Tom weaves a darn good yarn

A Kilsyth man has lovingly charted the history of those skilled locals whose hard work at their looms made the town a hive of industry and a hotbed of radical ideas.
Author Tommy Crainie with his new book.Author Tommy Crainie with his new book.
Author Tommy Crainie with his new book.

Former Labour councillor and retired journalist Tom Crainey (72) admits that the subject of the Kilsyth weavers has fascinated him since he was a schoolboy.

Consequently, researching the book took years as Tom consulted the likes of Croy Historical Society, staff at Kilsyth Library and local historians like Willie Chalmers.

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Now the finished product is available to buy at Cant’s in Main Street and Kilsyth Library but is well in demand from further afield.

For requests for the book have come from North America and even China where the grandson of the late Kilsyth radical and general striker Alex Shaw is based!

It’s also thought that hosts of copies will be wining their way to Australia and New Zealand where countless Kilsythians found new lives.

For the full story see this week’s Cumbernauld News and Kilsyth Chronicle - on sale now!