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To the Right Honourable Alexander McDonnel Earl of Antrim this Plate is
humbly inscribed by S Drury.
This Natural Pavement is fomewhat of a Triangular shape: From (a) ye
South to (b) a Gap at ye East Angle is 135 yds from yt to ye end of ye
North Point (c)220:from thence back to ye end of ye South Point 300. The
sea beating in divides ye Side into 3 Parts or Points (c,d,e) It consists of abt
30,000 Pillars of different Sizes, from 15 to 26, but generally abt 20 Inches
over, Each having 5,6, or 7 flat Sides, & yt which joyns ye side of another
Pillar is of ye fame Breadth with It, tho’ 2 sides of ye same Pillar rarely are,
each Pillar having as many others joyn’d close round it as it hath Sides,
except ye outermost Ones, which shew 1,2 or 3 Faces to view as (f,g,h) No
2 have all their sides of ye same Breadth nth each other, or in ye same, or
any certain order round them: One ye side (g) 8 Inches, ye next side 17,
then 13, 18,14: Another as (h) 10,9,13,11,4,12: At (f) 8,13,11,13,12,14: At (i)
14,13,13,9,12,8,12, Fractions of an Inch omitted. There are abt half a Dozen
of 4 & 8 sides. The S.West Part from (c) thro’ (a) is 120 yds to ye South end
which is buryed under Earth, Stones & Fragments of Rock like as (k) is: It
cou’d not be quite brought in without diminishing all ye rest. The Pillars
here are of a very dark Colour; lean a little to ye S.East, crack’d every way
& almost loose their Shape near the Water: Those toward ye middle
contract a browner Coat. At (l) a stack of Pillars 30 yds long, some 8 Foot
above their Neighbours of a whitish Colour all over; as ye Tops of all near
ye Land are; altho’ ye Sides of some abt (m) be Colour’d like rusty Iron.
Here is a Well (n) of fresh Water (75 yds from ye Gap) whofe sides &
bottom are of ye same kind of Pillars, from 13 to 15 only, in Diameter: The
middle Part contracts a sandy Colour a little toward red. From (o) a
Fragment of Rock having Stones sticking in it, somewhat like ye regular
ones, to (p) a Smooth Pafsage to ye Water; 60 yds thencs to (d) 30 more,
being ye end of a Mount of Pillars, abt 15 yds broad & 7 high. The Main
Part is, from ye Gap, 40 yds of very Tall Pillars to (q) which is 33 feet high.
They lean to ye West: Thence to (r) where ye Tide flows, 120 yds. From
thence it Tapers down thro’ (c) 60 more before it ends in ye Sea at Ebb, in
like manner as ye Point (e) does. This Part at (s) is 60 yds broad, At (t) a thin
Sod covering ye Tops of Pillars. Some Pillars for 2 or 3 Foot seem One Stone
(u) is 12 Foot having but one Division; but generally Each consists of many
Stones from 6 to 13, but commonly abt 8 Inches deep. Scarce any 2
Stones in ye same Pillar have ye same Depth or are in any certain Order
down, or in any 2 Pillars alike: One has ye upper Stone (v) 8 Inches, ye next
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under it 6, ye third 9: Another 11, 12, 9, 7, 8, 6, 7: Another (m) 7, 8, 6, 10,
Measuring from ye Crevice which is small as a Thread when they begin to
Separate. The Stones of different Pillars do not at all even one with
another: When ye Stones of a Pillar are forced asunder we see either ye
Top of ye Under Stone, or Bottom of ye Upper one, by which it was joined
to ye others; has a smooth Convexity rifing 2 or 3 Inches high in ye middle,
terminated in a Circle from 15 to 23, but generally abt 20 Inches Diameter
which is within an Inch of ye Angular Circumference (j) The other Stone
has a Circular Cavity (v) exactly fitted to receive it so as to touch every
where, Each Stone having one End Convex ye other Concave. In some
Pillars ye Convex End of each Stone is Upward (f) in others as (h) all
downwards. Some few have in them a Double Convex (x) ye hollow End
of ye Stone above & below turned to it Some few a Double Concave (y)
ye swelled End of ye Stone both above & below turned to fit in it. Some
few have both sorts as (z) which was broken on ye pathway. At top of ye
same Hill abt 90 yds high are Pillars of ye same kind & size. At 300 yds on ye
East is a Range of 60 Pillars called Organs (2) part of some are fall’n which
discovers more behind. Ye Tallest is abt 40 Foot, having above 40 Ioynts.
The Earth wash’d off at ye point of Land (3) shews a red sandy Rock &
Path. Abt 500 yds from ye Causway on ye Top of ye farthest point ftand 4
Pillars, call’d ye Chimneys, a little separated from others which stick to ye
Rock, ye longest having 15 Ioynts, ye upper Ones ready to fall. At (4 & 5)
are abt a Dozen Pillars, seen very distinctly with a Glafs. At (6 & 7) ar many
more much worn. At (8) a large Rock beyond which (almost clof’d to a
round Bason 7 yds over) ye rugged black Rock is divided into Polygons,
some 3 feet over. All ye Stones of ye Pillars when separated or broken, are
of a very dark Grey and are very hard & heavy, one Stone weighing two
hundred & an half, they are of a fine Gritt, break fharp, clink like Iron &
melt in a Smiths Forge, ye Fragments on ye Caufway which seem to have
fall’n from abt (g) where fome ftill lye, are much of ye same fubftance.
