The Irish name, Cúige Uladh, means the “Province of the Ulaidh”, with the term cúige formerly referring to one of the 5 provinces. The Ulaidh were a group of tribes who dwelt in this northern region of Ireland.
These are some of the most significant landmarks, buildings and monuments in the province of Ulster
The Crown Bar was formerly known as The Liquor Saloon and is one of Ireland's great historical pubs. Its interior is a myriad of colors made up of mosaics of tiles, ornate mirrors, wood [...]
Northern Ireland's UNESCO World Heritage Site The Giant’s Causeway is a unique geological wonder that was formed 60 million years ago and covers 200 acres. It is made up of 40,000 hexagonal-shaped basalt [...]
The earliest Mesolithic site in Ireland Mountsandel Fort is located on the eastern bank of the River Bann near a natural weir on the river. It is believed that this was the site [...]
Unique stone-sculptured figures The Boa Island figures are mysterious stone carvings that date between the late Iron Age and the early Christian period. The taller one has been described as a Janus figure [...]
One of the finest examples of a souterrain in Ireland Binder’s Cove Souterrain is an impressive example and was constructed around the 9th century AD during the Viking era. The word 'souterrain' comes from [...]
The north's most photogenic dolmen The Legananny Dolmen is located on the southwest side of Slieve Croob in Co. Down and has commanding panoramic views over the Mourne Mountains. This is one of [...]
The largest & one of the most mysterious ancient monuments in Ireland The Giant's Ring can be found just a few miles south of Belfast City center close to Shaw's Bridge and dates [...]
A plantation castle with a Bronze Age past Newtownstewart Castle was built by Sir Robert Newcomen in 1615. This was the period soon after The Flight of the Earls when the Gaelic nobility [...]
An ancient church & One of the oldest gardens in Ireland The church in Maghera is named after St Lurach who was reputedly one of the original saints to be evangelized by St [...]
The finest round tower in the north of Ireland A monastery was reputedly founded here by St Aedh in 495 AD and had a strong association with the monastery at Bangor. According to [...]
A newly excavated portal tomb The Tirnony Dolmen is located about 1 mile north of Maghera. Recently its capstone collapsed and archeologists were given the chance to dig a portal tomb for the [...]
One of Ulster's great ancient tombs This impressive site is located on a hilltop 700 feet above sea level and is known as 'Cnoc mBaine', 'The Hill of Queen Baine', 'The Hill of [...]
A true cliff-hanger The Mussenden Temple was built in 1785 and forms part of the estate of Frederick Augustus Hervey, Bishop of Derry. The Herveys were the Earls of Bristol and one of [...]
A perfect replica of a 10th-century cross The Dromodonnell Stone Cross in Castlewellan is a modern replica of a 10th-century cross that once stood in the Drumgooland graveyard until the late 1700s. It [...]
Ireland's earliest Gothic arch & Game of Thrones location Inch Abbey was established as a Cistercian house by John de Courcy and his wife Affreca in 1180 as an act of repentance for [...]
One of Ireland's great pre-Christian Royal Temples Navan Fort was named ‘Emain Macha’ which translates to mean 'Macha's twins' after the children of the goddess Macha who reputedly founded this fort. This was [...]
Once one of the grandest houses in Ulster Armagh was the ancient territory of the Ulaid - The tribe that gave Ulster its name. The north of Ireland was ruled from the nearby [...]
A unique wedge tomb surrounded by standing stones The Clogherny Wedge Tomb is situated in a sparse and exposed glaciated valley near the village of Plumbridge in County Tyrone. The tomb has a [...]
Spectacular location for a unique Norman castle Dundrum Castle was built by John de Courcy in 1172 on a spectacular vantage point overlooking Dundrum Bay and the mighty Mourne Mountains. De Courcy was [...]
One of Ireland's finest examples of a fortified tower-house Narrow Water Castle is located just outside the town of Warrenpoint on the banks of Carlingford Lough. It is regarded as one of the [...]
One of Ireland's finest historical houses Florence Court was the former home of 'The Earls of Enniskillene' and is regarded as one of the great houses of Ireland. It was built in 1755 [...]
Lough Erne's most strategic location Enniskillen Castle is located on an island that commands one of the few passes into Ulster. The first recorded castle here was built in the late 1400s [...]
One of Ireland's finest plantation castles This site was originally the stronghold of the Maguire Clan whose outline of a crannog can still be seen at the shoreline. Monea Castle was built for [...]
