Belfast

The history of Belfast is not especially detailed and history books are fairly brief with regards to details of its earliest time. Its most significant period of development is documented as having occurred in the Middle Ages and the success of the city today is based heavily on its previous success as an industrial power during the 19th century.


Early days
With a name meaning 'mouth of the sandpit', derived from the Gaelic words 'beal feirste', Belfast is the capital city of Northern Island. Although evidence exists to suggest that there were settlers here as far back as Bronze Age times, very little else is known about the area up until the 12th century (circa 1177), when its believed that a settlement was formed around a castle that was constructed by John de Courcy.

Middle Ages
The city’s real history is said to have begun in 1603, when Sir Arthur Chicester, the Governor of Carrickfergus, took possession of both the castle and the surrounding land and populated it with settlers originating from Scotland and Devon. In 1613, the city was awarded corporation status. During the next century, some 200,000 Scottish Presbyterians arrived in the province and the city of Ulster saw the beginnings of its distinctive, predominantly Protestant culture.
Recent times
Industry came to the city in the 19th century, with its arrival catalysed by the strengthening of ties between mainland Britain and Belfast following the dissolution of Ireland's parliament in Dublin, in 1801. Cotton production rapidly became the most profitable pursuit, but it was later replaced by linen production, which became the city’s chief export, with 70,000 of the city’s residents employed in its production by the end of the century.
Meanwhile just after the middle of the century, shipping came to Belfast via the construction of the Harland & Wolff shipyard and by 1870, it was considered prestigious enough to be awarded the contract to build the White Star Line. From then on, the city gained a reputation for building some of the world’s finest ocean liners, among which was the infamous Titanic.
The 20th century saw troubled times for the whole of Northern Island, with the highly explosive political situation bringing violence across the country. Belfast saw its fair share of trouble, with bombs and assassinations becoming a regular way of life. Since the IRA and loyalist ceasefires of the mid 1990s however, the city has benefited from a much more stable atmosphere and environment. Read more

Sperrin Mountains

Threaded by streams and small roads, the Sperrins are bounded by the towns of Strabane, Dungiven, Magherafelt and Newtownstewart. A section of the gently contoured range spills south towards Omagh over the beautiful Owenkillew river.
Seamus Heaney, who writes incomparably about the mossy places of Ulster, grew up on the edge of the Sperrins. And it's true that in a mild winter the whin, or gorse, is in perpetual flower. The blossoms smell like sweet coconut. Boiling eggs in whin to dye them yellow is an Easter custom. Some farmers pound the prickles to feed to their horses - it's said to keep the coat glossy. Pigs like whin too. A good root in a whin bush is a pig's delight.
When the Four Citizens of London visited Ulster in 1609 their guide was under strict orders from the Lord Deputy of Ireland not to let them see the Sperrins. Officials feared that the mere sight of these inhospitable peaty hills would put them off. The Citizens were agents of the London companies who were cautiously exploring investment prospects in the area. The policy of settling large numbers of Scots and English loyal to the crown - called the 'plantation' of Ulster - needed money to succeed. Getting it out of the London companies required a certain amount of subterfuge.
The hills may be bare but there are fertile valleys lower down. The huge oaks and elms of the primeval forest of Glenconkeyne north-west of Lough Neagh delighted the new settlers. They chopped them all down and floated the logs down the Bann to build Coleraine and Limavady.
Until 1603 when Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, submitted to the English at Mellifont, all the forested land west of Lough Neagh was Tyrone Country where O'Neill was a hunted outlaw. To avoid being murdered by his uncle which is what happened to his father - O'Neill had been sent to Sussex to be educated by Sir Henry Sydney. There he met Sir John Harington, who introduced the water closet to England, and also the Italian poet Ariosto. But this exposure to polite society did not deter O'Neill from fighting the English quite soon afterwards
There are reminders of the green gaiety of the ancient wood around Springhill, a 17th-century fortified house near Moneymore. A thicket of old yews has survived and the lrish oak stairway came from local forests. Moneymore itself is a typical plantation town, with a market house, dispensary,and other fine buildings in the wide main street. Built by the Drapers Company, it was the first town in Ulster to have piped water.
If you are interested in the history of Ulster's linen industry, the private museum at Upperlands near Draperstown preserves original machinery. West of Moneymore at Wellbrook a beetling mill has been restored by the National Trust. Read more