Publish’d according to Act of Parliament Feb. 1: 1743/4 by S.
Drury; Whole Original Paintings of ye Causway obtain’d ye
Premium given, for ye Year 1740, by ye Rev’d Sam Madden DD
to be determin’d by ye Hon’ble the Dublin Society for ye
Encouragement of Arts and Sciences.
309
Appendix D
Extract from Petty’s Survey of Four Baronies (1654)
The Barony of Carie
Beginning n the East by the British Ocean comprehending the little Island
called the Sheep Island1, and the Island of Raghlyn, unto the foote or the
River of Coshandin, on the South, which divides this Barony from the
Barony of Glenarme, and soe by the said brooke or River to a little brooke
running thereinto called Sruangortidonnell, and soe goeth Westward
along the said brooke to the ffoord called Bellanabroge, and thence
north westward to a place in the mountayne called Sleavebane, and soe
to the top of the mountayne called Monyscano, and from thence to a
place called Cregnabrillog, and the top of the mountayne called Cowle,
and so to Lagnacaple and the top of the mountayne called
Lemnastallen, and thence to the top of the mountayne Lemnesillidragh,
where this Barony boundeth on the Barony of Dunluce, and so
Northwestward downe a little brooke called Finrowan to the foote of the
brooke called Clynary, and up that brooke southwestward to the top of
the mountayne on the back of the hill called Crowaghan, and thence
straight up to the top of a little brooke called Glassnaferney, and soe
southwestwardto the Bush Water, and thence by that Water unto the
lower end of Streamadowey, and thence northward through a little bogg,
till it come to a little carne of stones called Glenanpatrick, and soe to a
little foord called Bellavillie upon the river Dervock, and soe along the
northside of the said Water westward to the foote of the brooke called
Glassineryn, and from thence up that brooke to a little foorde thereon, as
the way leads from the foorde upon Bonvellen Water and Loghlenish –
and soe up the said brooke through a large moss bogg till it be between
the half towneland of Cruaghbeg in this Barony, and the quarterland of
Islands in the Barony of Dunluce, and thence on the north side of black
moore head of land in the said moss, and so to the top of the Bogg called
Eberduffe, and soe along the said Bogg through a little moss unto the
north end of a hill called Cowebfishyn into a little brooke of Water that
falleth downe into a little Turfe Bogg, and thence to the south side of the
great Rocke called Cloghercraige, and soe westward downe an old ditch
to the foorde between the qr Land of Egerie in the Barony of Dunluce,
and Maghreboy in this Barony, from thence westward along the high way
1 Off Ballintoy, near Carrick-a-Reede rope bridge.
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by the head of Maghereboy by a little Dogg hill, and soe straight into the
Bush Water againe opposite to the place called Logenadoaid, at the
entry of the Bushmill Waire, and soe down along the said River unto the
sea where the Meare began.
The Soyle towards the sea coast is indifferent good in most places. About
the middle part of it a light hasely ground with great and spacious Dales
of Red Bogg lying intermixed through the Land, and towards the south
east is utterly barren and Mountainous.
The Rivers riseing in this Barony are onely the water of Dervock which
runneth into the River of Bush, many springs whereof doe likewise rise out
of this Barony, as also the Water of Ballycastle, which falleth into the British
Ocean northeastward at Ballycastle Towne.
Sheep Island from Bengore Head on the Dunseverick Castle Walk with
Rathlin, Mull of Kintyre and Fair Head in the distance.
311
Appendix E
This is a note by the Rev George Hill (1810-1900)
in his book An historical account of The Macdonnells of Antrim (1873) dealing with the justification the
kings of England had for doling out land in Ireland as if it were theirs to give. He is referring to the year 1551.
