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Antrim
Armagh
Carlow
Cavan
Clare
Cork
Derry
Donegal
Down
Dublin
Antrim
Armagh
Carlow
Cavan
Clare
Derry
Donegal
Down
Dublin
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Below are brief details of the historical counties in Ireland that begin with the letters A to D: from Armagh to Dublin. There is no Irish county name beginning with the letter E.
The nicknames given are principally used in relation to sport,especially those sports under the auspices of the Gaelic AthleticAssociation, but many of them are also used in daily speech outside ofany sporting context.
Antrim
In Irish,the county is called Aon troim, meaning Solitary Place. It is not so solitarythese days; with a population density of 199/km2, it is second only toCounty Dublin and its spectacular Causeway Coast, a UNESCO Heritage Site, is a stalwart ofthe Irish tourism industry.
The Dark Hedges, Ballymoney, Co Antrim.
Antrim is in the province of Ulster and is part of Northern Ireland (UK). Inland area, it is the 9th largest of the thirty-two traditional counties ofIreland.Its main towns are Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Belfast, Carrickfergus andLisburn, and the Giant's Causeway is on itsnorth coast.
There are two nicknames for Antrim folk (both usuallyrestricted to sport): the Glensmen and the Saffrons.
Linenmanufacturing was once an important industry in Antrim and vast swathes of flaxwere cultivated in the countryside. (More about Irish Linen and the flax plant.)
Antrim'smost common surnames in 1890 were Smith, Johnston, Stewart, Wilson, Thompson,O·Neill, Campbell, Moore, Bell, Robinson, Millar, Brown, Boyd, Scott andGraham.
Griffith'sValuation was carried out in Antrim in 1861.
Armagh
In Irish,the county is called Árd Mhacha, meaning Macha's Hill.
It issituated in the province of Ulster and is part of Northern Ireland (UK), and itsmain centres of population are Armagh City, Lurgan and Portadown.
St Patrick's RC Cathedral, Armagh City.
In Irish,the county is called Árd Mhacha, meaning Macha's Hill.
It issituated in the province of Ulster and is part of Northern Ireland (UK), and itsmain centres of population are Armagh City, Lurgan and Portadown.
It has two names: the Orchard County and the Cathedral County, the latter on account of ithaving two magnificent cathedrals, both called St Patrick's. They face one anotheron rival hilltops in Armagh City. One is Protestant, the other Roman Catholic.
Surnamesassociated with Armagh, based on 1890 records, include Murphy, Hughes, Wilson,Campbell, O'Hare, Smith, McCann and Donnelly.
Armaghwas the last of the counties of Ireland surveyed by Richard Griffith (in1864) for his Primary Valuation.
Carlow
In Irish,the county is called Ceatharlach, meaning Four Lakes, and it is the secondsmallest of the counties of Ireland (the smallest is Louth).
Carlow Town's granite Courthouse dates to 1830.
Located in theprovince of Leinster, its main towns are Carlow and Bagenalstown. Both are onthe River Barrow. For this reason, people from County Carlow are often referredto as Barrowsiders.
They have a few other nicknames, too, among them theFighting Cocks and the Scallion Eaters.
You maysee Carlow referred to as Caterlaugh or Caterlagh on some antique maps.
Justoutside Carlow Town is Browne's Hill Dolmen, a 5,000-year-old portal tomb thathas the biggest capstone in Europe, weighing in at over 100 tons. This is thereason for yet another nickname: the Dolmen County.
Surnamesassociated with County Carlow, based on 1890 records, include Murphy, Byrne,Doyle, Nolan and Neill.
Griffith'sValuation was carried out in Carlow in 1852-3.
Cavan
In Irish,the county is called Cabhán, meaning a Hollow. The source of the River Shannonand a good scattering of lakes lie within its landlocked borders.
