Geese, cattle wallopers and secret Irish paths Find!
This is the title of a book by Irvine Hunt which was published in 2008. Having just read Norman Nicholson's autobiography I was interested to discover that Irvine Hunt was good friends with Norman and, in fact, they held joint poetry readings. Having found this link I decided it would be good to read one of Irvine's books and chose The Drover's Boy. It is a childrens' book which would also appeal to adults.
The book tells the story of young Henry Hodgekin, stubborn, barefooted and skinny, who is made to walk 600 geese to market with Torse, a cantankerous Irish drover. It is Cumberland of a century ago and at first man and boy clash, the roads are rough and danger lies ahead. The journey is days long, and one that is going to change Henry's life for ever. It is a gripping story with lots of adventures and Henry has to grow up fast. I enjoyed the historical detail which doesn't get in the way of the story but really helps to set the scene. Before setting out from Silloth the geese are made to walk through a path of tar and sand which coats their feet and then hardens to protect them on their long walk to Carlisle market. I was also interested to learn of the secret Irish path - if it ever stops raining it would be nice to take a walk along it! There are some wonderful characters in the book - Torse and Bandy the Irish drovers, Black Jock the tramp and the 'cattle wallopers'.
Thank goodness for Google! I've just spent a few minutes looking at Irvine Hunt's website where you can read the first chapter of 'The Drover's Boy'. There is also a link to an article which appeared in Cumbria Life magazine which quotes Irvine as follows:
"The idea for the book grew out of Irvine's research for a book of period photographs. A woman at Fingland, near Kirkbride, told him how geese would be driven by in August and her father would buy 50 to fatten for Christmas on stubble and chopped turnips. The geese had been transported from Dublin to Silloth on SS Yarrow and were taken by drovers to Carlisle's Sands market. Irvine also met an old drover living in Carlisle, a 'cattle walloper' who spoke of the thousands of geese which would come out of Scotland, too, and would fill the Eden Bridges and bring the horse-drawn traffic to a halt".
This story has sparked an interest and I'm now going to try and find out some more about the old drovers routes and the coffin trails - so watch this space!
1 September 2009 from Mary Rossall
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Dear Reading Detectives . . . Dear Mary Rossall,
I have just seen your generous write-up of The Drover's Boy and am so glad to have found it. I am pleased you enjoyed young Henry's adventures.You have made my day!
In the first place I was so lucky to have met Liz Nuttall, the publisher, and I know she too will be pleased with your comments. Thank you!
Meanwhile I hope you land at Newton Arlosh one day and walk along a little of the old Irish Road. There's a good inn at the start so that might help! You also mention the coffin trails . . . oddly enough I've another short, though somewhat grim story,called Winter Wake, in a book Road to Paradise, which CN published. A coffin trail is the main part of the story, but it is not a happy thing . . .
My warm thanks!
Ps I am bad at internet matters. Please could my comments and email address not be published but be simply my thanks to you?