , Branchton , Bridgend , Broomhill , Cartsburn , Cornhaddock , Fancy Farm , Fort Matilda , Greenock West , Grieve Hill , Hole Farm , Larkfield , Lyle Hill , Overton , Pennyfern , Strone , Strone Farm and Whinhill .

External Links

The Greenock Telegraph Greenock Morton FC Greenock Cricket Club