Glens of Antrim
Encyclopedia
The Glens of Antrim known locally as simply The Glens, is a region of County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
. It comprises nine glen
s (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. Principal towns in the Glens are Ballycastle
, Cushendun
, Cushendall
, Waterfoot
and Carnlough
. The inhabitants of the several glens are descended primarily from native Irish, Ulster Scots and Hebridean
Scots
..The Glens are mentioned in the song Ireland's Call
.
The Lordship of the Glens, from the mid-13th century, first belonged to the Scoto-Irish Norman Bissett family
. In the mid-16th century it came into the possession of the MacDonnells of Antrim.
The nine glens from northernmost to southernmost are:
Glenravel is often considered a tenth glen, although it is not officially a Glen because it does not open directly onto the sea. It lies to the southwest of Glenballyeamon and Glenariff being separated by the Glenariff forest park.
The principal settlements of Glenravel are Cargan
, Martinstown and Skerry
(Newtowncrommelin).
communities ranged across the whole area. At Glencloy, Neolithic people had megalithic tombs in the uplands, while they lived in settlements near the coast at the end of the valleys. The beaches were visited to access flint
, as evidenced by stone tool
(lithic) production sites in the glens. At Madman's Window (near Glenarm
Neolithic chipping floors and stone axe rough outs were found along with Neolithic pottery, scrapers, flakes, and leaf-shaped arrowheads. At Bay Farm in Carnlough, a Neolithic site near marshland, archaeologists found occupation debris, charcoal, postholes, flint cores, axes and Neolithic pottery.
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It comprises nine glen
Glen
A glen is a valley, typically one that is long, deep, and often glacially U-shaped; or one with a watercourse running through such a valley. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower than a strath."...
s (valleys), that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast. The Glens are an area of outstanding natural beauty
Antrim Coast and Glens
The Antrim Coast and Glens is an area of County Antrim in Northern Ireland, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1988.The designation takes in the coastline from Ballycastle in the north to Larne in the south of County Antrim, and includes Rathlin Island...
and are a major tourist attraction in north Antrim. Principal towns in the Glens are Ballycastle
Ballycastle, County Antrim
Ballycastle is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Its population was 5,089 people in the 2001 Census. It is the seat and main settlement of Moyle District Council....
, Cushendun
Cushendun
Cushendun is a small coastal village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits off the A2 coast road between Cushendall and Ballycastle. It has a sheltered harbour and lies at the mouth of the River Dun and Glendun, one of the nine Glens of Antrim. The Mull of Kintyre in Scotland is only about...
, Cushendall
Cushendall
Cushendall and formerly known as Newtown Glens is a village and townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.It is on the A2 coast road between Glenariff and Cushendun, in the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, Waterfoot
Waterfoot, County Antrim
Waterfoot is a small village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is in the parishes of Ardclinis and Layd, within the barony of Glenarm Lower. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 504 inhabitants....
and Carnlough
Carnlough
Carnlough is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It has a picturesque harbour on the shores of Carnlough Bay. Carnlough is situated on the Coast Road beside the North Channel and at the foot of Glencloy, the second of the nine Glens of Antrim...
. The inhabitants of the several glens are descended primarily from native Irish, Ulster Scots and Hebridean
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
..The Glens are mentioned in the song Ireland's Call
Ireland's Call
Ireland's Call is a song commissioned by the Irish Rugby Football Union for use at international Rugby Union fixtures.It has since also been adopted by the Irish Hockey, Cricket, Rugby League and A1GP teams.- Overview :...
.
The Lordship of the Glens, from the mid-13th century, first belonged to the Scoto-Irish Norman Bissett family
Bissett family (Ireland)
The history of the Bissett family in Ireland can be studied independently from that of the originally identical family in Scotland, because of their unique experience following their arrival in Ulster in the early or mid-13th century...
. In the mid-16th century it came into the possession of the MacDonnells of Antrim.
The nine glens from northernmost to southernmost are:
| Name | Ainm | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Glentaisie Glentaisie Glentaisie is one of the nine Glens of Antrim in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was shaped during the Ice Age by glaciers. The glen is most northerly of the nine glens and lies at the foot of Knocklayde mountain... |
Gleann Taise | "the damp valley" |
| Glenshesk Glenshesk Glenshesk is one of the nine Glens of Antrim in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was shaped during the Ice Age by glaciers. The glen lies on the eastern side of Knocklayde mountain and flows out to the sea at Ballycastle.... |
Gleann Seisc | "the barren valley" |
| Glendun Glendun Glendun translates into English as glen of the brown river and is one of the nine Glens of Antrim in County Antrim in Northern Ireland.... |
Gleann Duinne | "the peoples' valley" |
| Glencorp | Gleann Corp | "the body valley" |
| Glenaan | Gleann Aithin | "the recognised valley" |
| Glenballyeamon | Gleann Bhaile Uí Dhíomáin | "Diomain's town valley" |
| Glenariff Glenariff Glenariff is a glen in the County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Like all glens in that area, it was shaped during the Ice Age by giant glaciers.... |
Gleann Aireamh | "the reckoning valley" |
| Glencloy Glencloy Glencloy is a glen in the County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Like all glens in that area, it was shaped during the Ice Age by giant glaciers.Glencloy meets the sea at the harbour town of Carnlough.... |
Gleann Claidheamh | "the sword valley" |
| Glenarm 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 had a population of 582 people in the 2001 Census. Glenarm takes it name from the glen in which it lies,... |
Gleann Arma | "the army valley" |
Glenravel is often considered a tenth glen, although it is not officially a Glen because it does not open directly onto the sea. It lies to the southwest of Glenballyeamon and Glenariff being separated by the Glenariff forest park.
The principal settlements of Glenravel are Cargan
Cargan
Cargan is a small village 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. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 411 people...
, Martinstown and Skerry
Skerry
A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack....
(Newtowncrommelin).
Archaeology
In the Glens there is evidence that NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
communities ranged across the whole area. At Glencloy, Neolithic people had megalithic tombs in the uplands, while they lived in settlements near the coast at the end of the valleys. The beaches were visited to access flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
, as evidenced by stone tool
Stone tool
A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric, particularly Stone Age cultures that have become extinct...
(lithic) production sites in the glens. At Madman's Window (near Glenarm
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 had a population of 582 people in the 2001 Census. Glenarm takes it name from the glen in which it lies,...
Neolithic chipping floors and stone axe rough outs were found along with Neolithic pottery, scrapers, flakes, and leaf-shaped arrowheads. At Bay Farm in Carnlough, a Neolithic site near marshland, archaeologists found occupation debris, charcoal, postholes, flint cores, axes and Neolithic pottery.
External links
- Glens of Antrim Website
- Glens of Antrim Historical Society
- http://titanicirisheyes.blogspot.com/ Children's short story set in the Antrim Glens
- Landscapes Unlocked - Aerial footage from the BBC Sky High series explaining the physical, social and economic geography of Northern Ireland.