Part of a group of street-names off York Road derived from Scottish geographical names, also including Bute Street, Fife Street and Glasgow Street. This area was known as "Little Scotland" (thanks to Mark Ellis for this).
Ayr is the county town of Ayrshire, one of the nearest parts of Scotland to Ireland. During the 17th century, huge numbers of people left Ayrshire and settled in Ulster as part of the Ulster plantation. Some of the surnames common in Ulster are derived from Ayrshire place-names, such as Irvine, Cunningham and Dunlop. Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns (1759-96), was born at Alloway, two miles south of Ayr. In his poem Tam O'Shanter Burns praised the town as: "Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a town surpasses, for honest men and bonny lasses."
"That on the application of the owner, Mr. W. B. Ritchie, two new streets on his property situate off York Road, be named Ayr Street and Fife Street respectively". (12th August 1891)