Introduction to Antrim
County Antrim (Contae Aontroma in Irish) is one of the six counties that form Northern Ireland. It is the 9th largest of the 32 traditional counties of Ireland in terms of area, and 2nd in terms of population behind Dublin. It is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, in the province of Ulster. It is bounded north and east by the narrow seas separating Northern Ireland from Scotland, the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea, south by Belfast Lough and the River Lagan dividing it from County Down, south-west by Lough Neagh, dividing it from County Armagh and County Tyrone, and west by County Londonderry, the boundary with which is the River Bann.
The Glens of Antrim offer isolated rugged landscapes, the Giant's Causeway is a unique landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Bushmills produces legendary whiskey, and Portrush is a popular nightlife zone. The majority of the capital city of Northern Ireland, Belfast, is also in County Antrim, with the remainder being in County Down.
A Brief History of Antrim
At what date the county of Antrim was formed is not known, but it appears that a certain district bore this name before the reign of Edward II (early 14th century), and when the shiring of Ulster was undertaken by Sir John Perrot in the 16th century, Antrim and Down were already recognized divisions, in contradistinction to the remainder of the province. The earliest known inhabitants were of Celtic origin, and the names of the townlands or subdivisions, supposed to have been made in the 13th century, are all of Gaelic derivation. Antrim was exposed to the inroads of the Danes, and also of the northern Scots, who ultimately effected permanent settlements. In ancient times, it was inhabited by a Celtic people called the Darini. In the early Middle Ages, southern County Antrim was part of the Kingdom of Ulidia, ruled by the Dál Fiatach clans O'Haughey/O'Hoey and MacDonlevy/McDunlavey; the north was part of Dal Riada, which stretched into western Scotland over the Irish Sea. Dal Riada was ruled by the O'Lynch clan, who were vassals of the Ulidians. Besides the Ulidians and Dal Riada, there were the Dal nAraide of lower County Antrim, and the Cruithne, who were not Gaelic Celts but Picts. In the late Middle Ages, it was divided into three parts: northern Clandeboy, the Glynnes and the Route. The Cambro-Norman MacQuillans were powerful in the Route. A branch of the O'Neills of Tyrone migrated to Clandeboy in the 1300s, and ruled it for a time. Their family was called O'Neill Clannaboy. A galloglass sept, the MacDonnells, became the most powerful in the Glynnes in the 1400s.
Antrim is divided into 16 baronies. Lower Antrim, part of Lower Clandeboy, was settled by the sept O'Flynn/O'Lynn. Upper Antrim, part of Lower Clandeboy, was the home of the O'Keevans. Belfast was part of Lower Clandeboy and was held by the O'Neill-Clannaboys. Lower Belfast, Upper Belfast, and Carrickfergus were also part of Lower Clandeboy. Cary was part of the Glynnes; ruled originally by the O'Quinn sept, the MacDonnell galloglasses from Scotland took power here in the late Middle Ages and some of the O'Haras also migrated from Connaught. Upper and Lower Dunluce were part of the Route, and were ruled by the MacQuillans. Upper and Lower Glenarm was ruled by the O'Flynn/O'Lynn sept, considered part of the Glynns. In addition to that sept and that of O'Quinn, both of which were native, the Scottish gallowglass septs of MacKeown, MacAlister, and MacGee, are found there. Kilconway was originally O'Flynn/O'Lynn territory, but was held by the MacQuillans as part of the Route, and later by the gallowglass sept of MacNeill. Lower Massereene was part of Lower Clandeboy and was ruled by the O'Flynns and the O'Heircs. Upper Massereene was part of Lower Clandeboy, ruled by the O'Heircs. Upper and Lower Toome, part of the Route, were O'Flynn/O'Lynn territory. Misc was first ruled by the MacQuillans. Later, the Scottish gallowglass MacDonnells and MacAlisters invaded. The MacDonnells were a branch of the Scottish Clan MacDonald; the MacAlisters traced their origin back to the Irish Colla Uais, eldest of the Three Collas. Islandmagee had, besides antiquarian remains, a notoriety as a home of witchcraft, and was the scene of an act of reprisal against the Catholic population during the Irish Rebellion of 1641 for the massacre of Protestants, by the Scottish Covenanter soldiery of Carrickfergus.
