General Aspects

The country of Ireland was made of four provinces each ruled by a King. The province of the north –
Ulster – was the one to be divided part to Ireland and part to Northern Ireland at time of partition in 1921.
Originally the province of Ulster had nine counties. After partition six were left to Northern Ireland and
three remained in the province of Ulster for the Republic of Ireland. These six counties are: Antrim,
Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. The other three counties – Cavan, Donegal and
Monaghan – were assigned to the Irish Free State.
Location
Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Northern
Ireland lies roughly between 8° and 5º longitude west and 55º and 54º latitude north.
Borders
Northern Ireland shares a land border to the southwest and west with the Republic of Ireland – it runs for
about 360 km from Lough Foyle on the northern edge to Carlingford Lough in the east of the Irish Sea .
To the north and east it borders the North Channel. 1 To the southeast it borders with the Irish Sea.
Area
The total area of Northern Ireland is 14,139 km². Northern Ireland measures about 135 kilometers from
north to south (form Rathlin Island to Cranfield Point), and about 175 km from east to west (from
Bradoge Bridge to Cannon Rock). The shorelines of Northern Ireland are characterized by many
irregularities.
Coastline
Northern Ireland has over 200 km of diverse coastline and beachfront in care of the National Trust, and it
includes beaches, sand dunes and cliffs. The coast as we know it today has shaped Northern Ireland and
its Counties into an area of outstanding natural beauty, and a place of industry, abundant with marine life.
The Giant’s Causeway
The Causeway is a mass of stone columns standing very near together. The tops f the columns from
stepping stones leading from the cliff foot and disappearing under the sea. Over the whole Causeway
there are 40,000 of these stone columns. The tallest are about 13m high.
Visitors in modern times have been told that the Causeway is a strange geological feature: the result of
volcanic action.
Story-telling has always been a part of the Irish way of life- stories of gods and people who lived in a land
of adventure, warfare and romance, stories told by the fire side. The Irish strong oral tradition has made it
possible for so many folk tales to survive, like that of the Giant McCool. Clearly, this causeway was
giants’ work and, in particular, the work of the giant Finn McCool, The Ulster soldier and commander of
the armies of the King of All Ireland.
Finn was extremely strong. On one occasion, during a fight with a Scottish giant, he picked up a huge
piece of earth and threw it at him.
The earth fell into the Irish Sea and became the Isle of Man. The hole it filled with water and became the
great inland sea of Lough Neagh.
People said that Finn lived on the North Antrim coast and that he fell in love with a lady giant. She lived
on an island on the Scottish Hebrides, and so he began to build this wide causeway to bring her across to
Ulster.
Islands
Rathlin Island
Rathlin Island is off the coast of County Antrim and the northernmost point of Northern Ireland. Rathlin
is the only inhabited offshore island of Northern Ireland, with a population of just over 100 people. The
reverse L-shaped Rathlin Island is 6 km from east to west, and 4 km from north to south. Rathlin Island is
inhabitated by only thirty families. For centuries the Scots and Irish fought over the island but eventually

