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The Province Of Ulster

Ireland ’s most Northern province is Ulster and its name derives from the Irish language Cúige Uladh which means “Province of the Ulaid”. The name was given by the Ulaid who were inhabitants of the area in ancient Ireland .

There are many legends associated with Ulster with lots existing before written records; such legends had been part of the Ulster Cycle. Records such as The Annals of Ulster described how the Vikings raided Bangor , Armagh and on churches located in Lough Erne.

The Vikings located their base in Lough Neagh in 839 and went onto plunder churches in the Northern section of Ireland and in 852 the Dublin Norse attacked Armagh . Battles became common between the Norse, the Danes and the Kings of Ulster and it was 866 when the king of Uí Néill (O'Neill) dynasty, Áed Finnliath, defeated the Vikings. The Uí Néill’s powered the province of Ulster and was based from Tír Eóghain (Eoghan's Country, now known as County Tyrone ).

During the 12th Century, after the Normans invaded Ireland , the east of Ulster fell to the Normans . Hugh De la lacy established the Earldom of Ulster and was based around the areas of Antrim & down. Resistance in Ulster remained strong and near the end of the 15th Century the Earldom of Ulster had collapsed and the province became the only area in Ireland that was not under control of the English.

The English regained control of Ulster after the battle of Kinsale (1594-1603) which led the O'Neills and O'Donnells clans to flee to other parts of Europe , this was known as the Flight of the Earls.

It must be noted. Before Ireland was partitioned into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the 1920’s Ulster was made up of nine counties, today it is legally recognised with only six counties.

Counties of Ulster

Antrim (Aontroim), Armagh (Ard Mhacha), Down (An Dún), Fermanagh (Fear Manach), Derry (Doire), Tyrone (Tír Eoghain), Cavan (An Cabhán), Donegal (Dún na nGall), Monaghan (Muineachán).

List Of Ulster Castles

Carrickfergus Castle
One of the best castle strongholds in Ireland was built in 1180 by John de Courcy who had previously invaded and over powered Eastern part of the Ulster province.

Dunluce Castle
A very remarkable castle located in County Antrim of Ulster dates back to the 16th – 17th century. Its located a sheer cliff edge 100ft above the ocean.

County Antrim (Irish Aontroim, possibly from Endruim, "habitation on the waters")

As with so many other parts of the country, Antrim's geography has dominated its history. Situated on the 13-mile-wide North Channel , with the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland clearly visible across the water, the region has long been an entry point to the rest of the island. There is evidence to suggest that the earliest human settlers arrived in Ireland via Antrim.

In the period before the 17th century, when the county was part of the territory of the O'Neills, there was much migration from Scotland . The process accelerated after 1600, with the collapse of the old Irish aristocracy, and in addition to the Scots, many English settlers were given confiscated land.

The cultural diversity of the county can be seen clearly in the sheer variety of surnames associated with it. Matheson, in his 1890 Report on Surnames in Ireland, gives 133 surnames as associated with Tipperary, one of the largest counties, whereas for Antrim he reports no fewer than 643, including such English names as Ashe, Bell and Harrison, Scottish names such as Campbell, Hamilton and Boyd and the native Irish McDonnell, McCracken and O'Neill.