Ireland
And the mold of His hand
that you shook 'neath His stroke
That you tremble and broke
To this beautiful land
Here He loosed from His hold
A brown tumult of wings
Till the wind on the sea
Bore the strange melody
Of an island that sings
He made you all fair
You in purple and gold
You in silver and green
Till no eyes that has seen
Without love can behold
I have left you behind
In the path of the past
With the white breath of flowers
With the best of God's hours
I have left you at last
Dora Sigerson
Ireland is a country of fascinating history,and a wonderful countryside and a vigerous culture as shown in its myth, literature and architecture.
Ireland is split up into four provinces. Leinster in the east, Munnster in the south, Connacht in the west and Ulster in the north, comprising of thirty two counties.
On this and the following few pages in alpherbeticial order I have compiled a few short facts about as many of counties as I could at this time.
I will be adding more as I go.
AntrimCounty Antrim forms The north-east corner Of Ireland, And a channel only 13 mileswide separates Torr Head from the Scottish coast. Lough Neagh (the largest lake in Ireland or Britain) and the fertile valley of the Bann occupy the western part of the county, but the greater part of it is an irregular plateau of hills and uplands, drooping sharply to the sea on the north and east.
On the east a magnificent coast runs north from Larne, curving round the base of steep headlands, between which is the beautiful nine glens of Antrim open to the sea. Almost every bay along the coast is a link in a chain of fine holiday resorts. On the northern coast the Giant's Causeway is a celebrated natural wonder.
Home to Belfast, the Province of Northern Ireland's capital. Belfast, a bustling city on the head of Belfast Lough, a natural deepwater port, is more famous perhaps for being the birthplace of James Galway, the world-renowned Flutist and also of Van Morrisson. Belfast boasted Ireland's biggest shipyards, whose most famous ship was the ill-fated Titanic.
Ballycastle in the north-east of the county is home to the Auld lammas fair, one of Europe's oldest fairs, or festivals, looks out onto Rathlin Island, where Robert the Bruce of Scotland found refuge. Further along the coast is the Giants Causeway, a striking array of massive basalt blocks fall into the sea, not far from the Bushmills whisky distillery.
Larne, a few miles further east is a large ferry port, handling ferries daily from Scotland, some 15 miles away, thus making Antrim a very popular tourist destination. The picturesque Glens of Antrim are a favorite drive locally.
ArmaghDown And Monaghan Which adjoin it, is a county of gentle hills. The land becoming more hilly towards the south, where Slieve Gullion rises to 1,893 feet. Around Richill and Loughanll in the north is a rich fruit growing area, which has earned for Armagh the title of "The Garden of Ulster", it is noted for Bramley apples, garden plants and jam. Lurgan and Portadown are important centres of the linen industry.
This area was the scene of many events in the epic literature ancient Ireland. In history it also holds an important place, and the ancient city of Armagh in prehistoric times the seat of Ulster kings has been Ireland's ecclesiastical capital for 1,5000 years. "The Cathedral City", famed in Song and Story, named for the Cathedral which was built on the burial site of St. Patrick, Ireland's patron saint.
Armagh, or Amhann Macha, was the home of the Ulster High Kings for thousands of years, which spawned the legends of the Fianna, and Cu Chullain, (Ireland's version of Arthur and the Round Table) .
The natural barrier, between north and south Ireland goes through Armagh, a long sand and gravel ditch, called the Black Pigs Dyke which though it looks man-made, like Hadrian's wall, is in fact a glacial, or Ice age remnant. Bordered on the north by Irelands largest lake, Lough Neagh, Armagh is one of the 'Six counties' that make up the current Northern Ireland.
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