HISTORICAL PROVINCES OF IRELAND

ULSTER

ULSTER is in the North of the island of Ireland This province took its definitive shape in the reign of King James I of England ( ) Ulster has nine counties. Three of them (Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan) form part of Ireland, and the other six form Northern Ireland, which belongs to the United Kingdom.

County Donegal Mutuam habeatis caritatem (Latin) ‘Have love for one another’ It’s also known as County Tyrconnell, because of a historical state in these lands T he county town is Lifford and Letterkenny is the largest city by far (almost 20,000 people) The population of the count is about 130,000 A dialect of Irish language is quite spoken in this County. It is very similar to Scottish Gaelic

Saint Patrick is closely associated with Donegal. He founded a monastery in the city of Carndonagh, where St. Patrick’s High Cross is located, dated from the 7th century. There are two stone pilars accompanying the Cross. In one of them, king David of the Bible is represented. It features the Tree of Life, a very meaningful Irish symbol which represents the link between Heaven and Earth.

Glenveagh is the 2nd largest national park in Ireland. It’s home to the largest herd of red deer in Ireland. The golden eagle was extinted here, but it has been reintroduced.

In the heart of this national park is Glenveargh Castle There are other natural attractions in Donegal, like Glenevin Waterfall (40ft tall) or Rossnowlagh and Bundoran beaches, in the Sout of the county, where tourists enjoy surfing.

Slieve League is a mountain on the coast of Donegal County which forms one of the highest cliffs in the island of Ireland The climate in Donegal is temperate, with cool damp summers and mild wet winters.

County Monaghan Dúthracht agus Dícheall (Irish) ‘Diligence and Best Endeavour’ ‘Monaghan’ comes from the Irish Muineachán that is translated as ‘a place full of little hills or brakes’. The county took this name from the homonymous city which is the County Town (Monaghan, 6700 inhabitants) It’s a small county and its population is 60,000 (2011) The poet Patrick Kavanagh was born in County Monaghan in St. Patrick visited several locations in this county, while his right-hand man, St. Macartan, became patron of the diocese of which County Monaghan forms part.

The town of Monaghan is small but has lots of places to visit for those who like sight-seeing and architecture. Here are some examples. Rossmore Memorial St. Macartan’s Cathedral Monaghan County Museum St Patrick’s Church, at right

These are some other interesting places to visit in County Monaghan. Clones, its churches and Round Tower. Round Tower of Clones. It’s 23 metres high and it was built in the 10th century as part of a church. Inniskeen, its Round Tower and the Patrick Kavanagh Centre. The Patrick Kavanagh Centre is located in Inniskeen, where this poet was born, and it commerates him, his life and his work. Tourists do activities in the beautiful fields of this county, such us cycling, horse- riding, playing golf or fishing. There are routes like Ulster Canal Trail which go through kilometers and are perfect to enjoy the beautiful landscapes.

County Cavan Feardhacht is Fírinne (Irish) ‘Manliness and Truth’ It’s a county in the province of Ulster and it’s named after the town of Cavan, the county town. The population of the county is about There are a lot of lakes in ths county. People usually say that there are 365 lakes – one for each day of the year. Fishing is a very common hobbie for people in this county, because there are many lakes and rivers.

Interesting places to visit in County Cavan Saint Kilian’s Heritage Centre, in the town of Mullagh, celebrates the life, work and martyrdom of this Saint. The Killycluggin Stone is a broken monolith. Now, it is in the County Cavan Museum. Cloughougher Castle is a ruined circle castle, located in an island in Lough Ougher, an Irish lake. Court cairn is a megalithic type of tomb. It is more than 4000 years old.

CONNACHT

Connacht is one of the four historical provinces of Ireland. It’s divided in five counties. Its population is about 500,000. Irish is more spoken in the Western part and in Galway – one of Connacht’s counties- is located the largest Irish- speaking region, with more than 30,000 speakers.

These are some of the most important natural attractions of Connacht. Killary Harbour is one of the not many fjards in Ireland Connemara National Park has forests, mountains and grasslands. There are also 4000 years old megalithic tombs, and a great variety of birds living here. The Aran Islands are three islands in Galway Bay. Their inhabitants speak Irish better than English. There are several Bronze Age and Iron Age forts in these islands, like Dún Eochla (at the right)

In Connacht, we also can find one of the most beautiful landscapes in Ireland: Connemara We can find many castles, small villages and churches all over the region.

GALWAY University of Galway Cathedral of Galway

And, very near from Galway we can find the Cliffs of Moher

LEINSTER

Leinster is other province of Ireland. It’s in the east of the island, and it’s composed by 12 counties. Dublin, the capital of the country is in this province, and that makes Leinster the province with the highest population – more than 2,500,000 In Leinster, as in every Irish province, there are beautiful landscapes, villages, churches and castles everywhere, but we are going to talk about Dublin now, because it’s the most famous and populated city in Ireland.

DUBLIN O’Connell Street is maybe the most important street in Dublin. Its name honors the nationalist leader Daniel O’Connell. There’s a stutue of him at the end of the street. Grafon Street Temple Bar Street is a very ancient and famous street, full of pubs and restaurants. The Trinity College is the oldest university in Ireland and is still working, after more than 400 years.

There are many more monuments in this city. Dublin Castle Dublin City Hall

MUNSTER

Munster is a province in the South of Ireland. It has six counties – Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. Munster is also the name given to the dialect of Irish language spoken in this part of the island. More than 1,200,000 people live here