I was made aware of Robert Lloyd Praeger’s The Way That I Went through researching the redevelopment of one of our galleries.
North Down Museum is a local authority museum in Bangor, County Down. It is set in the old stables/laundry rooms of Bangor Castle, which was built by the Ward family in 1852.
The castle is set in beautiful parklands, and it is these parklands that the museum gallery is looking to explore.
One storyline of the exhibition is the wealth of renowned naturalists that have come from North Down.
Praeger, who also worked at the National Library of Ireland, was one of these. He published many scholarly articles on Irish botany, but The Way That I Went puts a human element on his explorations.
Written in 1937, it does have an old-fashioned feel in the style of his writing, but there is obviously a passion for the topography, geology and botany of the Irish landscape.
The book is not intended to be a travel journal, but Praeger does throw in short anecdotes and stories throughout that help bring the landscape and its people to life.
It is the type of book that you would not necessarily read cover to cover, but instead dip into when you have the time to appreciate his vast knowledge of the subject matter, which is delivered through his gentle prose. It is a bit like stepping back in time, which is perhaps why I have enjoyed reading it so much.
Heather McGuicken is the museum manager at North Down Museum, Bangor, Northern Ireland
North Down Museum is a local authority museum in Bangor, County Down. It is set in the old stables/laundry rooms of Bangor Castle, which was built by the Ward family in 1852.
The castle is set in beautiful parklands, and it is these parklands that the museum gallery is looking to explore.
One storyline of the exhibition is the wealth of renowned naturalists that have come from North Down.
Praeger, who also worked at the National Library of Ireland, was one of these. He published many scholarly articles on Irish botany, but The Way That I Went puts a human element on his explorations.
Written in 1937, it does have an old-fashioned feel in the style of his writing, but there is obviously a passion for the topography, geology and botany of the Irish landscape.
The book is not intended to be a travel journal, but Praeger does throw in short anecdotes and stories throughout that help bring the landscape and its people to life.
It is the type of book that you would not necessarily read cover to cover, but instead dip into when you have the time to appreciate his vast knowledge of the subject matter, which is delivered through his gentle prose. It is a bit like stepping back in time, which is perhaps why I have enjoyed reading it so much.
Heather McGuicken is the museum manager at North Down Museum, Bangor, Northern Ireland
