Georgie's Causeway

Description

Much has been written about the eighth natural wonder of the world and World Heritage Site which is the Giant's Causeway, but little about the people who made it - other than Finn McCool. Here is a book to redress the balance: full of names from generations long gone, names of the guides, the hoteliers and the landlords from back before the "discovery" of the Giant's Causeway in the eighteenth century to the 1950s. It's the work of one whose formative years were lived there. And his affection for it shines from every page. It has all the ingredients of a good read: wit and humour; enigma and facts; fascinating detail; mystery and history; scandal and anecdote; even sporting memorabilia - from hunting to golf. Unique among literature about the North Antrim coast, Georgie's Causeway delves into the leading families, unravelling the genealogy of the Earls of Antrim who owned the Causeway. Access to it was through land leased by the enigmatic Macnaghten family whose history has remarkable facets, all revealed and illustrated here. No other book has given more than a passing reference to the Causeway Case, a landmark on right of way.Here it is examined in full and its far-reaching impact put in perspective. The glossary is a gem. A lighter look at the words and expressions the author was brought up with, it will appeal to those who enjoy the dialect of Ulster Scots. It's a book generously illustrated with over two hundred, mainly contemporary, photographs, many thitherto unpublished. The bespoke maps will guide all visitors, especially hikers and bikers. Even budding genealogists are catered for with useful tips and a thumbnail history of some of the leading names of the area. All this is wrapped in a sometimes intimate memoire of Georgie himself and how he made his way across his own causeway in life. It is emotive with a balance between pathos and humour, some hidden in captions and footnotes, and one at least, like the tales the guides used to tell, too tall for all but the most gullible. The name Kane of The Causeway was, for a century, synonymous with hospitality at the approaches to the National Trust owned site, and the book treats its reader like a good host does: it welcomes the soul, feeds the mind and encourages you to drink from its considerable cup of knowledge.This the second edition has a wider scope - virtually the whole of the Route is covered, including glimpses of the leading families and their homes.