The kings of England were long in the habit of keeping up a claim on
lands in Ireland, alleging certain rights of inheritance. Their claim on Ulster,
for example, was made out as follows:
“Lacye enjoyed all Ulster during his life, which was 70 years after the
Conquest, and had one only daughter, that was married to Sir
Walter de Burke, Lord of Connaught, who enjoyed them both
during his life, and had issue Sir William de Burke, Earl of Ulster, who
had issue Richard de Burke, who was Earl of Ulster, and Lord of
Connaught, and kept them both in prosperity, but was traitorously
slain, leaving but one daughter, his heir. His daughter, named
Elizabeth, was married to Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of King
Edward III. Lionel was his father’s lieutenant of Ireland, and had the
same revenues as his father-in-law, and he made no long stay
there. Neither he nor any of his heirs provided any good defence for
their lands in Ulster and Connaught, by occasion of which, in the
time of King Henry VI, all Ulster was clean lost. The king is right heir to
the said Earl of Ulster and Lord of Connaught, and yet hath no more
profit thereby, but only the manor of Carlingforde, which is scarce
worth 100 merks by the year.”( Calendar of the Carew MSS, 1st
series, pp 4,5)
The plea put forward on behalf of English princes as hereditary sovereigns
of Ireland is still more questionable. This plea is embodied in the well-
known act of the 11th of Elizabeth abolishing the title of The O’Neill, and is
thus stated:- “ And, therefore, it may like your Majesty to bee advertised,
that the auncient chronicles of the realme, written both in Latine, English,
and Irish tongues, allege sundrie auncient titles for the Kings of England to
this lande of Ireland. And first, that at the beginning afore the comminge
of Irishmen into the said lande, they were dwelling in a province of Spaine
called Biscau, whereof Bayon was a member, and chiefe cittie. And that
at the said Irishmen comminge into Ireland, one King Gurmonde, son to
the noble King Belan, Kinge of Greate Britaine, which now is called
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England, was Lord of Bayon, as many of his successors were to the tyme of
Henry II, first conqueror of this realme, and therefore the Irishmen should
be the King of England his people, and Ireland his lande. Another title is,
that at the same time that Irishmen came out of Biscay, as exiled persons,
in sixtie ships, they met with the same King Gurmonde upon the sea, at the
yles of Orcades, thin coming from Denmark, with great victorie, their
captaines called Heberus and Hermon, went to this king, and told him the
cause of their comminge out of Biscay, and prayed him with great
instance that he would graunt unto them, that they might inhabite some
land in the west. The king at last, by advice of his counsel, graunted them
Ireland to inhabite, and assigned unto them guides for the sea to bring
them thither; and, therefore, they (the Irish) should and ought to bee the
King of England’s men.” Irish Statutes, vol.i., pp.230, 231.
Photograph reproduced courtesy the Trustees of National Museums Northern Ireland.
313
Appendix F Some prices in 1840
Extracted from Rev Robert MacGregor Inverness-shire: Island of Skye: Parish of Kilmuir. 1840.
Rent of arable land per acre 8 shillings (s)
Grazing and wintering a cow or ox 3 pounds (₤)
Grazing a ewe or full-grown sheep 4s
Wages of male servants per annum ₤5
“ “ maid “ ₤2 10s2
Labour per day 1s and 6 pence (d)3
Country artisans per day 2s
Masons, carpenters etc per day 2s 6d
Butter per lb.4 9d
Cheese per lb. 3½d
Potatoes per barrel5 1s 9d
Oats per peck 1s 2d
Small bearded oats per peck6 6d
Barrel of cured herring ₤1 5s
Barley per peck 1s 2d
Oatmeal per 280 lb. sack ₤2
Barley meal “ “ ₤1 12s
Sythe oil per gallon 2s 6d
Coarse country cloth per yard 2s
Strong home manufactured kelt7 per yard 2s 6d
Blankets per pair 12s
Woven country cloths per yard 4d
A cupple of unsquared wood with kebbers8 8s
A cas-chròm fully mounted9 5s 6d
Hide tanning per lb. dry 5d
Pair of shoes for a labourer 12s
“ “ single soled 10s 6d
2 “Two pounds ten.” 3 “One and six.” 4 Lb is an avoirdupois pound. 1lb is 0,45 kilograms. 5 Variable between 30 and 40 gallons. About 160 litres. 6 A peck was 2 gallons or just over 9 litres. 7 Cured salmon, specifically salmon that returned to the river of its birth and has
recently spawned. 8 A kebber is not the rafter but “small wood” laid on rafters immediately under the
divots or thatch. No definition of cupple, but by inference also used in securing the roof in the house of a fisherman, guide or subsistence farmer. 9 Caschrom means literally crooked foot. It was the small foot plough or crooked spade widely used in the small farms of the Hebrides and North Antrim.
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Women’s shoes per pair 7s
Making a pair of strong shoes 2s 6d
Cheviot wool per lb. when smeared 8d
Cross-breed wool per lb. 1s 6d
Black-faced breed wool per lb. 4½d
Milk cows ₤7
Horses ₤8
Cheviot sheep and lamb ₤1 5s
Cheviot wedder 10
₤1
Cross-breed sheep and lamb 16s 6d
Black-faced “ “ “ 12s
English coals per ton ₤1 4s
Local coals 11
18s
Cart, mounted ₤8
Pair of harrows, mounted ₤1 6s
Wooden plough, mounted ₤2 15s
Shoeing a horse, labour and iron included 3s 6d
Yellow American pine per cubical foot 2s 6d
White “ “ 2s 3d
Norway pine 2s 9d
Memel pine 3s 3d
Fir 1s 6d
Oak 2s 6d
Ash 3s
Alder 1s 6d
Black birch 3s
An ordinary fishing boat ₤6
A pair of oars ready made 7s
Slates per thousand ₤2 15s
Bull, given out for hire for the season ₤3
A wheel-barrow ₤1
A fresh cod 4d
A fresh ling12
7d
Fowls each 6d
Eggs per dozen 3d
The pound was twenty shillings. A shilling was twelve pence. Cheese was
“thruppence ha’penny.”
