Ulster - Northern Ireland Tourist Board Enniskillen Cookstown Londonderry Belfast.<<>> Ulster Northeren Ireland is one of the Provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. And is composed of nine counties: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone linked to the United Kingdome. While the counties of Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan are part of theIrish Republic.
This province symbolises the historical complications of the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Tourist board is responsible for the development, marketing and promotion of the north. And they are doing a grand job.
There are many reasons to visit Ulster and Northern Ireland at any time of year, which is known for its friendly people and natural beauty.
There are many outdoor activities available throughout the region such as golf, fishing, surfing, water skiing canoeing, caving, horse riding, walking and cycling.
You could cruise in theFermanagh lake lands of Lough Erne, an area rich in wildlife, flowers and fauna.
Or visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the 60 million year old Giant's Causeway. Its 40,000 plus polygonal columns of layered basalt thrust up out of the sea, is a result of a volcanic eruption all those years ago. The causeway has attracted visitors for many years and continues to do so. Being part of a national nature reserve and there are wonderful coastal walks along the cliffs.
Another major visitor attraction in County Down are the Mountains of Mourne. The highest peak in this granite mountain range is Slieve Donard at 849 metres (2,790 ft) high. One strange momument here is the Mourne Wall. This is a dry stone wall which was started in 1904 and finished in 1922. It runs for 35 kilometres (22 miles) and crosses fifteen summits. It was built to define bounderies for the Belfast Water Commissioners.
The first known human settlement in Ireland was found at Mount Sandel near Coleraine and is more than 9000 years old. Overlooking the River Bann it is a small collection of pre-historic homes. In Fermanagh and Tyrone you can find over 60 stone circles, cairns and stone rows thought to date from about 1600 BC. Also in Fermanagh is Boa Island, which is famous for its pagan stone statue a double-faced Janus figure. Alongside this statue stands a smaller squat figure known as the 'Lusty Man'. Thought to have been fertility symbols they are said to date from the 4th or 5th century.
On your visit to Ulster and the North one old tradition worth keeping up is to have a taste of Irish whiskey. It's told that the troops of King Henry II of England enjoyed a tipple about eight hundred years ago. The oldest legal distillery in the world is Bushmills whiskey distillery having received its licence in 1608 from King James I of England and Scotland. You can tour this distillery.
The famous passenger liner Titanic believed to have been unsinkable, was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. The ship did sink after hitting an Iceburg resulting in the deaths of 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board, making it one of theworst peacetime maritime disasters in history. Today you can visit The Titanic Dock and Pump-House monument, which is a 7-acre site. This includes the Thompson Dry Dock and an amazing representation of the scale of the ship.
Other places to visit apart from Ulster and the capital Belfast are worth a visit.
Its street market has enjoyed a Royal Charter to trade since the 17th Century. The area is well served with national trust properties and wonderful countryside.
Northern Ireland Enniskillen is the County Town of Fermanagh. It has a long, narrow Main St, which changes its name six times. A big leisure area because of the Lough Erne it is a great place for leisurely breaks.
Northern Ireland Londonderry or Derry is located on a hill by the banks of the River Foyle estuary. The modern city still has the seventeenth century layout of four main streets radiating from a Diamond square to four gateways. The Gateways are called Bishop’s Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Shipquay Gate and Butcher's Gate. The main road of Shipquay Street is very steep and has narrow little medieval streets running from it. You can walk along the seventeenth-century 18 feet thick walls, which are about a mile round. These walls have withstood several sieges and are still intact and unbroken. They even have the old cannon on the ramparts. The walls enclose many historic buildings including the cathedral of St Columb that was built in1633. It is dedicated to Saint Columba who established a Christian settlement here in the sixth century. The porch of the church bears an inscription: 'If stones could speake then London's prayse should sound Who built this church and cittie from the grounde.' This is in reference to the City of London that sent master-builders and money to rebuild the ruined medieval town. They then called it Londonderry but Derry is still the popular name. The chapter house displays the keys to the gates that were shut against James II of England in December 1688. Behind the Guildhall stands the quay where hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrants sailed to their new life in the New World.
Nowadays far from leaving the province people are flocking as tourists to visit Ulster and Northern Ireland. If you become one you will enjoy your stay in Ulster and the other areas.
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