The Glens of Antrim,Logainm.ie
(

Placenames Database of Ireland The Placenames Database of Ireland ( ga, Bunachar Logainmneacha na hÉireann), also known as , is a database and archive of place names in Ireland. It was created by Fiontar, Dublin City University in collaboration with the Placenames Branch of ...

) known locally as simply The Glens, is a region of

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It comprises nine glens (valleys), that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast. The Glens are an

area of outstanding natural beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...

and are a major tourist attraction in north Antrim. The main towns and villages in the Glens are Ballycastle,

Cushendun Cushendun () is a small coastal village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits off the A2 road (Northern Ireland), A2 coast road between Cushendall and Ballycastle, County Antrim, Ballycastle. It has a sheltered harbor, harbour and lies at t ...

Cushendall Cushendall (), formerly known as Newtownglens, is a coastal village and townland (of 153 acres) 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 Coas ...

, Waterfoot,

Carnlough Carnlough ( ; ) is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in Mid and East Antrim district, as well the historic Barony (Ireland), barony of Glenarm Lower, and the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parishes of Ardclinis and Tic ...

and

Glenarm 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 Tickmacreva ...

The Lordship of the Glens

From the mid-13th century onward, the Lordship of The Glen belonged to the Bissett family,

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

in origin but

Gaelicized Gaelicisation, or Gaelicization, is the act or process of making something Gaelic, or gaining characteristics of the ''Gaels'', a sub-branch of celticisation. The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group, traditionally viewed as having spread from Irel ...

over generations. In the mid-16th century it came into the ownership of the MacDonnells of Antrim.

The nine glens

From north to south, the nine glens are:

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 Cargan ()Placenames NI
is a

, Martinstown and

Skerry A skerry is a small rocky island, or islet, usually too small for human habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack. A skerry may have vegetative life such as moss and small, hardy grasses. They ar ...

(Newtowncrommelin).

Archaeology

Artifacts of the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

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

In popular culture

The Glens are mentioned in the song "

Ireland's Call "Ireland's Call" is a song used as a national anthem by some sports competitors representing the island of Ireland, originally and most notably the men's rugby union team. It was commissioned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) for the 1995 ...

". DI Sean Duffy, in the Troubles mysteries by Adrian McKinty, is from the Glens.

References

External links

Glens of Antrim WebsiteGlens of Antrim Historical SocietyLandscapes Unlocked
- Aerial footage from the BBC ''Sky High'' series explaining the physical, social and economic geography of Northern Ireland. {{Authority control Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Northern Ireland Glens of Ireland Protected areas of County Antrim Earldom of Ulster