1
The North Channel is the strait which separates north-eastern Ireland from south-western Scotland. It is
part of the marine area officially classified as the "Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland".
the Irish were allowed to stay because of the absence of snakes on the island (It is said that St Patrick
drove all the snakes out of Ireland).
Boa Island
Boa Island is near the north shore of Lower Lough Erne. It is the largest island in Lough Erne. Each end
of the island is joined to the mainland by bridges. Two unrelated carved stone statues called the Boa
Island figure and the Lustymore Island figure are found together in Caldragh graveyard on Boa Island.
Caldragh graveyard dates from the Irish early Christian period (400–800 AD).
Devenish
Devenish is an island in Lower Lough Erne. It is about 2km long and 1km wide. Devenish contains one of
the finest monastic sites in Northern Ireland. A round tower from the 12th century is situated on the
island. The island also has a small church of about the same date and the remains of a 15 th century abbey.
Ram’s Island
Ram’s Island in Lough Neagh is located approximately 1.6km offshore from Lennymore Bay. It is nearly
1.6km long and 400km wide and is the largest island on Lough Neagh. It has a unique collection of
mature trees and the remains of an ancient monastic settlement including the round tower.
Coppeland Island
Copeland Islands a group of three islands in the north Irish Sea, north of Donaghadee: the Big Island, the
Lighthouse Island and Mew Island. The islands are important sites for breeding seabirds and waders, in
addition to their coastal plant communities and geological features.
Population
The population of Northern Ireland is, according to the last census in 2011, 1.811 million inhabitants,
having grown 7.5% over the previous decade. This constitutes the 2.9% of the total population of the
United Kingdom which is 63,182,000. Northern Ireland has a density of 131/km2.
Capital
Belfast is the administrative capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. Most of Belfast is in County
Antrim, but parts of East and South Belfast are in County Down. It is on the flood plain of the River
Lagan.
By population, Belfast is the eighteenth largest city in the United Kingdom. It is the seat of the devolved
government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. At the time of the 2011 census, the city of Belfast
had a population of 286,000.
Historically, Belfast has been a centre for the Irish linen industry, tobacco production, rope-making and
shipbuilding. Today, Belfast remains a centre for industry, as well as the arts, higher education, business,
and law, and is the economic engine of Northern Ireland. The city's main shipbuilders, Harland and Wolff
built the well-known RMS Titanic.
Other important cities
Londonderry
Londonderry is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland. The city of Derry has a long history going
back fourteen hundred years. At the time of the plantation the City of London sent over builders and
money to rebuild Derry. As a result Derry was renamed Londonderry. While the city is more usually
known as Derry, Londonderry is also used and remains the legal name. It lies on the west bank of the
River Foyle and now covers both banks (Cityside on the west and Waterside on the east). Its population is
83,652 people.
The best way to see the city of Derry is to walk along the famous city wall built by the planters in 1614.
Derry is the only remaining completely intact walled city in Ireland. It is complete in spite the fact that is
has stood against several sieges. One siege in particular is famous - the Great Siege in December 1688.
The city was surrounded by James II’s army and 7,000 people died. Every year there is a ceremonial
closing of the city gates to commemorate the siege. The walls (built during 1613-1619) constitute the
largest monument in State care in Northern Ireland. The Walls are approximately 1.6 km in
circumference and 6.5m thick.
Lisburn
Lisburn is southwest of Belfast, on the River Lagan, and it forms the boundary between County Antrim
and County Down. Lisburn forms part of the Belfast Metropolitan Area. It has a population of 71,403
people. Lisburn's original site was located on a hill above the River Lagan and it had a fort on the north
side.
Lisburn is notable for its large number of churches, with 132 churches listed in the Lisburn City Council
area, and it is also known as the birthplace of Ireland's linen industry, which was established in 1698. An
exhibition about the Irish linen industry is now housed in the Irish Linen Centre.
Newtonabbey
Newtownabbey is a large town north of Belfast in County Antrim. Sometimes considered to be a suburb
of Belfast, it is separated from the rest of the city. Newtownabbey has a population of 62,056, making it
the fourth largest settlement in Northern Ireland.
Largely a residential area, the town is also home to many engineering and computer industries. Retail and
leisure facilities and three large public parks. The main campus for the University of Ulster is based in the
Jordanstown area of Newtownabbey.
Armagh
Armagh is the county town of County Armagh. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the
Archbishop of Armagh, who is the Primate of All Ireland for both the Roman Catholic Church and the
Church of Ireland. In ancient times it was one of the great royal capitals of pagan Gaelic Ireland. Today it
is home to two cathedrals and the Armagh Observatory.
Its population of 14,590 makes it the least-populated city in both Northern Ireland and on the island of
Ireland and the fourth smallest in the United Kingdom.
Newry
Newry is a city of 27,433 inhabitants. Newry lies in the most south-eastern part of both Ulster and
Northern Ireland. About half of the city (the west) lies in County Armagh and the other half (the east) in
County Down. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, forms the historic border between County
Armagh and County Down. It is 55 km from Belfast. It's believed that Newry was founded in 1144, it is
one of Ireland's oldest towns.
Specific Aspects
Relief
Northern Ireland is centred on Lough Neagh, the upturned rim of which forms the highlands. Five of the
six historic counties (Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, and Londonderry) meet at the lake, and each has a
highland region. To the north and east the mountains of Antrim tilt upward toward the coast. They reach
an elevation of 554 m at Trostan, terminating in an impressive cliff coastline of basalts and chalk that is
broken by a series of valleys known as glens, which face Scotland. The rounded landscape of smooth,
elongated hills in the southeast is punctuated by Slieve Croob (532 meters), and culminates in the Mourne
Mountains, which reach an elevation of 850 metres at Slieve Donard (Northern Ireland’s highest point).
This impressive landscape of granite peaks is bounded by Carlingford Lough to the south.
The scenery to the south of Lough Neagh is gentler, but the land rises Slieve Gullion (575m) near the
border with Ireland. West of Lough Neagh the land rises gently to the more rounded Sperrin Mountains;
Sawel (678m), is the highest of several hills over 610 metres. The far southwest, the historic County
Fermanagh, is focused geographically on the basin of Lough Erne, in a hill-strewn area ringed by hills
more than 300 metres high.
Much of the landscape of Northern Ireland is gentle, and in most low-lying areas it is covered with hills
interspersed with marshy hollows. Glaciation also gave the land its main valleys: those of the River Bann
(which drains Lough Neagh to the Atlantic Ocean) in the north; the River Blackwater in the southwest;
and the River Lagan in the east, penetrating from Belfast Lough to the very heart of Ulster.
Lakes
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh (392km2) is the largest lake in the British Isles, and the fifteenth in the EU. Located 30 km
to the west of Belfast, it is about 30 km long and 15 km wide. It is very shallow around the margins with