County Fermanagh

The rivers and lakes of Fermanagh are heavy with fish and Lough Erne has claimed many world coarse angling match records. The trout and salmon fishing is good too - so good in fact, that the locals tend to ignore the coarser kind - and the whole region is highly developed for fishing. The intermittent barking of a raven from the limestone cliffs or an occasional visit from a circumspect whooper swan is likely to be the only encounter of the non-piscatorial kind because Fermanagh is still wonderfully empty of crowds.
Roach, perch, bream, rudd and eels abound, and the reedy shores of Lough Erne and the two Loughs Macnean in particular hold stocks of heavyweight pike. The Erne is famous for its winter roach and pike fishing though you can catch huge specimens at other seasons too. Lough Melvin has a good run of spring salmon and unusual kinds of trout - peculiar to remote lakes.
The compleat angler's every need is catered for, on and away from the water: there are clearly marked access points, easy parking, well stocked tackle shops, convenient hotels and B&Bs, good restaurants and pubs.
A bonus when fishing the Navar Forest lakes is a scenic drive to the cliff top and a tremendous view across Lough Erne to the Donegal mountains. There are picnic areas up here and the forest is popular for family outings when some want to fish and others definitely don't.
If you are not fishing or cruising or enjoying the water in one way or another there is plenty to do in Fermanagh. Major attractions are the Marble Arch Caves, price: about US$8.00 for a 90 minute guided tour which includes an underground boat trip on a subterranean lake and exploration of stalactites and stalagmites in these underwater caves; and two superb stately homes, both in National Trust care and open from April to September. Castle Coole, the Palladian mansion house designed by Jarnes Wyatt for the Earl of Belmore at Enniskillen, was completed in 1796. It contains magnificent woodwork, fireplaces, furniture and a library. Florence Court, seat of the Earls of Enniskillen, has sumptuous rococo plasterwork; in the gardens is the original Florence Court yew tree (taxus baccata fastigiata) now found all over the world.
The origins of the island town of Enniskillen go back to prehistory when this short nexus was the main highway between Ulster and Connaught. Enniskillen Castle was the medieval seat of the Maguires, chieftains of Fermanagh, who policed the lough with a private navy of 1,500 boats.
Today the castle houses the county museum which contains exhibits and an audio-visual program on the region's natural history, archaeology and folklore, the Regimental museum with trophies of the Inniskilling regiments who fought at Waterloo; price: about US$1.60. Shakespeare's contemporary, Edmund Spenser, wrote about Enniskillen, and Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett were both pupils at the royal school here. The Buttermarket is now a craft centre and you can buy lace, knitwear and Belleek china. To see this distinctive porcelain in production, go to Belleek village where the Erne river rushes to meet the Atlantic at last. The Belleek Pottery factory provides visitors with a close-up look at the firing, glazing and decorating of this world-famous porcelain. Belleek was established in 1857 and its craftspeople still employ 19th century techniques; price about US$1.60 for a 20 minute tour. Read more

The Mourne Mountains - Where the Mountains - o' Mourne sweep down to the sea'

The popular song has made the Mournes the best known mountains in Ireland. Distinctive and self-contained, they are tucked away in the south-east corner of Northern Ireland, with 12 shapely summits rising above 2,000 ft on the eastern side.
The barren peak of Slieve Donard, climbing steeply to 2,796 ft, dominates the mysterious blue distance of the landscape. It's an afternoon's climb from the carpark at Bloody Bridge near the holiday resort of Newcastle, Co.Down. From the top you can see the Isle of Man and the full length of Strangford Lough. To the north-west lies the pale line of Lough Neagh, a vast inland sea covering 153 square miles, famous for its eels, an Ulster delicacy. Hundreds of tons of eels are exported each yearhere.

The coast frorn Newcastle round to Greencastle hamlet was notorious for smuggling in the 18th century. Old coastguard lookout points recall the time when liquor and tobacco, tea, silk and soap were landed by boat from the Isle of Man and spirited away along the Brandy Pad and other smugglers' trails through the mountains. The two big artificial lakes in the Silent Valley that supply Belfast's water are surrounded by a huge dry stone wall over 22 miles long. At Newcastle itself there is yachting and pleasure fishing from the old harbour, golf at Royal County Down, and walks in the sand dunes of Murlough.
For a very scenic drive to Newcastle, visitors coming north on the Dublin-Belfast road should turn east at Newry on to the A2 which runs along the north shore of Carlingsford Lough between the mountains and the sea. Read more