Although inthe province of Ulster, Cavan is one of the three counties of Ireland (theothers are Donegal and Monaghan) separated from the rest of its province since1921 when the island was split between Northern Ireland (UK) and the Republic.Cavan is in the Republic and its inhabitants are known by the sporting nicknameof the Blues Brothers. The county is also referred to as the Lakes County.
The mainsettlement in this sparsely populated county is Cavan town, once the strongholdof the O'Reillys who ruled the ancient kingdom of East Breffni.
Based on1890 records, the most common surnames in County Cavan include Reilly, Smith,Brady, Lynch, McCabe, Clarke, Farrelly, Maguire, Sheridan and Galligan.
Griffith'sValuation was carried out in Cavan in 1856-7.
Clare
In Irish,the county is called Clar, meaning a level piece of land). Clare is one of thewest coast counties of Ireland and is in the province of Munster.
Fleadh Ennis
Its main townis Ennis, a popular destination for tourists hoping to catch an Irish musicsession.
Other reknowned music centres are Doolin and Lisdoonvarna, on the coast.
Clare isknown as the Banner County, on account of the banners displayed at DanielO'Connell's 'Monster Meetings' in Clare in support of CatholicEmancipation in 1828.
In 2002, the county had of just over 100,000 in 2002, less than two-fifths whatit was in 1831.
Based on 1890 records, surnamesassociated with Clare include McMahon, McNamara,Moloney, O'Brien, McInerney, Kelly, Keane, Murphy, Griffin, Halloran and Ryan.
The Burren, Co Clare. (Irish: Boireann / Boirinn, meaning great rock.)
Griffith'sValuation was carried out in Clare in 1855.
Among itsoutstanding geological features are the Burren, Europe's largest area oflimestone pavement, and the Cliffs of Moher, one of the majortourist attractions of Ireland.
Many visitors rent self-catering Irish cottages for a week or two to fully explore one of the most unusualand evocative counties of Ireland.
Cork
In Irish,Cork is called Corcaigh, meaning Marsh. Located in the far south west ofthe island, it is the largest of all the historical counties of Ireland, both north andsouth, and is in the province of Munster. Its nickname is the Rebel County dueto its history of fighting for independence, and its red and white checkeredflag is known as the Blood and Bandage.
Cobh, the harbour from which millions of Irish people left their homeland bound for North America.
Folk from Cork City, which sits on theRiver Lee, are known as Leesiders.
It was from the city's huge port, then recorded on ship manifests as Queenstown, that many hundreds of emigrantsset sail for America. The port is now known as Cobh (pronounced Cove).
Surnamesassociated with County Cork, based on 1890 records, include Sullivan, Murphy,McCarthy, Mahoney, Donovan, Walsh, O'Brien, Callaghan, Leary, Crowley, Collins,Driscoll, Connell, Barry, Cronin, Buckley, and Daly.
RichardGriffiths carried out his Valuation survey in 1851-53.
Derry - LondonDerry
In Irish,the county is called Doire, meaning Oak Wood, and explains why Derry is knownas the Oak-leaf County. It is also known as Londonderry.
The terms, for boththe county and its main town, are interchangeable. It used to be known asCounty Coleraine.
Derry isin the province of Ulster and is part of Northern Ireland (UK). Among itsprincipal towns are Derry/Londonderry (whose encircling walls were built in1613), Coleraine, Magherafelt and Ballymoney. Magilligan Strand is Ireland'slongest beach (10km/6m).
Thecounty's most common surnames, based on 1890 records, include Doherty,McLaughlin, Kelly, Bradley, Brown, McCloskey, Campbell, Mullan, Smith, O'Neilland Kane.
Derry wassurveyed by Richard Griffith for his valuation in 1858-9.
Donegal
In Irish, Donegal is called Dún na nGall, meaning Fortress of the Foreigners. It isone of the three Ulster province counties within the Republic and its principaltown is Letterkenny.
Donegal Studios,in the village of Kilcar, aims to maintain and preserve the long running tradition of hand-weaving in South West Donegal.