Converted to today’s buying power, ₤1 in 1840 is ₤44.10; 1s then is ₤2.21 and
“thruppence” is 55p.
10 A castrated ram. 11 From the mines at Ballycastle. 12 A long, slender type of cod, molva molva.
315
Appendix G
Churchill’s County Antrim connection
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (1874-1965) is a name so
familiar he needs no introduction. But his connection with the
Causeway Coast and the Glens of Antrim is little known.
It is a fact that he inherited property at Carnlough in 1921. Carnlough, 20 miles (32km) on the Ballycastle (north) side of Larne,
is at the bottom of Glencloy, the second of the nine Glens of Antrim.
It is also not always appreciated that the World War II Prime
Minister was related to the Macdonnells, the Earls of Antrim. He was a
direct descendant, as we shall see, and this is how he came to own
Garron Tower and the Londonderry Arms Hotel (as it is now). In this
latter name lies the clue. Let‟s have a look at the family tree.
Churchill‟s father was Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (1849-
1895), the third son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough. This duke,
Churchill‟s grandfather, was Sir John Winston Spencer-Churchill (1822-
1883)13 who, in 1843, married Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane (1822-
1899), the only daughter of Charles William Vane (1778-1854), the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry.
In case I am losing you: Churchill‟s grandmother was Lady Vane,
later the Duchess of Marlborough. Her father, and therefore Churchill‟s
great grandfather, was the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry.
The title Marquess of Londonderry is a title in the Peerage of Ireland,
as are both the first and second Earldoms of Antrim. A marquessate ranks between an earldom and a dukedom. The marquessate of
Londonderry was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart who, in 1796,
had been made Earl of Londonderry in the Peerage of Ireland and, a
year earlier, Viscount Castlereagh (Irish), so you get a feel for the
ranking of the nobility, not that earls, marquesses or dukes are
created from scratch nowadays. You have to inherit the titles unless you are a close relative of the monarch.
What adds to confusion is that great Irish achievers of yesteryear
made contributions to British history and so were honoured in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom as well.
13 At about the time Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were trying to persuade their
errant son, the Prince of Wales, to become Viceroy of Ireland, the position was offered to the 7th Duke of Marlborough. The year was 1874. Churchill‟s grandfather
later did take the job. He was Lord Lieutenant from 1876 until 1880. Another Irish-Churchill connection.
316
Robert Stewart (1739-1821), at the time of his death, had three
titles: Viscount Castlereagh, Earl of Londonderry and Marquess of
Londonderry. These titles passed to his son by his first marriage, also
Robert Stewart, best known as Lord Castlereagh, who out lived him by only a year.
His son by his second marriage is Churchill‟s direct ancestor and his
name was Charles William Stewart, born in Dublin in 1778.
Such were Charles‟s achievements, military, diplomatic and political,
that he was further (than by birth) ennobled as Baron Stewart of
Stewart‟s Court and Ballylawn in County Donegal in 1814. He attended the Congress of Vienna with his half brother, the British
Foreign Secretary Lord Castlereagh, in 1814/1815 which sorted out
the map of Europe after the mess made of it by Napoleon. He inherited
all his father‟s titles on Castlereagh‟s death in 1822, so, inter alia,
becoming the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry in that year.
3rd Marquess of Londonderry
In 1823 he was created Earl Vane and Viscount Seaham, both titles in
the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
His second wife was a wealthy heiress, the only child of Sir Henry Vane-Tempest and Anne Catherine Macdonnell (1778-1834), Countess
317
of Antrim in her own right.14 Her name at
birth was Frances Anne Emily Vane-Tempest.
And she married him in 1819.15
The Marchioness of Londonderry, only child of
the 2nd Countess of Antrim
He promptly changed his name by royal
licence to Vane, the name he subsequently used for his new earldom.
This is why Frances Anne Emily is known by the last name Vane. She
was after all Countess Vane from 1823 – among her many titles, which
of course included Marchioness of Londonderry.
One of their homes was Mount Stewart at Greyabbey, County Down,
a National Trust property today.
The Earl and Countess Vane had a daughter in 1822. Just to confuse historians, they came up with the names Frances Anne Emily for her.
In 1843 she married Sir John Winston Spencer-Churchill, later the 7th
Duke of Marlborough, Churchill‟s grandfather.
When the 3rd Marquess died in 1854, the Marchioness came into her
own, displaying the characteristics of her father, the Durham coal
magnate. Described as autocratic, extravagant and proud, in her widowhood she emerged as an astute businesswoman, well able to
manage, and even expand, the family wealth.
It was the Marchioness, the first of the name Frances Anne Emily,
who, in 1848 to 1850, built Garron Tower on the Antrim coast as her
summer home. On her death in 1865, it passed to her daughter, now
“Duchess Fanny,” who in 1843 had married John Winston Spencer-Churchill, the 7th Duke of Marlborough. When she died in 1899 she left
it to her children who included Lord Randolph, Churchill‟s father.
