First published in 1987, Honey to the Ear celebrates the poetry of Mick McAtamney (1862-1946) and Liam McAllister (1899-1975). Both County Derry men, each conveyed in his own way the joy of living close to the land and the beauty of the seasons. One a family man and farmer who never left Derry, the other a single man and inveterate traveller who traversed America, each looked at life and its adventures through the eyes of a poetic spirit.

In his foreword, fellow Derry man and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney writes of these poems that 'they call us back to poetry's origins in speech and chant work-songs'. Honey to the Ear is a celebration of Irish rural life more than a century ago, and both poets reflect on man's place in the great scheme of things. Readers will savour their musings on life and fate, their humour and pathos, and their insights that hopefully will enrich us all.

SCOTS-IRISH ORIGINS, 1600-1800 A.D.
GENEALOGICAL GLEANINGS OF THE SCOTS-IRISH IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY, IRELAND.

PART ONE – VITAL RECORDS OF THE SCOTS-IRISH FROM THE PARISH OF MAGILLIGAN, COUNTY LONDONDERRY, 1600-1800. By Bob Forrest, B.A Hons; Economic and Social History (Queen’s University, Belfast). 65 pages + 2 maps

One of the greatest frustrations for generations of Scots-Irish genealogical researchers has been the absence of vital records for perhaps the most critical period in the establishment of their family links to Ulster, the period up to 1800. There is no comprehensive index to names for Ulster for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries making it difficult to make the trans-Atlantic connection. 

This series aims to redress the gap in the records for early modern Ulster. Part One focuses on Magilligan parish in County Londonderry and includes 386 surnames and variants from the period 1600-1800 that may help some Scots-Irish to unlock their family connection to Ulster. This fully referenced booklet has been compiled overwhelmingly from primary source material located in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (the principal repository of Ulster-Scots archives), with the objective of providing some potential links, which should enable Scots-Irish connections to be made.

SCOTS-IRISH ORIGINS, 1600-1800 A.D.
GENEALOGICAL GLEANINGS OF THE SCOTS-IRISH IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY, IRELAND.

PART TWO – THE PLANTATION OF LONDONDERRY, c.1600-1670
INCLUDING APPENDICES:
1. PHILLIPS’ SURVEY OF 1622 AND THE 1630 MUSTER ROLL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF LONDONDERRY.
2. THE SUMMONISTER ROLLS/COURT RECORDS OF COUNTY LONDONDERRY, 1615-70. By Bob Forrest, B.A. Hons; Economic and Social History (Queen’s University, Belfast). 84 pages + 3 maps + 1 illust.

Part two in the series Scots-Irish origins, this volume focuses on the seventeenth century plantation of county Londonderry and makes available for the first time two important genealogical sources, the 1630 Muster Roll and the Summonister (Court) Rolls c.1615-1670 for county Londonderry. Mr. Forrest has utilised the Summonister Court Rolls, the 1622 survey by Phillips and Hadsor, the 1630 muster roll and the 1641 depositions to write a short history of the ‘Plantation of Londonderry c.1600-1670.’ He traces the development of the Londoners’ twelve plantations, as well as the growth of urbanization within the county focusing primarily on Londonderry, Coleraine and Limavady.

In this book are the names of many Lowland Scots who migrated to Londonderry during the seventeenth century. These early settlers can be considered to be the founding fathers of the Scots-Irish in the region. There are 1,727 variant surnames contained in this volume that locate name to place....more details & complete surname list.....

The Ash Manuscripts written 1735 by Lieut. Col. Thomas Ash, published in 1890 by Henry Tyler, J.P. Limvady - Thomas Ash of Ashbrook House, Glendermott Parish, was an officer in the Londonderry Garrison during the Siege of 1689. According to W.R. Young’s “Fighters of Derry”, he was one of the witnesses to the Governor’s Commission of 11^th July 1689 which appointed the Commissioners who went out to treat with the Jacobite forces. He served in Col. John Mitchelburn’s Regiment at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690 and was High Sheriff of County Derry in 1694. His name is among those commemorated in the memorial window for the Siege in St. Columb’s Cathedral.