Inishtrahull Island, 7km from the mainland, is the mostnortherly point of Ireland.
Donegal has two nicknames: O'Donnell County, inreference to the region's medieval lords, and the Forgotten County, on accountof its remoteness. People from Donegal are sometimesreferred to as Herring Gutters.
Donegalis famous as the home of Irish tweed, and its westerly regions are part of theGaeltacht (Irish speaking areas).
Surnamesassociated with County Donegal, based on 1890 records, include Gallagher,Doherty, Boyle, O'Donnell, McLaughlin, Sweeney, Ward, Kelly, McGinely,McFadden, McGowan, Duffy and Campbell.
Griffith'sValuation was carried out in 1857.
If you'vegot Donegal ancestors, be sure to check out DonegalGenealogy, a free website run by Lindel Buckley and full to the brimwith links to Donegal sources.
Down
Down County Museum is housed in an 18th-century former prison in Downpatrick.
In Irish,the county is called Dún, meaning Fortress. It is in Ulster province and ispart of Northern Ireland (UK). Its principal towns are Banbridge and Newry(where, in 1578, the first Protestant church in Ireland was built).
Althoughmany counties of Ireland have associations with St Patrick, Down has thedeepest connections with the saint as this was where he landed in AD432 andfirst preached to the locals. It is known as the Mourne County, in reference tothe stirring scenery of the Mourne Mountains.
Thecounty's most frequently occuring surnames, according to an 1890 survey, wereThompson, Smith, Campbell, Patterson, Martin, Wilson, Graham, Johnston andMurray .
RichardGriffith surveyed Down for his Valuation in 1863-4.
Dublin
Dublin isin the province of Leinster and home to the sprawling capital city where morethan a quarter of the Republic's population now lives. The city that was tobecome this capital was first settled by Celts in AD140 and became a Vikingbase in AD860. The former settlement was known as Ath Cliath, meaning HurdleFord; this is the Irish language name for the city. The Viking settlement wasknown as An Dubh Linn, meaning Black Pool of Water; the anglicised version ofthis name is Dublin.
The Oscar Wilde sculpture in the capital's Merrion Square is opposite the house where the writer was born in 1854.
Dublinershave a number of nicknames, among them the Dubs, the Metropolitans, the Jacks,the Liffeysiders and (not so politely) the Jackeens.
Surnamesassociated with County Dublin, based on 1890 records, include Byrne, Kelly,Doyle, Murphy, Smith, O'Brien, Kavanagh, Dunne, O'Neill, Rieilly, NOlan,Connor, Walsh and Farrell.
In1848-51, County Dublin became the first of the counties of Ireland to besurveyed by Richard Griffith for his Valuation.
Dublin isin the province of Leinster and home to the sprawling capital city where morethan a quarter of the Republic's population now lives.
The Oscar Wilde sculpture in the capital's Merrion Square is opposite the house where the writer was born in 1854.
The city that was tobecome this capital was first settled by Celts in AD140 and became a Vikingbase in AD860. The former settlement was known as Ath Cliath, meaning HurdleFord; this is the Irish language name for the city.
The Viking settlement wasknown as An Dubh Linn, meaning Black Pool of Water; the anglicised version ofthis name is Dublin.
Dublinershave a number of nicknames, among them the Dubs, the Metropolitans, the Jacks,the Liffeysiders and (not so politely) the Jackeens.
Dublin surnames, based on 1890 records, include Byrne, Kelly,Doyle, Murphy, Smith, O'Brien, Kavanagh, Dunne, O'Neill, Nolan,Connor and Farrell.
In1848-51, Dublin became the first of the counties of Ireland to besurveyed by Richard Griffith for his Valuation.
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Related pages
► How the counties of Ireland were created
► Irish land divisions
► Irish Counties F-L
► Irish Counties M-S
► Irish Counties T-W