14 This Countess of Antrim scandalised society when she remarried a man of obscure origin called Edmund Phelps in 1817. Sir Henry died in 1813. Phelps took the name
Macdonnell. 15 She may have been motivated to marry young to get away from her parents of
whom she wrote “Never was any child treated so harshly as I was by my Father, Mother and Governess.”
318
Anne Catherine Macdonnell, daughter of the 6th Earl of Antrim and 1st
Countess in her own right and the great, great grandmother of Churchill.
You may be wondering about the phrases “in her own right” and “the
first and second earldoms of Antrim.” The 6th Earl of Antrim (Randal
William Macdonnell) (1749-1791) had no male issue to pass both his titles16 to, so he petitioned the king through Parliament to be allowed
to pass the earldom through the female line. The effect of the royal
assent was that a new earldom was created (the second creation of
1785) and he, having been the 6th Earl, now became the 1st Earl, and
the numbering started all over again. The other result was that, Anne
Catherine, his eldest daughter, became Countess in her own right, “countess” normally being a title reserved for the wife of an earl. Since
the numbering had restarted with her father, she was styled 2nd
Countess. She too died without male issue, so her sister, Charlotte,
became the 3rd Countess of Antrim. Charlotte was already married to
Lord Mark Kerr17 and this marriage did produce a male heir who was
able to take the title 4th Earl of Antrim (in the second earldom), but
not “Marquess of Antrim.” He was Hugh Seymour, grandson of the Marquis of Lothian. He took the name Macdonnell and renounced his
right to the Scottish titles.
The passing of the title through the female line saw the breaking up
of the estates, already stressed because of debt and litigation. Francis
Anne Emily the first inherited one sixth from her mother the 2nd
Countess after much legal wrangling, and Charlotte got the rest. Note that the Vane-Tempest/Londonderry wealth now merged with that one
sixth with the result that in 1871 some 13 781 acres in County Antrim
were Vane-Tempest and 43 292 acres were Earl of Antrim land plus
112 acres in Portstewart.
16 He had the royal assent for the revival the title Marquess of Antrim which had died
out on the death of his uncle who had no sons. 17 Portrush, part of the Macdonnell estate, has Mark Street and Kerr Street.
319
As we have seen in the main text, the 6th Marquess of Londonderry,
he who espoused the cause for the right of way at the time of the
Causeway Case, decided to put all the names together, so he was
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart. Just think, he could have gone a step further and added Spencer-Churchill.
Churchill kept the Carnlough property until 1950. There is no record
of him visiting it or of endowing the school18 into which Garron Tower
was transformed in the following year.
Garron Tower
18 St MacNissi‟s College.
320
A Glossary
¶ A little bird told me. ¶ Harvey O. Brooks (Number one in Hit Parade of 1948).
The sound of any language is of the essence, and, as the north Antrim
dialect was an integral part of my life there, I want to share it with
you.
Anyway, we don‟t want any misunderstandings, so I am constrained to give you a glossary. There are expressions and words you don‟t
seem to hear now but which mine me of the time covered by this
book, roughly my fist ten years which is 1943 to 1952.
You won‟t find them in a dictionary, or if you do, the definition will be
somewhat different.
About: in the area.
Agaain: “Och, ya can pay me agaain” means next time you‟re in the
shop, you can pay for these messages.
Aff: can be either of or off.
Ai or aye: always.
Apt: true, correct. “Too bloody apt” is absolutely. Artist: a clever evader of authority.
Aul: old. “The Aul‟ Lammas Fair o‟ Ballycastle-o.”
Bagle’s gowl: An indeterminate distance over which a dog‟s baying can
be heard.
Bates: beats. Bates Banagher: unsurpassed.
Be-te-be: it was bound to happen. “He be-te-be catchin‟ a chill after fallin‟ in the sheugh.”
Bit: somewhat. “A bit of a party” is much drinking. Also “Not a bit of
it”: not remotely. “She isn‟t pregnant. Not a bit of it.” Also “a bit of a
turn” is a character. “Fight the bit out” is having one helluva row.
Bother me arse: take the trouble. Nae bother atall means no trouble at
all. Boys or boy-o: People. “Them boys” is those. But “some boy-o thon,”
implies some degree of rascality.
Boysaboys: an expression of mild surprise. “I‟m pregnant.”
“Boysaboys.”
Brave, bravely: Used as a general (and often vague) term of approval;
a compliment. “A brave few” is several, used especially in connection with the quantity of haffins consumed. Good or well would be a
synonym.
321
Ceilidh: Gaelic. Pronounced “kay-lee.” An Irish (or Scottish) social
gathering with traditional music, dancing, and storytelling. It would be good craic.
Coddin’: leg-pulling. “A didna mean it. A was only coddin’.”
Coorse: opposite of refined.
Cope: overturn; topple.
Clachan: hamlet; labourers‟ cottages built in a row or three sides of a
square. From Scots Gaelic. Clary: make a mess.
Clatter: an unspecified quantity.
Cleg: horsefly. (From Old Norse).
