Thankfully the ghostly figure of a monk failed to appear as I made my way home. I'm not totally convinced of his existence, but I am sure that sitting up late into the night to hear this and other stories is no way to prepare for an early morning walk. Next morning half slept, I was ill prepared but determined not to miss an historical/mountain walk hosted by Bernard Davey. The walks organised as part of the Herring Gutters festival focused on Newcastle's historic harbour area and the granite trail, providing an insight into the lives of the people who lived and worked here and the harbours association with the Granite trade. I was surprised to learn that granite is now imported into the Mournes. The granite steps leading from King St to the quarry had to be imported from Portugal because local stone proved too expensive. Equally enlightening but less strenuous was a recent talk given by Tom Walsh in Newcastle library, bringing the past to life by skilfully manipulating an array of slide projectors to compare today's Newcastle with how it looked in the past. Many hours of painstaking research, had gone into each presentation, pouring over printed archives, collecting oral testimony and studying the physical remnants of the past. I made my way up the long track leading to the Quarry at Carr's Face to sketch the physical remnants of the granite trade. Heavy haulage equipment still lies scattered around and much of the old sleepers and tracks remain, but the ascent along the lines is steep and slippery. The sunny weather of the past few weeks had given way to drizzle and I was engulfed by mist and midges as I sat down to sketch the scene. Waiting for the mist to clear before making the treacherous descent I thought I saw a ghostly figure in the mist but I can't be sure, perhaps it was the monk from the previous evening or simply a sheep. If you are interested in local history Newcastle library is hosting an historical tour of the town on the 24th August. You can contact Eamonn by logging on to www.mccroryart.com.