Areas of Interest in Antrim
Giant's Causeway Centre
This attraction was heightened in 1986 by the completion of an interpretative centre which attempts to explain the geological enigma of the Causeway and other mythical legends associated with it. The Centre includes a theatre in which a lively and colourful audio visual programme explains the volcanic origin of the Causeway and also suggests that a legendary Irish giant, Finn MacCool undoubtedly has a hand in its creation. In addition to the theatre, the Centre houses an exhibition which includes a full scale model of Europe's first hydro-electric tram which operated from Portrush to the Causeway between 1883 and 1949. There are also exhibits of the flora and fauna of the area, local events, history, the wreck of the Girona and quotes from many famous people who visited the causeway. The Grand Causeway is an astonishing complex of basalt columns packed together, whose tops form 'stepping stones' leading from the cliff foot and disappearing under the sea. Over the causeway as a whole, there are about 37,000 of these stone columns, mostly 6-sided, but some 4, 5, 7 and 8 sided. They were formed about 60 million years ago by the cooling and shrinking - along regular lines of force - of molten lava from a vast volcanic eruption that formed the Antrim plateau. The tallest columns, in the Giant's Organ, are 12m. high. But the solidified lava in the cliffs is at places 24m. thick. Light-coloured patches in the cliffs are the residue of bubbles in the boiling lava. Plant fossils show that the lava erupted over vegetation and that the climate of Ireland was semi-tropical. The Causeway's fame has been increased by the discovery - and recovery - at Port na Spaniagh in 1967 and 1968, of the most valuable treasure ever found in a Spanish Armada wreck. The galleass Girona, the biggest ship in the Armada, was wrecked in that jagged gulf in a storm on the night of October 26th, 1588, with only five survivors out of the 1,300 men aboard her. The Girona carried not only her own treasure but also what the Spaniards had been able to save from two other Armada ships wrecked earlier on the west coast of Ireland. Nearly 10,000 objects were brought to shore by a team of Belgian divers led by M. Robert Stenuit of Brussels. The treasure included 400 gold and 750 silver coins; gold jewellery, pendants, rings and cameos containing inset rubies and pearls; eight solid gold chains; silver forks and spoons; the ship's anchor, cannon balls. The most beautiful and valuable items are now on permanent display in the Ulster Museum, Belfast. The story is narrated on picture-boards at the Causeway.
Belfast Castle
The Chichesters later the Donegalls lived in England as absentee landlords but came to live at Ormeau at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The 3rd Marquis died in 1884 and 7th Earl of Shaftesbury the following year. Lord Ashley, and his wife Harriet Augusta, thus inherited the Shaftesbury title and the Donegall home. The Shaftebury family were philanthropists, supporting various charities and hosting garden fetes within the castle grounds. The 9th Earl became Lord Mayor in 1907 and Chancellor of Queen's University the following year. The family presented the castle and estate to the City of Belfast in 1934. From the end of the 2nd World War until the 1970's the castle became a popular venue for wedding receptions, dances and afternoon teas. In 1978 Belfast City Council instituted a major refurbishment programme that was to continue over a period of ten years at a cost of over two million pounds. The architiect this time was the Hewitt and Haslam Partnership. The building was officially re-opened to the public on 11 November 1988. The cellars of the castle, opened in 1990 have been transformed to allow visitors to step back in time into a Victorian atmosphere of narrow, paved streets, shop fronts, gas light, etc. The area comprises an interesting antique and craft shop- The Cave Hill Shop, the'Castle Tavern 'bar and the 'Castle Kitchen'-a bistro Restaurant open seven days a week and offering a variety of menus from morning coffee to full meals. The adjoining Haslam Room is a small, cosy function room available for hire. The second floor contains the Cave Hill Heritage Centre which highlight various` aspects of the area e.g history, folklore, wildlife, geology, with a range of static moving and interactive displays. This contre is open to visitors to Belfast Castle. With its fascinating history and associations, its superb setting and views, and well deserved reputation for good food. Belfast Castle is an ideal centre for functions, receptions, conferences, exhibitions, or for that special dining out occasion.
