County ANTRIM

Northern Ireland,

United Kingdom

Introduction

Surnames

Ancestral GenSite(s)

List of Localities

Website Resources

Image Gallery

Introduction

     County Antrim (Contae Aontroma in Irish) is one of the six counties that form Northern Ireland.  It is the 9th largest of the 32 traditional counties of Ireland in terms of area, and 2nd in terms of population behind Dublin. It is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, in the province of Ulster. It is bounded north and east by the narrow seas separating Northern Ireland from Scotland, the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea, south by Belfast Lough and the River Lagan dividing it from County Down, south-west by Lough Neagh, dividing it from County Armagh and County Tyrone, and west by County Londonderry, the boundary with which is the River Bann. Covering an area of 2,844 km², it has a population of approximately 566,000, most of them in and around the Belfast area.

     The Glens of Antrim offer isolated rugged landscapes, the Giant's Causeway is a unique landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Bushmills produces legendary whiskey, and Portrush is a popular nightlife zone. The majority of the capital city of Northern Ireland, Belfast, is also in County Antrim. Part of Belfast is also in County Down.

     At what date the county of Antrim was formed is not known, but it appears that a certain district bore this name before the reign of Edward II (early 14th century), and when the shiring of Ulster was undertaken by Sir John Perrot in the 16th century, Antrim and Down were already recognized divisions, in contradistinction to the remainder of the province. The earliest known inhabitants were of Celtic origin, and the names of the townlands or subdivisions, supposed to have been made in the 13th century, are all of Gaelic derivation. Antrim was exposed to the inroads of the Danes, and settlements. In ancient times, it was inhabited by a Celtic people called the Darini. In the early middle ages, southern County Antrim was part of the Kingdom of Ulidia, ruled by the Dál Fiatach clans O'Haughey/O'Hoey and MacDonlevy/McDunlavey; the north was part of Dal Riada, which stretched into western Scotland over the Irish Sea. Dal Riada was ruled by the O'Lynch clan, who were vassals of the Ulidians. Besides the Ulidians and Dal Riada, there were the Dal nAraide of lower County Antrim, and the Cruithne, who were not Gaelic Celts but Picts. In the late Middle Ages, it was divided into three parts: northern Clandeboy, the Glynnes and the Route. The Cambro-Norman MacQuillans were also of the northern Scots, who ultimately effected permanent powerful in the Route. A branch of the O'Neills of Tyrone migrated to Clandeboy in the 1300s, and ruled it for a time. Their family was called O'Neill Clannaboy. A galloglass sept, the MacDonnells, became the most powerful in the Glynnes in the 1400s.

     Antrim is divided into 16 baronies. Lower Antrim, part of Lower Clandeboy, was settled by the sept O'Flynn/O'Lynn. Upper Antrim, part of Lower Clandeboy, was the home of the O'Keevans. Belfast was part of Lower Clandeboy and was held by the O'Neill-Clannaboys. Lower Belfast, Upper Belfast, and Carrickfergus were also part of Lower Clandeboy. Cary was part of the Glynnes; ruled originally by the O'Quinn sept, the MacDonnell galloglasses from Scotland took power here in the late middle ages and some of the O'Haras also migrated from Connaught. Upper and Lower Dunluce were part of the Route, and were ruled by the MacQuillans. Upper and Lower Glenarm was ruled by the O'Flynn/O'Lynn sept, considered part of the Glynns. In addition to that sept and that of O'Quinn, both of which were native, the Scottish gallowglass septs of MacKeown, MacAlister, and MacGee, are found there. Kilconway was originally O'Flynn/O'Lynn territory, but was held by the MacQuillans as part of the Route, and later by the gallowglass sept of MacNeill. Lower Massereene was part of Lower Clandeboy and was ruled by the O'Flynns and the O'Heircs. Upper Massereene was part of Lower Clandeboy, ruled by the O'Heircs. Upper and Lower Toome, part of the Route, were O'Flynn/O'Lynn territory. Misc was first ruled by the MacQuillans. Later, the Scottish gallowglass MacDonnells and MacAlisters invaded. The MacDonnells were a branch of the Scottish Clan MacDonald; the MacAlisters traced their origin back to the Irish Colla Uais, eldest of the Three Collas. Islandmagee had, besides antiquarian remains, a notoriety as a home of witchcraft, and was the scene of an act of reprisal against the Catholic population during the Irish Rebellion of 1641 for the massacre of Protestants, by the Scottish Covenanter soldiery of Carrickfergus.

