Giants Causeway - Martin family (page 2)

Ellen beside the menu at the Causeway tea-rooms The Refreshment Tariff Anne tells me that as a young child she can remember being in her mother's tea room when the rush came on a Sunday afternoon. Sunday was when the coaches from Fossetts and Uptons would arrive. These coach parties only had a short time to spend at the Causeway so it was a mad scramble to supply all the teas, slims 1 and pancakes needed. As a reminder of those days, and what was on offer, here's an earlier photo of a much younger Ellen standing beside the menu board. Pity the left hand side of the board is missing. However it makes a good guessing game to try and work out the menu. American Tours Another of the daughters, Jeannie had a shop at the Causeway. Where, as well as the usual shillelaghs, postcards, and wishing chairs she also sold such luxury goods as Irish Linen, Waterford Crystal and Belleek China. Annella, who as a teenager, used to help in her mother's shop, told me these goods were particularly favoured by the American visitors. I expressed surprise that Americans were visiting in such large numbers in the late fifties, but Annella assured me that the "American Tours", as she called them, were very frequent and she can remember helping mother (Jeannie) parcel up the Irish Linen to be posted back to the USA. Anne and Annella outside Anne's Tea Room, Portrush Another generation - another tea room So what are the two cousins doing now? It must be in the blood for Anne (left) runs her own tea room in Portrush and she is ably assisted by Annella (Right) . And it was here that we sat over a cup of tea and a wee bun whilst they told me of their family connections with the Causeway Shops so many years ago. Sloake We got around to discussing Sloake, the food made from a certain type of seaweed gathered at the Causeway in the winter. Listen as Kitty McLernon describes making this. Much to my amazement both Anne and Annella tell me that they still gather, cook and eat sloake and what's more they invited me to join them next January, providing the weather and tide is right, on a seaweed gathering expedition to be followed by watching it being cooked- then a meal. I am grateful to the two ladies for lending me these precious photos. For they are practically all that's left of those days. The rest of the early family photos were kept in Annie's shop at the Causeway. Unfortunately this shop was completely blown away in a huge storm about forty years ago. All the stock and all the family momentoes were destroyed. Return to Causeway Shops article 1 Scones made on a hot griddle

Your responses:

Elizabeth Lecky - Oct 07
I am Beth Lecky from New Zealand and my husband's family was connected to the Giants Causeway, I would love any information and photos of the Lecky's as I have done albums of my father and mother's side of the family and would like to do one for my husband, but do not have any thing to start with from back then. I would be most grateful if you could help with any information on the Lecky's.
Your web page is most interesting and I would love to come to Island one day.

Leann Knox - Apr '07
David, Please contact me at 'lizfellwock at sbcglobal dot net' for more info on my grandmother and her family.

David Thomas - Feb '07
Leann, I was very interested in the article that you wrote on here, in April 06. I do not know how to contact you, so I will give this a try. Thanks.

Leann Knox - April '06
Imagine my excitement when my daughter found this web site! My family leased the white cottage in the above photo shortly after the house was built in the 1860's. My great-great grandfather Daniel McKinlay leased it from Hugh Lecky, the owner. We have quite a few photos of the family taken in various parts of the causeway. My great grandfather Sam Hamill took money from visitors, and according to our family lore, escorted tourists around the rocks. We have a photo of Sam in workingman's clothes sitting with two well dressed men (and a bottle!) who we assume to be tourists.

My grandmother, born at the house on the Causeway, sometimes referred to it as the Toll House, presumably because they collected the "tolls" from the visitors. We have a small black-edged card, a little larger than a modern business card, that must have been for the wake of Daniel McKinlay, that refers to the house as Causeway Cottage. I can't remember much from the stories told to me by my grandmother, Mary Hamill, but I remember her talking about the storms and the waves that crashed against her bedroom windows. Her baby brother, Sam, died at the Cottage when he was only three, or as she put, a wee baby. Of course, she had a proper story to tell about it, including mysterious knocks at the door in the middle of the night! She was definitely Irish.

David Thomas - Oct 05
I have loads of photos if anyone wishes.
That photo of Anne and Annella are my two gorgeous cousins.
My mum Edith Martin also had a shop there at the Causeway.