Carrickfergus Castle
Its core, the oldest part, is the inner ward and massive four-storey keep, entered at first-floor level and now, used for historical displays. Sited on an easily fortified rock jutting out into the sea, it was probably constructed by John de Courcy in the years after his initial conquest of Ulster in 1177. Attached to its southern flank was a walled courtyard, entered from the east by a gateway through which visitors to the castle had to pass. Within this courtyard was a large hall, remnants of which still survive. When King John came to Ireland in 1210, he captured the castle and, after his departure, the castle was further fortified by the addition of an outer wall defended by a strong square tower on the vulnerable eastern flank, which also gave cover to a new entrance north of the keep. Just to the north of this entrance there was a gully in the rock, which formed a natural defence and between 1226 and 1242, the remainder of the rock-spur to the north of the gulley, originally unfortified, was enclosed by a wall entered through a massive gate-house with two round towers. To this day, these portly towers-with their portcullis-guard the entrance for modern visitors (who, unlike their medieval counterparts, can gain entrance by mere payment of an entrance charge). During the Later Middle Ages, the castle played a purely administrative role, and only saw action again in 1689, when Schomberg took it for King William, who landed in Ireland here the following year. Its final, unsuccessful defence was against the French commander, Thurot, who succeeded in seizing it in 1760. Subsequently, it acted in turn as a prison, magazine and armoury, and served as an air-raid shelter during the Second World War. The cannons which can be seen on its walls date partly from the 17th century, and partly from the early 19th century, when the castle was provided with new weaponry to guard against the threat of a Napoleonic invasion. The town which grew up on the mainland under the protection of the castle was small and fortified by town walls. The size of both town and walls was virtually doubled by Arthur Chichester in the early 17th century. The walls are best seen from the outside in the north-eastern sector, at the car-park next to the modern bowling green. On the western side, outside which the Scots and Irish lived, parts of the walls were exposed in excavations conducted in the 1970s by Tom Delaney, in whose memory a plaque has been erected in a green space outside them. Within the walls is one of Ulster's most interesting churches, going back to the late 12th century-St. Nicholas (open on Sundays) with a late 12th-century arcade, very rare in Ulster. Though founded probably by John de Courcy shortly before 1200, its present from dates partly from a re-building of 1614, and it contains the fine 17th-century tomb of Arthur Chichester in the north transept, which he himself had added. His residence at Joymount, within the walls, stood on the site of the present Town Hall.
Carrick-a-rede rope bridge
Giants Causeway Centre, Co. Antrim
This is one of the famous things to do in Ireland: walk across the narrow, bouncy bridge of planks, holding tight to a wire handrail, 80 feet above the sea and joining a cliff to a precipitous island.
Doagh Co. Antrim
Rising picturesquely above a gorse-grown rocky outcrop, on the crest of a hill commanding a broad sweep of countryside, this shapely 'hole stone' is a good example of its type and a familiar landmark in the locality. Typical of places where the dumping of refuse is specifically prohibited, the immediate area abounds in unsightly litter. A tapered dolerite slab about 5 feet high and 21/2 feet wide at the base, it is pierced with a circular hole 3 inches in diameter, neatly cut, with smooth rounded edges on both sides. In the past betrothed couples joined hands through this aperture as a pledge of fidelity, a custom recorded in the Dublin Penny Journal in 1832, which also has a woodcut depicting the monolith. This kind of monument is impossible to date, since like the far more numerous unperforated standing stones, they cannot be attributed to a particular period or culture. That they figured in local customs within living memory does not necessarily signify a lingering on of a prehistoric cult; though it is possible that some recently extinct folk traditions preserved elements derived from ritual practices of great antiquity.
Traditional Music and Craic in Antrim