A Christmas Massacre Tully Castle was built on the shores of Upper Lough Erne in 1612 by a Scottish planter called Sir John Hume on former lands controlled by the Maguire Clan. After [...]
A memorial to 'Honest Dick' The Dawson Memorial is situated between Cootehill and Rockcorry and dominates the surrounding area due to its great height. It was erected in 1809 by the independent voters [...]
One of the North's finest ancient burial chambers The Clontygora tomb is located on a prominent hillside in South Armagh and is locally known as 'The King’s Ring'. The tomb has an odd [...]
The earliest datable stone monument in Ireland The Kilnasaggart Pillar Stone dates to 700 AD and stands 6 feet tall. There is Ogham script on the stone that translates to ‘ this place, [...]
An exquisite example of Victorian industrial architecture Herdman's Mill was built in Sion Mills in 1853 on the banks of the River Mourne by the Herdman Brothers. The River Mourne has powered industrial [...]
The oldest scientific institution in Northern Ireland Armagh Observatory was established by Richard Robinson, Archbishop of Armagh, in 1789. This was the 2nd observatory in Ireland to be established after Dunsink in Dublin. [...]
Ireland's only double-decker bridge Craigavon Bridge is the oldest of Derry's 3 bridges and is the 3rd one built at this location over the mighty River Foyle. The 1st was built with wood in [...]
Thousands of mini-standing stones uncovered in a bog The mysterious Beaghmore Stone Circles date from between 2900 BC to 1200 BC. They were uncovered by local peat cutters in the 1940s and are [...]
Northern Ireland's No.1 tourist attraction This incredible piece of architecture is Titanic Belfast which was designed by the American-born architect Eric Kuhne and built by Harcourt Developments. It takes you on a journey [...]
The last walled city to be built in Europe Derry is the last walled city to be built in Europe. The walls were built between 1613 & 1618 during the reign of James I [...]
Derry's most historic & haunted house Prehen House is a beautiful building with palatial proportions and is classified as a Grade A example of an early Georgian manor house. It overlooks the River [...]
Armagh's eclectic Cathedral This is reputedly the site of an ancient ringfort where St Patrick founded a church in 445AD. Patrick called it 'My Sweet Hill' and said that it should have pre-eminence [...]
One of Ireland's most important ancient locations Two thousand years ago Dunseverick was recognized as the endpoint where one of the royal roads from Tara ended. It is reputed that St Patrick baptized [...]
Stunning coastal church location used in 'Game of Thrones' The name Ballintoy or ‘Baile an Tuaigh’ means ‘the northern townland’ in Irish. The church is perched on a hill above Ballintoy Harbor in [...]
Bridging the gap The Peace Bridge is a cycle and footbridge built across the River Foyle that was designed to connect Derry's predominantly east-side unionist community to its predominantly west-side nationalist community. It was [...]
Elegant Victorian hotel The Leslies can trace their ancestry back to Attila the Hun of Hungary through a Hungarian nobleman called Bartholomew Leslie. Bartholomew lived in Scotland during the Reign of Queen Margaret [...]
Northern Ireland's most iconic castle This is one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic castles and its image is used extensively to market Northern Ireland as a holiday destination. This was a perfect defensive [...]
One of Ireland's great medieval castles Carrickfergus Castle was built by the Norman conqueror John de Courcy in 1177 and has been seen as a strong visual symbol of English oppression over the [...]
One of the few schools with 2 former Nobel laureates Lumen Cristi College, located on Bishop Street, Derry City was formerly known as St Columb's College. It was built in 1879 and is [...]
The university that sparked the troubles Magee College was built in 1865 in an elegant Victorian Gothic style. Derry was then a rapidly developing industrial center and although the College's principal function at the [...]
One of Ireland's grandest Cathedrals St Eugene was reputedly an early Irish monk from Dublin who foretold the coming of St Columba. Columba did come and over time his monastery grew large and became [...]
The original site of St Columba's 6th-century monastery St Augustine’s Church is a Gothic-styled church built in 1872 and is locally known as 'The wee church on the walls'. This historic area is [...]
Memorial hall to the 13 Apprentice Boys of Derry The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society founded in 1814 with 80,000 members in Ireland, Scotland, The United States, and Canada. [...]
The scene of many executions & famous prisoners This is the last remaining tower of The Old Derry Jail. Derry’s first prison was built around 1620 at the same time when the walls were [...]
Derry's new cultural hub This clocktower is part of the Ebrington Barracks complex that is located on 'The Waterside' of Derry City. It was once used as soldiers' quarters and as a military [...]