This is a fascinating new book by Brian Cassells, entitled ‘By the Shores of Lough Neagh’, published by Cottage Publications. In it, Brian explores the history and people of the Lough in great depth, illustrating his journey around the Lough with a superb collection of photographs. Starting at his childhood home in the Montiaghs, in the southern Lough Neagh wetlands, Brian takes the reader on a tour through the history of the Lough, its people and its industry. Many long forgotten nuggets of information are gleaned along the way. The vital role the Lough and its shoreline played in the Second World War, which led to the development of Aldergrove International Airport; its role as the hub of the waterway network for the Newry, Coalisland and Lagan canals, with the Upper and Lower Bann navigation’s delivering barges to the Lough Neagh Basin; the evolution of local fishing practices into what is now the largest commercial wild eel fisher in Europe and the endurance of the sand extraction industry are all recounted in Brian’s authoritative narrative. Brian Cassells is the Chairman of the Lough Neagh Advisory Committee and was President of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland from 2005 to 2007. He is currently Chairman of the local museum committee where he has embarked on an ambitious plan to establish a waterways museum at Oxford Island.