Source: Wikipedia

The following are surnames of persons, found within our databases,

as having been either born, married or died in this location.

Douglass;   Morrison

To find out more about each surname listed above click on the corresponding LINK.

Additional information regarding these surnames may also be found at:

  Surname Locator Resources

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County ANTRIM, Northern Ireland

Ancestral

 GenSite(s)

LOCATION:  

Map Links

DESCRIPTION:  

FAMILY HISTORY NOTES(s): 

INTERNET WEB LINK(s): 

LOCATION:

Map Links

DESCRIPTION:  

FAMILY HISTORY NOTES(s):

INTERNET WEB LINK(s): 

County ANTRIM,

Northern Ireland

List of Localities

The list below will assist in your research regarding the matching of your ancestors birth, marriage, death dates and in what locality of this county these events may have occurred.  Source:  Wikipedia

Large towns

(population of 18,000 or more and under 75,000 at 2001 Census)

·        Antrim;   Ballymena;   Carrickfergus;   Larne;   Lisburn (has city status);   Newtownabbey

Medium towns

(population of 10,000 or more and under 18,000 at 2001 Census)

·        none

Small towns

(population of 4,500 or more and under 10,000 at 2001 Census)

·        Ballycastle;   Ballyclare;   Ballymoney;   Greenisland;   Jordanstown;   Portrush;   Randalstown

Intermediate settlements

(population of 2,250 or more and under 4,500 at 2001 Census)

·        Ahoghill;   Broughshane;   Crumlin;   Cullybackey;   Whitehead;  

Villages

(population of 1,000 or more and under 2,250 at 2001 Census)

·        Bushmills;   Carnlough;   Cloughmills;   Cushendall;   Doagh;   Dunloy;   Glenavy;   Kells;   Portglenone;   Templepatrick

Small villages or hamlets

(population of less than 1,000 at 2001 Census)

·        Aghagallon;   Aghalee;   Armoy;   Ballintoy;   Ballycarry;   Ballygalley;   Ballynure;   Cushendun;   Dervock;    Glenarm;   Glynn;   Portballintrae;   Rasharkin;   Toome

Website Resources

We recommend that you use the following search engine and

external-links to obtain additional knowledge about this place.  

General

·         Website & Webpages We Like

·         United Kingdom and Ireland - rootsweb.com

·         GENUKI: UK & Ireland Genealogy

·         UK Genealogy - The Portal for UK Family Research

·         Street Map UK

·         The Gazetteer of British Place Names - Main Page

·         Ordnance Survey, Britain’s national mapping agency

·        Cyndi’s List - United Kingdom & Ireland Index

·        IGI Batch Numbers-British Isles & North America

·        Genealogy SiteFinder: United Kingdom

·        A vision of Britain (on-line library for local history)

·        UK Genealogy Archives, Heraldry and Family History

·        List of places in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

·        Directory of Cities and Towns in United Kingdom

Locality Specific

·             County Antrim, Northern Ireland GenWeb Project

·             Antrim Genealogy forum

·             rootsweb.com - Message Boards (Antrim)

·             Family Research in Ireland

·             Cyndi's List - Antrim

·             Directory of Libraries in Northern Ireland

·             WorldGenWeb Archives

·           County Antrim in 1900

·           Castle FM - County Antrim Radio Station

·           The Northern Ireland Guide: For information and reviews for locals and tourists alike

·           Local Antrim Guide

·           GENUKI: County Antrim

·           County Antrim Genealogy Links

Columnar basalt at Giant's Causeway

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