Sons of the Sod: A Tale of County Down - Paperback

by Derek a. Rowlinson (Editor), W. G. Lyttle (Author)

Based on actual events in mid-Nineteenth Century County Down, Sons of the Sod tells the story of how a young man from the Carrowdore area is falsely accused of the attempted murder of a local squire. First published in 1886, the book proved an instant success locally as it dealt with affairs still within living memory and referred to many colourful characters and families of the neighbourhood. The importance of the work today is not least because it provides possibly the best account of what life and the language of the ordinary folk, or "Sons of the Sod", was like at that period. An attempted eviction, a funeral, a wake, a wedding, sport and dances are all described within its pages. This new edition includes an introduction to the author and his work, footnotes, and a select glossary of words.

Author Biography

Wesley Greenhill Lyttle was born in Newtownards, County Down, in 1844 and pursued several occupations before founding the North Down Herald newspaper in 1880. He was the author of a number of books, perhaps the most enduringly popular of which is Betsy Gray, or Hearts of Down, a novel about the 1798 Rebellion. Through his writing he has left an invaluable record of life and language in North Down and the Ards during the latter half of the 19th Century. He died in 1896 and is buried in the grounds of Bangor Abbey.