an average depth of 9 m, although at its deepest the lough is about 25m deep. Of the 4,550 km2 catchment
area, around 91% lies in Northern Ireland; altogether 43% of the land area of Northern Ireland is drained
into the lough, which itself flows out northwards to the sea via the River Bann. As one of its sources is
the Upper Bann, and its outflow is the Lower Bann, the Lough can itself be considered as part of the
Bann. Five counties: Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, and Londonderry, have shores on the lake (only
Fermanagh does not). Near Lough Neagh there are two small lakes: Lough Beg and Portmore Lough.
Lough Erne
Lough Erne is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh. It is the second-biggest lake
system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of
the River Erne, which flows north and then curves west into the Atlantic. The River Erne is 100 km long
and drains an area of about 4,350 km2. The smaller southern lake is called the Upper Lough (as it is
further up the river). The bigger northern lake is called the Lower Lough. The lake has 154 islands along
with many coves and inlets. Islands in the lower lake include Boa Island and Devenish Island. Several of
the islands are privately owned, and occasionally come on to the open market. Near Lough Erne, in the
border with Ireland there are two small lakes: MacNean and Melvin.
Caringford Lough
Carlingford Lough is a glacial sea inlet that forms part of the border between Northern Ireland to the
north and the Republic of Ireland to the south. On its northern shore is County Down. At its extreme
interior angle it is fed by the Newry River.
Belfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a long, wide and deep, natural sea lough at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east
coast of Northern Ireland. It is the gateway for Belfast to the Irish Sea. It lies between Orlock Point and
Blackhead, extending westwards to the Port of Belfast. Three main arteries serve the lough close to
Belfast: the Herdman Channel on the County Antrim coast side; the Victoria Channel, the central and
longest route; and the Musgrave Channel on the County Down side.
Strangford Lough
Strangford Lough is a large sea loch in County Down, in the east of Northern Ireland. It is the largest inlet
in the British Isles, covering 150 km2. The loch is almost totally enclosed by the Ards Peninsula and is
linked to the Irish Sea by a long narrow channel or strait. The main body of the loch has at least seventy
islands along with many islets, bays, coves, headlands and mudflats. It is a conservation area and its
abundant wildlife is recognised internationally for its importance.
Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle is the estuary of the River Foyle in Ulster. It starts where the Foyle leaves Derry. It separates
the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland from County Londonderry in Northern
Ireland. The Lough Foyle is 22.0436 km2. It is a large shallow sea lough which includes the estuaries of
the rivers Foyle, Faughan and Roe. Lough Foyle is a disputed territory between the Republic of Ireland
and the UK. After the Partition of Ireland in 1922 both sides claimed that it was in their own territory.
Although this dispute is still on going there are currently no negotiations as to its ownership.
Mountains and Highest Peak
The Sperrin Mountains
The Sperrins are a range of mountains in the northwest of Northern Ireland. It is one of the largest upland
areas in Ireland. It has a distinctive glaciated landscape. The Glenshane Pass is in the mountains and has
notoriously bad weather in winter. Sawel Mountain is the highest peak in the Sperrins. Its summit rises to
678 m.
The Antrim Mountains
The Mountains of Antrim, in the north-east of Northern Ireland tilt upward to the coast of the north and
reach an elevation of 554 m at Trostan where they begin to plateau and terminate into a cliff. This forms
a coastline of basalts and chalk broken by a series of glaciered valleys called glens.
The Mourne Mountains
The Mourne Mountains are a granite mountain range in County Down in the south-east of Northern
Ireland. It includes the highest mountains in Northern Ireland. The highest of these is Slieve Donard at
850 metres. The Mournes is an area of outstanding natural beauty and has been proposed as the first
national park in Northern Ireland.
Highest Peak: Slieve Donard
Slieve Donard (850m) is the highest peak in Northern Ireland . It is also the 19th highest peak on the
island of Ireland. It sits at the northeastern edge of the Mournes, overlooking Newcastle and Dundrum
Bay. The mountain is an easy climb although the path is very eroded at places. In recent years a stone
path has been made on the steepest parts of the mountain. The summit provides spectacular views of the
coast and as far afield as Belfast, 48.28km north, and Dublin, 88.51km to the south.
Rivers
River Foyle
The River Foyle is a river in the northwest, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and
Mourne at the towns of Lifford in Ireland, and Strabane in Northern Ireland. From here it flows to the
City of Derry, where it discharges into Lough Foyle and, ultimately, the Atlantic Ocean. The River Foyle
is also the fastest flowing river in Europe for its size, making the construction of bridges to cross it
difficult.
The River Mourne is a river in County Tyrone, and is a tributary of the River Foyle. At Strabane it joins
with the River Finn to form the River Foyle. Fishing is largely for salmon, grilse and sea trout.
River Bann
The River Bann is the longest river in Northern Ireland (129 km). The river winds its way from the south
east corner of Northern Ireland to the north west coast, pausing in the middle to widen into the enormous
Lough Neagh. The river has played an important part in the industrialisation of the north of Ireland,
especially in the linen industry. Today salmon and eel fisheries are the most important economic features
of the river. The river is often used as a dividing line between the eastern and western areas of Northern
Ireland. The west of the Bann" is often seen as having less investment and government spending than the
east. It is also seen as a religious, economic and political divide, with Catholics, Nationalists and
Republicans being in the majority to the west, and Protestants and Unionists in the majority to the east.
River Lagan
The River Lagan is a major river which runs 60 km from the Slieve Croob mountain to Belfast where it
enters Belfast Lough. It rises as a tiny fast moving stream near to the summit of Slieve Croob. From here
it continues on its journey to Belfast. The river drains approximately 609km2 of agricultural land. The
catchment consists mainly of enriched agricultural grassland in the upper parts, with a lower section
draining urban Belfast.
River Erne
The River Erne, rises in Ireland flowing through several counties, entering then Northern Ireland where it
form the Lower and Upper Lough Erne. The river is 120 km long and is very popular for trout and
salmon.
National Park
The United Kingdom has 15 National Park in Scotland, Wales and England; but there is none in Northern
Ireland. However, The Mountains of Mourne have become the scene of a battle between landowners and
those who want to promote outdoor tourism by turning them into Northern Ireland's first national park.
The Mourne Mountains in County Down boast some of the most spectacular scenery in the United
Kingdom.
The national park plan was set up by the Government in an attempt to attract more visitors to the
mountain range overlooking Royal County Down's classic golf links, the venue for this year's Walker
Cup. The proposal has upset local landowners, who fear that their farming businesses will be affected by
the influx of visitors and planning constraints that could be imposed to protect the area's natural beauty.
Lough Neagh's future still up in air after owner
meets minister
Lough Neagh is owned by Nicholas Ashley Cooper

