Glens of Antrim

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Glenariff Glenariff.jpg
Glenariff
Glendun: the Glendun Viaduct can just be made out among the trees in the middle distance, and on the skyline is Crocknamoyle Glendun - geograph.org.uk - 465779.jpg
Glendun: the Glendun Viaduct can just be made out among the trees in the middle distance, and on the skyline is Crocknamoyle

The Glens of Antrim (Irish: Glinnte Aontroma), [1] known locally as simply The Glens, is a region of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It comprises nine glens (valleys), that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast. The Glens are an area of outstanding natural beauty and are a major tourist attraction in north Antrim.

Contents

The main towns and villages in the Glens are Ballycastle, Cushendun, Cushendall, Waterfoot, Carnlough and Glenarm.

The Lordship of the Glens

From the mid-13th century onward, the Lordship of The Glens belonged to the Bissett family, Anglo-Norman in origin but Gaelicized over generations. With the marriage of John Mor Macdonald, second son of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles, to Margery Bisset in the late 14th century, the Glens came into the ownership of the MacDonnells of Antrim. John Mor gained the title Lord of Dunyvaig and the Glens. [2]

The nine glens

From north to south, the nine glens are:

Irish nameMeaningRef
Glentaisie Gleann TaiseTaise's valley/damp valley [3] [4]
Glenshesk Gleann Seiscbarren valley [3]
Glendun Gleann Doinnevalley of the [river] Dun [3] [4]
GlencorpGleann Corpvalley of the body (or bodies) [3] [5]
GlenaanGleann Athainvalley of the burial chamber [4] [6]
GlenballyeamonGleann Bhaile Uí Dhíomáin
Gleann Bhaile Éamainn		valley of Ó Díomáin's town
valley of Éamonn's town		 [3] [4]
Glenariff Gleann Aireamhvalley of the ploughman/arable valley [3] [6]
GlencloyGleann Claidheamhvalley of the sword [3]
Glenarm Gleann Armavalley of the army [3] [6]

Tenth glen

Glenravel is sometimes considered a tenth glen. It lies to the southwest of Glenballyeamon and Glenariff, being separated from the latter by the Glenariff forest park.

The main settlements of Glenravel are Cargan, Martinstown and Skerry (Newtowncrommelin).

Archaeology

Madman's Window in Antrim, ca. 1860 (National Library of Ireland) Madmans Window in Antrim.jpg
Madman's Window in Antrim, ca. 1860 (National Library of Ireland)

Artifacts of the Neolithic period have been found in various places of the Glens of Antrim including Bay Farm II and Madman's Window. [7]

The Glens are mentioned in the song "Ireland's Call". DI Sean Duffy, in the Troubles mysteries by Adrian McKinty, is from the Glens.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenarm</span> Village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Glenarm is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies on the North Channel coast north of the town of Larne and the village of Ballygalley, and south of the village of Carnlough. It is situated in the civil parish of Tickmacrevan and the historic barony of Glenarm Lower. It is part of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and had a population of 568 people in the 2011 Census. Glenarm takes its name from the glen in which it lies, the southernmost of the nine Glens of Antrim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenariff</span> Valley in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

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Balnamore is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Ballynacree-Skein and lies 3 km west of Ballymoney. It is part Causeway Coast and Glens District Council. Historically it was known as Ballinamore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cushendall</span> Village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Cushendall, formerly known as Newtownglens, is a coastal village and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located in the historic barony of Glenarm Lower and the civil parish of Layd, and is part of Causeway Coast and Glens district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portballintrae</span> Seaside village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Portballintrae is a small seaside village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is four miles east of Portrush and two miles west of the Giant's Causeway. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 734 people, a decline of 10% compared to 1991. It lies within the Causeway Coast and Glens District Council area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dál nAraidi</span> Middle Ages Cruthin kingdom in Ireland