In addition to his Diary of the Siege, Lt.Col. Thomas Ash left a manuscript which he compiled in 1735, when he was about 75 years old, giving an outline of the Ash family and their connections who included the Lecky, Rankin, Rainey and Tyler families.

Regrettably some pages of this manuscript have not survived. However, in 1890 the bulk of the memoire was privately published by a descendant, Hon. Henry Tyler, J.P., of Limavady, as “The Ash MSS”.

This small 78 page volume contains the Memorials of the Ash family, together with a host of other family papers. Please follow the "More" icon for a listing of much greater detail. (List of Surnames)

SCOTS-IRISH ORIGINS, 1600-1800A.D.
GENEALOGICAL GLEANINGS OF THE SCOTS-IRISH IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY, IRELAND

PART THREE - ‘THE MAIDEN CITY’ 
THE INHABITANTS OF THE CITY OF DERRY / LONDONDERRY BEFORE THE SIEGE (c.1600-1688)

By Bob Forrest, B.A. Hons; Economic and Social History (Queen’s University, Belfast). 112 pages, over 2000 surnames

This is the third volume in the Scots-Irish Origins series. This volume focuses on the historic city of Derry/Londonderry in the seventeenth century and makes available a number of valuable and unique sources for the period.

The following seventeenth century records are included in this volume for the city of Derry/Londonderry:-
- the 1619 Inquisition, 
- 1622 Muster Roll
- 1628 Rent Roll
- 1630 Muster Roll (599 names)
- 1642 Muster Rolls (9 companies)
- 1654/6 Civil Survey, 1659 Census
- 1663 Hearth Money Roll
- as well as numerous miscellaneous records including; Corporation records (Governors, Mayors, Aldermen, Sheriffs), lists of merchants and seamen linked to the port of Derry, Gravestone Inscriptions from the seventeenth century, siege records, Summonister (court) records (1611-1670), Will indexes (1600-1700), original will abstracts, and a list of Derry voters from 1697.

Mr. Forrest has utilized a wide range of sources for this publication: Burgh records in Scotland, House of Common’s Journals, Calendar of State Papers, Calendar of Treasury Books, and the records from the National Archives of Scotland and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in order to identify the inhabitants of Derry and with over 2000 surnames this volume gives comprehensive listing of the inhabitants of the city before the siege. .........more details and a complete list of surnames.....

In this fourth volume of the Scots-Irish series, Mr Forrest has scoured the archives of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Linenhall Library in Belfast to source and record in one convenient volume all available muster, militia, volunteer and yeomanry lists for county Londonderry in the period 1622-1852. 

The seventeenth century muster rolls are important lists of able-bodied men capable of military service and listed by estate under landlord. These fighting forces were raised from among the planted settler population to defend their farms and families. They are an early record of the Scots-Irish population in the county. 

Two Diaries Of Derry In 1689: Being Richards' Diary Of The Fleet, Now First Printed From The Original M.s., And Ash's Journal Of The Siege, Reprinted ... Edition Of 1792. With Introduction And Notes. Courtesy of Google Books. Almost FREE !!

In this volume, Mr. Forrest makes available the names of hundreds of Scots-Irish and their descendants who settled in the Lower Bann valley in and around the town of Coleraine in County Londonderry during the Ulster plantation. Coleraine was an important port during the Ulster plantation and many families that emigrated from Scotland in the seventeenth century entered into north Ulster through this important gate-way.

Mr. Forrest has trawled the vast archives of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland [and the Registry of Deeds] to make available the wills of thirty-one testators who were residents of Coleraine town and district from 1634-1832. In Ireland, as in other countries, wills are one of the most fruitful sources of genealogical information. Wills are a particular rich source for the family historian as they provide detailed information about family relationships and are clear indicators of the economic and social status of the deceased. Click for List of Wills & Surname Index