Glens of Antrim
The Glens of Antrim (Irish: Gleannta Aontroma), 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. 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.[citation needed].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:
| Name | Ainm | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Glentaisie | Gleann Taise | "the damp valley" |
| Glenshesk | Gleann Seisc | "the barren valley" |
| Glendun | 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 | Gleann Aireamh | "the reckoning valley" |
| Glencloy | Gleann Claidheamh | "the sword valley" |
| Glenarm | 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.[citation needed] 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).
[edit] Archaeology
In the Glens there is evidence that Neolithic 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.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ O'Sullivan, Aidan & Breen, Colin (2007). Maritime Ireland. An Archaeology of Coastal Communities. Stroud: Tempus. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7524-2509-2.
[edit] External links
- Glens of Antrim Website
- Glens of Antrim Historical Society
- [1] 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.
Coordinates: 55°09′36″N 6°06′00″W / 55.16°N 6.1°W
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