Derry the walled city

County Derry is one of the longest continuously inhabited places in Ireland and is a county of unparalleled beauty. You can drive north-east from Derry city, along the coast to the seaside towns of Portstewart and Portrush, and walk along the wonderfully beautiful beach at Castlerock. The Sperrin Mountains offer great walking opportunities while the town of Coleraine is home to the University of Ulster.
Derry City, County Derry
The historic walled city of Derry, also known as Londonderry, came into existence in 546 AD, when St Columba founded a monastery beside the River Foyle. It is the 4th largest city in Ireland, and the only one whose ancient walls survive intact. Stroll along the walls and visit the Tower Museum, which charts the history of the city from its beginning right up to the 1970s.
Derry has a great reputation for music so make sure you catch some live performances at the many pubs and venues throughout the city. Go wan, go wan - give it a go ;-)Read more

The Glens of Antrim

The Nine Glens of Antrim include, a fifty mile shoreline, grasslands, forests, peat bogs, mountain uplands, churches and castles steeped in history and culture. Awesome. For nearly a 100 miles the Antrim Coast Road (built in the 1830s) winds its way round beautiful bays, high cliff lines, green fields and majestic castle ruins.
The Glens folk are great storytellers....... many of these stories are about"The Wee Folk" who have been spotted on many a dark night around the glens especially near Lurigethan mountain and Tiveragh hill! These little rascals can get up to all types of devilish antics an can have you running around in circles.
NEVER cut down a skeogh (Fairy Thorn) or they will have a devastating revenge on anyone who would be so bold and brave to try it! One story is that a certain gentle-man cut down a skeogh in his field and his wife became paralyzed and didn't speak for the next thirty years! So fairy thorns are well respected in the Glens and there are very few farmers would try and interfere with them as they would tend to plough around them.Read more

Armagh

Come spend your holiday in the ancient cathedral city of Armagh and you’ll be visiting more than Ireland’s oldest city. You’ll be visiting the ancient capital of Ulster, City of Saint Patrick, burial place of Brian Boru, the Orchard County and the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland. The history of the area is fascinating reflecting 6,500 years of activity. People first came here in 4,500BC and have been arriving ever since.

For those seeking active holidays there is plenty of golf, fishing, cycling, walking and hiking on offer and plenty of Irish craic. Armagh has a wide range of visitor attractions including Cathedrals, museums, family attractions, Country Parks, National Trust properties, a modern theatre and a great range of restaurants and bars.
The Navan Centre & Fort (Emain Macha)The Navan Interpretative Centre offers visitors an understanding of the diverse history of the area presenting the history, archaeology and legends of the legendary royal capital of ancient Ulster, Emain Mhacha.

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The Causeway Coastal Route

The Causeway Coastal Route covers eighty miles of coastline across two counties, beginning in Belfast in the south-east of Antrim and ending in the Walled City in County Londonderry, in the north-west.
Along the way, there are fishing villages, quiet beaches, mountains and landscapes which poets and artists have celebrated in words and colour. Compare your visits to Carrickfergus and Cushendun with Louis MacNeice’s poems of the same names.
The route is easy to follow and the highlights include Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, Dunluce Castle, Glenariff Forest Park, White Rocks Beach and Londonderry. These places always bring thrills and memorable experiences but don’t just stay on the route. There are seven scenic and interesting loops to make off the path which take in areas of outstanding natural beauty: Torr Head, Slemish Mountain, Rathlin Island, Benone Beach, Cushendun and Binevenagh Mountain with remarkable views will inspire great memories.
There are country parks and forests where the seasonal flowers and unusual plants are best enjoyed close up. Streams and waterfalls flow into peaceful valleys. See nine glorious glens where sudden sunlight so easily transforms the beauteous valleys into a spectacular tapestry of changing colours, mood and serenity.
There are scenic surprises you will find on and off the route. Deserted ruins of castles, churches, cairns and forts remind the traveller of transient time. Defiant Dunluce stands on a cliff, resisting the incessant waves below. Mussenden Temple mocks the harsh cliff face below and the ruined mansion behind. Irish chieftains fought and won possession of lands, a castle and a friary in Antrim. Myths and legends abound with ghosts and giants associated with coastal and inland places. Saint Patrick’s disciple, Olcan, is buried at Armoy, not far off the main route.
There are many leisure opportunities for golfing, cycling, angling and walking along the Causeway Coastal Route. This isn’t a journey to rush, so make time for sightseeing and relaxation. Read more