BY NOEL MCADAM – 10 APRIL 2014

The peer who owns Lough Neagh has held a meeting with Sinn Fein minister Michelle O'Neill.

The Agriculture Minister confirmed the meeting, at which a still-unseen report on the future of the lough
was discussed.

And still, it seems, despite repeated questions from MLAs, the report is unlikely to surface for some time
yet.

The 35-year-old Earl, Nicholas Ashley Cooper, is a regular visitor toNorthern Ireland yet is rarely seen
around Lough Neagh itself.

And while his family historically owns the land on which the lough rests, the water belongs to all of us.

The Earl is said to feel that the ownership issue "muddies the waters".

He is loathe to become embroiled in the torturous political machinery at Stormont and wants in any case
to steer clear of any allegations he is attempting to manipulate the debate.

But sources close to the Earl have said he is increasingly puzzled by the length of time the report from a
committee set up by Ms O'Neill has been stuck on the Stormont shelf.

"He wants to contribute. He wants to counter the impression of some that he is distant and unco-
operative. He feels he can be a very easy target to dump on," one aide admitted.

Some time ago he told a symposium on the lough, which was also attended by Ms O'Neill: "I think the
wider issue potentially is how to manage it, how to get the best out of it and how to deal with some of the
issues that were raised in the debate – pollution, navigation development."

Some of the parties at Stormont, particularly Sinn Fein, privately wish the Earl would "gift" the lough to
the Assembly while others are adamant it could be sold for a fair price.

At the symposium the Earl made clear: "We're not putting the lough up for sale, but if the Assembly was
to make an offer we're not definitely going to say 'no'. What we want to do is do the right thing for the
people living there."