„Clare-to-me-Jasus: I declare to my Jesus; swear to God; honest to
goodness; no word of a lie.
Crater or critter: person. Implicitly, “poor” is the adjective used. “Wid ya look at thon poor crater.”
Craic: Irish Gaelic, pronounced “crack”. Means conversation; party
ambiance. Invariably proceeded by “good” or “great.”
Creel: wicker basket used to catch lobster.
Cut: intoxicated. Invariably prefixed with “half”. So you could have
“Yer man was half cut. I seen him lavin‟ Johnny McBride‟s at half aleven”. But also used to mean appearance or impression as in “I
didn‟t like the cut aff him”.
Day ya know what a’m gaan te tell ya, sin. Not a question so much as
an introductory remark, rhetorical forward/preamble to statement. Do
you know what I am going to tell you, son?
Day-sent: decent; wholesome; of a fundamentally good character. “An awfully day-sent soul.”
Did so: “She did so.” Used to counter any gainsaying. No word of a lie;
honestly.
Disney: does not.
Dotin’: under an illusion due to advanced years.
Doubt: certainty. “I doubt it‟s goin‟ t‟ rain” = it is going to rain. Dreigh: adjective. Dreary with a touch of foreboding. Used of climatic
conditions or a place or of both in combination. Scots origin.
Dunt: hit; bang; crash; knock. “He hit hm a right dunt.”
322
Far back: educated elocution with an Oxford twinge. Mrs Dooner19
spoke thus; therefore she was a bit far back.
Farl: a roughly triangular shaped cake of soda (or wheaten) bread.
Fash: Scots Gaelic verb meaning bother, trouble, worry; put yourself out. “Dinna fash yersel‟.”
Fadge: potato bread.
Fadgy: lacking in firmness; fadge-like. ”Fadgy arse.”
Fawn costume: as in “You can stick it up your fawn costume” is somewhere to put an unwelcome suggestion.
Fernenst: straight ahead.
Feelin’ yersel’: not what you think. Wellbeing, state of good health.
Also at yersel’: behaving normally or in good health. Also beside
yersel‟: at emotional breaking point.
Fly boy: clever dick.
Gaai: very.
Ganch: lack of fluency of speech or clear enunciation, but not a
stammer.
Gansey: upper over garment also called a Guernsey. Knitted from
oiled wool and dyed navy blue, it was quite water resistant. Patterned in the body and upper sleeves, the lower part of the sleeves were
usually knit plain so that when the elbow or wrist area of the sleeve
was worn through, the lower sleeves could be cut off and re-knitted.
Originating in the Royal Navy in the nineteenth century, this sweater
was much favoured by the guides and boatmen of The Causeway.
Gather: Compose, prepare. “I just need to gather mesel‟”.
Gnagh: Sexual urge. cf the Scots Gaelic word “gnaths” which means habit. Rhymes with blagh.
Gob: mouth. “Shut yer gob.” Gob stoppers are big sweets. The Irish
Gaelic word for mouth or bill.
Gran’: grand, but more like great. “It‟s a gran’ day” means it‟s not
raining and you can see the White Rocks.
Graip: a four pronged dung fork. Attributed to Rabbie Burns, but definitely Scots.
Greet, greetin’: weep; weeping. “Quit your greetin‟. The snot is
running frae yer bake.”
19
Mrs Dooner lived in Saltpans, next to the harbour at Portballintrae. She was Marion Emily Dooner born
in 1877, died 29.12.1959. She took tea with Sir Francis and Lady Macnaghten, the Traills of Ballylough
and the Honourable the Misses Macnaghten of Runkerry.
323
Haffin: a tot of whiskey, normally poured from a spirit measure. Half a
glass. It would have been a case of sending a wee fella on a man‟s job
if you poured a haffin in The Nook. Doubles were the norm.
Haan’: hand. “Gee us a haan” is help me. Hae: have.
Handlin: mess. “He made a sewer handlin aff parkin‟ the khar.”
Heed: head. Also pay careful attention as in “Dinna heed yer mon”
meaning pay him no attention.
Hefted: needing to move one‟s bowels, but resisting that urge. (Not
loosely). Hee-ght: tall.
Hell rub it into ya: You deserve it.
Heugh: a two-note shout to express exuberance. “Alec let a heugh out
of him.” Not unlike a yodel.
Hoke: poke so as to extract. “Hokin‟ and pokin‟ around” is nosing
round. Hoore: whore. “Whoa. Ya dinna want to mak a hoore outa the wee
heifer.”
Howl: hold. Over heard at an early gang-bang: “Howl her doon. She‟ll
day th‟ baath aff us.”
Job: some wrong doing; sexual intercourse. So “I seen yer man on the job in the sand hills” is I caught him in flagrante delicto.
Jorum: a drink (or a drinking vessel). Biblical. cf “jar,” much used in
Dublin.
Juke: evade; elude; dodge. “When he seen Constable Morrison, he
soon juked b‟hine th‟ hedge.”
Keh-oh: shout for attention. Like “yo- ho.” Khar: car.
Khart: cart.