Dál nAraidi or Dál Araide, sometimes latinised as Dalaradia or anglicised as Dalaray, was a Cruthin kingdom, or possibly a confederation of Cruthin tribes, in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages. It was part of the over-kingdom of Ulaid, and its kings often contended with the Dál Fiatach for the over-kingship of the province. At its greatest extent, the borders of Dál nAraidi roughly matched those of County Antrim, and they seemed to occupy the same area as the earlier Robogdii of Ptolemy's Geography, a region shared with Dál Riata. Their capital was Ráth Mór outside Antrim, and their eponymous ancestor is claimed as being Fiachu Araide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterfoot, County Antrim</span> Village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Waterfoot or Glenariff is a small coastal village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is at the foot of Glenariff, one of the Glens of Antrim, within the historic barony of Glenarm Lower and the civil parishes of Ardclinis and Layd. The village is in the townland of Warren, 16 miles (26 km) north-east of Ballymena. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 504 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cargan</span> Hamlet in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Cargan is a hamlet and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of Slievenanee in Glenravel – locally known as "The Tenth Glen" along with the more widely known nine Glens of Antrim. It is part of Mid and East Antrim district. It had a population of 588 people in the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clogh, County Antrim</span> Village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Clogh, also spelt as Clough, is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, 9 miles from Ballymena. It is situated within the Glenravel ward of the Braid electoral area of Mid and East Antrim District Council. It had a population of 220 people in the 2011 Census.

Martinstown is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Located 6 miles from Ballymena, it is situated in Glenravel, locally known as "The Tenth Glen", alongside the widely known nine Glens of Antrim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenariff Forest Park</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Bush</span> River in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

The River Bush is a river in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The River Bush is 33.5 miles (53.9 km) long. The river's source is in the Antrim Hills at 480m. From there the river flows northwest, with a bend at the town of Armoy. It then flows west, passing through Stranocum, and then bends north, passing through Bushmills before reaching the sea at Portballintrae on the North Antrim coast. It flows through a fertile valley devoted to grassland-based agriculture with limited arable cropping. The underlying geology is basalt and the water is slightly alkaline with magnesium making an unusually large contribution to total hardness. The river supports indigenous stocks of Atlantic salmon and brown trout. Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the river, is the source of water used for distilling Bushmills whiskey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randalstown</span> Town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Randalstown is a townland and small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, between Antrim and Toome. It has a very prominent disused railway viaduct and lies beside Lough Neagh and the Shane's Castle estate. The town is bypassed by the M22 motorway with junctions at both the eastern and western ends of the town. It had a population of 5,151 people in the 2021 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Dun (Northern Ireland)</span>

The River Dun, also known as the Glendun River is a river in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It runs through Glendun, one of the nine Glens of Antrim. The river is named after its brown colour, which comes from the peat bogs at its source on the slopes of Slievenanee on the Antrim Plateau. The source of the river is a few hundred metres from that of the River Bush, which flows north-east to meet the sea at Bushmills. Cushendun is a small coastal resort town lying at the mouth of the River Dun and Glendun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtown Crommelin</span> Village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Newtowncrommelin is a small village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 8 miles north-northeast of Ballymena and is in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area. The village of Newtowncrommelin was founded in the townland of Skerry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Bay Castle</span> A castle in Northern Ireland

Red Bay Castle is situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on a headland projecting into the sea north of Glenariff situated on the road to Cushendall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardclinis</span> Parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Ardclinis is a civil parish and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Glenarm Lower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Dobbs</span> Irish scholar and playwright

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References

  1. ↑ "Glinnte Aontroma/Glens of Antrim". logainm.ie. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  2. ↑ An Historical Account of the Macdonnells of Antrim by George Hill, 1873, at. p. 21
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Logainm.ie (Placenames Database of Ireland)
  4. 1 2 3 4 Moyle District Council Area, Northern Ireland Place-Name Project, Queen's University Belfast
  5. ↑ "Glencorp". Place Names - NI. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Place Names NI Archived October 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ O'Sullivan, Aidan; Breen, Colin (2007). Maritime Ireland. An Archaeology of Coastal Communities. Stroud: Tempus. p. 63. ISBN   978-0-7524-2509-2.

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