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Eire's Realm of...
Ulster
General Urbs
The province of Ulster, northernmost of the
five parts of Eire, was home to Macha, King
Conchobar mac Nessa and a host of other
colorful characters.
 
ULSTER encompasses what are now the counties of Donegal, Derry, Antrim, Tyrone, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Armagh, and Cavan. The ancient capital was Emain Macha, the royal residence located near the present town of Armagh.From the green glens of Antrim to the lakes of Lough Erne and Lough Neagh, from the surrealistic beauty of the Giant's Causeway to the Mountains of Mourne, the landscape of Ulster is rich and varied. Rugged mountains in the northeast, southeast, west and central parts of the province cradle two lush, broad valleys which are well-watered by the many rivers in the area. Much of this land is devoted to farming of oats, hay, flax and potatoes and the raising of cattle and sheep. The windswept headlands of the northwest coast are suitable for little more than raising sheep and a few cattle. However, it is here that we find the oldest evidence of human habitation on the island. Campsites of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers are shown to be over 9,000 years old. 
Among the most memorable legendary figures connected with Ulster are Macha, King Conchobar, Cú Chulainn, the famous warriors Conall Cernach and Loegaire Buadach, the troublemaker Bricriu Nemthenga (Bricriu Poison-Tongue), and Fergus, foster father of Cú Chulainn. It was in Antrim, where the young Patrick tended sheep for twelve years as a slave. He eventually escaped and returned to bring Christianity to the Irish. St. Patrick called the Hill of Armagh, "my sweet hill", and it was there that he built his first church in Ireland. Of a more recent vintage, Brian Boru, who drove the Vikings out of Ireland, is buried in Armagh.Map and graphics by MacMorna Niafer. Text by Flidais and MacMorna Niafer.
The Articles of Ulster:
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