Lammas: August moon when the harvest is celebrated.
Larne: port town in east Antrim. Also means learn. “That‟ll larne you”
therefore boils down to That experience is one from which you will learn a lesson.
Lais-an-ee: prayer for safety, invoking God‟s help. “Ah laise an ee” is I
hope to God.
Layin’ away: having an adulterous affair.
Lees-youre: leisure. “At your lees-youre.” Some vague time in the
future, as promised. Lep: leap. “The salmon is fair leppin‟ in th‟ Bush th‟ day.”
Like such which: the like of such or the like of which.
Lit on: admit. “Sure she knew all along, but wouldna lit on.”
324
Lug: ear. “The teacher gave her a cuff on the lug. I‟m tellin‟ ya. She-
did-so-she-did.”
Make a hoore outa the wee heifer: overdo it; repeat an action excessively.
Many’s a good tune played on an aul’ fiddle: It‟s still possible to have
good sex in advanced years.
Many’s a time: often.
Man dear: argumentative or jocular form of address to either sex.
Messages: shopping. “A‟m just goin‟ up the town t‟ do me messages.” Mine: remember, remind. But “Mine yersel‟” means be careful. If
you‟re goin‟ up the Headlands with Alec, mine yersel‟.
Mitch: play truant.
Nae or naw: not.
Neuk: steal. Noan or nane: not any; none.
No flies on: also no dozer. Not to be underestimated intellectually.
“Hugh Lecky was no dozer. There were no flies on him, so there
weren‟t.”
Notion: idea; conception. Also (pre-conception) romantic feeling as in
“He had a great notion of her.”
Oxters: armpits. “He fell in the sheugh up til hes oxters, A‟m sayin‟.”
Also used as a verb: “We oxered the big woman into the khar.”
Parfel: an adjective which expresses high quality. Powerful. “The craic
was parfel. Parfel all th‟ gether.”
Pech: grunt, sigh or pant. “Quit yer pechin‟ and groanin‟, would ya.” Polis: what you find in a police barracks.
Poteen: whiskey from an illicit source. Home brewed spirit, usually
from pratties. Gaelic word.
Pratties: potatoes. Prattie-picking in October was a two week school
holiday.
Pur: poor, unfortunate.
Quare: rhymes with fur. Not normal, therefore memorable. But “a
quare turn” is an act. “A quare few” is probably too many when used
of haffins. “Quare day thon” is a greeting when it‟s not raining.
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Raisen: Reason, logic. A reasoned argument. “If Ah tuk her up the
Headlands, wid sh‟ listen to raisen?”
Rascality: the behaviour of a rascal.
Reddin’ up: tidying. Derives from re-doing. “When the bar closes, Scott Swan does the reddin’ up.”
Rightly: OK or well. “How ya doin‟?” “Rightly.” “Do you know Sammy
Dobbin?” “Och aye. Rightly.”
Saft: Having a degree of mental abnormality. Preceded by “a bit.”
Sais-he and sais-she with emphasis on the second syllable: Verbalisation of inverted commas.
Scaldy: bald, or chick in that state. “There was a wee scaldy in the
bird‟s nest.”
Scunner: disaffection; dislike; resentment. “Yer man took a real
scunner just at the look aff her.”
Sheugh (“sh-yuch”): An open ditch, usually on the inside of a hedge atop a bank. “Mister Coal-lin fell aff hes horse an‟ landtit in the
sheugh.”
Shockin’: aberrant. “Och, he‟s a shockin’ mon all th‟ gether. “Told a
shockin’ story.”
Shootin’ a line: exaggerating in a self-aggrandising way.
Sin: son. A term of endearment when addressed to a male, either man or boy.
Skeagh: a thorn bush, especially one with fairies in it.
Skif: light shower of rain.
Skite: slap.
Skutt: invariably preceded by “drunken,” means a female habitual
imbiber of strong liquor.
Sleekit: sly. “Wee, sleekit, cowerin‟, timorous beastie.” Burns on The Mouse.
So long: good bye.
Stan a roun: buy a round of drinks. “He‟d packets that deep he niver
stood a roun.”
Tare: prolonged drinking spree. “He went on a real tare.” Tall-a-tall: by no stretch of the imagination.
Thrawn: perverse; stubborn. Also thran. Tell on: spill the beans. The secret that was isn‟t anymore.
Thole: suffer. Put up with. “Doctor Bodie is away, so you‟ll just have to
thole.” As a noun, rowlock. Thon: that over there. “Look at thon pur soul.” But also thonder is
yonder.
Thrapple: throat.
326
Titter o’ wit: Have a titter o’ wit, man! means have a modicum of
sense.
Turn: “a wee turn” is a short spell of not being your self. Anything
from a mild stroke to a lapse of memory, it is something you have. Twa: two.
Twarthee: two or three.
Uisce beatha: Pronounced “eesh-key-ba.” Irish Gaelic for whiskey.
Also usequebaugh.
Verse-o’-a-song: Liberation of the tongue. “Have another haffin and
gie us a verse-o’-a-song there, man dear”.
