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Ayr[Ar] Pronunciation Key, town (1991 pop. 49,493), South Ayrshire, SW Scotland, at the mouth of the Ayr River on the Firth of Clyde. Ayr is a sea resort and a port for fishing, the export of iron and agricultural produce, and the import of phosphates and timber. It manufactures farm and mining machinery, carpets, asphalt, and shoes. Oliver Cromwell had a 12-acre (5-hectare) fort around St. John's Church built when he garrisoned Ayr in 1652. In the heart of the Robert Burns country, Ayr has various Burns memorials, as well as associations with Sir William Wallace and Robert I of Scotland.
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