Friday, 31 December 2010

Bushmills - Kiss the Causey 2

Some new signs have appeared since I blogged on this topic a year ago. The Ulster-Scots forms appear underneath the official names and some of the latter were introduced in rural areas in the 1970s; townland names have been reinstated in addresses. Irish forms for Moyle District Council [pdf file] have been compiled by the Northern Ireland Place-Name Project. The Dictionary of the Scots Language is a useful source for Scots spellings.


DSL gives Raw, Rau for a line of houses. MDC has a translation of the street name: Corrán Mhic Giolla Dhuibh. It's based on the presumption that Huey derives from an older Argyllshire name Macilghuie. MDC refers to a Robert Huey, a Bushmills grocer mentioned in the Ordnance Survey, but I think Dr David Huey, a Bushmills doctor who came from Ballynarry Upper, to be the more likely origin. Huey's Corner is at the junction of Priestland Road and Dunluce Road.


MDC: Bóthar an Chairn Bhodhair is based on Bóthar, 'road' and Carn Bodhar, 'deaf carn'. Staunin is Scots for standing and this would relate to a standing stone rather than to a cairn, a heap of loose stones.


The Haw is a minor name in the townland of Curramoney, parish of Billy. It also appears twice as a townland name in north-east Donegal. MDC: Bóthar na hInse - It seems to be a variant of haugh, a Scots 
word for flat ground beside a river.

DSL:     *m.Sc. 1996 John Murray Aspen 4: 

ahint thir hills
in amang the riggs an dykes,
haughs an howes,
there’s bits and bittocks

Perhaps Haugh Road would be more appropriate than Hawthorne (as in bush).


MDC: Bóthar na Sráide is based on An tSráid, 'the street/village'. Straid is a minor name in the townland of Croaghmore, parish of Ballintoy; it also appears as an element in the nearby townland of Ballinastraid.

DSL: Strade is a variant of straid as in astride a horse. I can't see a connection with Straid, the place-name.

Heavily in the sadle I  strade , And all the day on him I rade

Wednesday, 29 December 2010

Portcaman 2010 - Bushmills Folklore & History Magazine

Click images to enlarge




"Buy the book to see more great photos and stories
on sale at Causeway Books, Spar and newsagents in Bushmills"

Sunday, 26 December 2010

Ballycastle - Carrickmore Road - Vital Discovery - 1789 Document

Public Colliery Road
click on image to enlarge

Celebration Walk
Wednesday, December 29 @ Noon


Christmas Cheer for supporters of the proposed "Celebration Walk" along the old 'Colliery Road', Ballycastle, on Wednesday, December 29, at Noon.

Danny McGill, one of Ballycastle's historians has been undertaking detailed and thorough research through property deeds along the 'Colliery Road' now known as Carrickmore Road.

As many of you know there are numerous historical maps and photographs of this road continuing unhindered past the 'Old Salt Pans' at a time when the road was known as 'the tram road' for the fact that it was used as such to access the mines and ports along the shore.

Danny told me today that one of the property deeds he examined contained a clause which will be of great interest to all who still travel the road by car or on foot.

The property in question was the Salt Works near the Salt Pans Rocks and the document is dated 1st May 1789 (PRONI reference D.O.D.509/773 carefully copied verbatum by Mrs Jayne McGill many years ago).

The description of the property boundaries includes the following phrase:

"...with all the ground lying between the great road and the sea, lying between the backside wall of the house Davis Boyd now lives in and the road leading from the public colliery road into the east gate of the saltpan yard."

In 1789, the tram road, salt works, coal pits, iron ore mines and shipping ports were all in operation along the shore from the Quay to the foot of Fair Head, so a public accomodation road was in full use by all the inhabitants and continued so until landslips over recent years have covered the road in places making it temporarily impassable for wheeled traffic.

Links to earlier articles

Friday, 24 December 2010

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year


[click images to enlarge]


Have a thought also for those struck down by illness and for the families and friends of those who are no longer with us.