Wean: child. Probably a contraction of wee one.
Weechil’ : the result of pregnancy, post contractions. (Wee child).
Wey: with. Whean: a limited quantity. A few. cf clatter. A brave whean is
therefore quite a few, a fair quantity. Likely to result in a hangover.
Wheatie: a weakling; a poor specimen of humanity.
Whisht: silence. Howl yer whisht is be quiet.
Yer man: when with a nod of the head in a particular direction, him over there; the main person; the personality who is the subject of the
dissertation.
Yin: one. Heed yin is the boss.
A good many are of Scots or Irish Gaelic origin as indicated, but
generally speaking, there is a striking similarity between the north
Antrim dialect and Elizabethan English20 which is likely to have survived rather longer in the relatively remote parts of north Antrim,
notably on Rathlin Island, pre radio and TV and before there was a
tarred road to Dunseverick. The Presbyterian Scots had some
influence. Furthermore, the well documented to-ing and fro-ing that
20 Robert the Bruce (1274 -1329) retreated to Rathlin Island (or Rachrey as the
locals had it) in 1306. Dean Donald Monro writing his Description of the Western Isles having travelled mainly in 1549 gives us a sample of how one probably spoke,
and certainly wrote, in those days. Its resemblance to the north Antrim dialect is marked. Here is a sample in the aforementioned context: “On the south-west frae
the promontory of Kintyre, upon the coast of Ireland, be four myle to land, layes ane iyle callit Rachlaine, pertaining to Ireland, and possessit thir mony years by Clan
Donald of Kintyre four myle lang, and twa myle braide, guid land, inhabit and manurit.”
327
went on in Kingdom of Dalriada in a sort of two-way traffic across the
North Channel entailed the export/import of many’s a phrase.
I would not want the reader to think that these were words and
expressions whose definitions I learned at school. One learned as one would any language – from multiple sources and use, use of ears
mostly. For example, thran was a word I heard my mother use but it
was one which she found difficulty, as many others have, to define.
And so a story was told, as was the custom, to illustrate its meaning.
In a wild and remote glen, there was only one wee croft. Inside,
there was mother and father and their very constipated son. The mother had a dose of castor oil on a spoon which she was edging
towards the tightly compressed lips of the infant. After much
cajoling, his lips opened slightly and he uttered, “I‟ll taak it. But
I‟ll naw shite”.
The repartee, the ability to conjure up a unique description, was
something innate among the folk about The Causeway. After her first term at Methody, my mother had grown somewhat –
as you would expect at that age. The change did not escape the notice
of one of the fishermen at Dunseverick, Sammy Gault. He told her
“Miss Kane, y‟ve gote that hee-ght ya coode eat hee aff a half laft.” 21
And while we‟re at it, as they say, here is another.
My mother and her friend, Emily Johnston, went to get a lobster at Dunseverick harbour. The boats had been taken out of the water and
drawn up to the top of the slipway. The lobsters were in boxes in the
sea about thirty yards out. One of the fishermen, Bobby Wilkinson,
was there but no one else was about.
Being one of nature‟s gentlemen, as all those fishermen were, he
offered to go out and get one. He was getting on a bit, and couldn‟t
manage to push the boat back down to the water and pull it back up again by himself. So my mother offered to help him. But Emily hung
back, excusing herself by saying she had a bad back.
Sais-he: “It must be a gaai bad yin that‟s naw better than nane av
aw.” 22
In 1982, Paul Theroux the travel writer, walked from Portrush to The Causeway. He records in his book Kingdom by the Sea the way he
heard the directions given to him:
“ Just a munnut,” a man in Bushmills said. His name was
Emmett, about sixty-odd…
21 “You have got so tall you could eat hay of a half-loft.” A half loft was at about a
foot above head height or two metres, and covered half the area of a stable or byre. 22 It must be a very bad one if it‟s not better than none at all.
328
“Der’s a wee wudden brudge under the car park. And der’s a
bug one farder on – a brudge for trums. Aw, der used to be
trums up and down! Aw, but they is sore on money and
unded it. Ussun, ye kyan poss along da strond if the tide is dine. But walk on the odder side whar der’s graws.…. But it
might be weyat! ..In its notral styat.”
The Nook and Ardihannon from the Royal
Hotel c.1920.
The cowman at the farm at the Royal was Sammy Steel. He was also responsible for the chickens and the goat.
When he was a weechil‟, he was sent up to Carnside with the nanny
goat to get it serviced by their billy goat. Great granny Kane gave him
two shillings to pay.
However, the farmer up there declined to let the coupling take
place, saying the correct servicing fee was half a crown. It was a hot day and it had been quite an effort to get the nanny
goat all that way, so Sammy asked “Ogh, cud ye naw gee her just
enough t‟ tak the gnagh off her?”
329
Francis Kane's Temperance Refreshment Rooms were up-graded to “hotel” at an early date when Lawrence or his assistant, Robert French, visited The
Causeway. This could have been as early as 1864 when Lawrence started his photographic business, though French’s visits were in the period 1870-
1914. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
330
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