County of Tyrone

Tyrone is an inland county, bounded in the north and north-east by County Londonderry; on the east, by Lough Neagh; on the south-east by County Armagh; on the south by County Fermanagh, and County Monaghan; on the south-west by County Fermanagh; and on the west and north-west, by County Donegal.

The boundary line, over about eleven miles in the central part of the north, is formed by the watershed of the Sperrin Mountains; over six miles in the eastern part of the north to Lough Neagh by the river Ballinderry; over the whole of the line of contact with County Armagh, by the River Blackwater.

Over about seven miles of the line of contact with County Monaghan, by the River Blackwater; and over ten miles of contact with the counties of Monaghan and Fermanagh, by the watershed of the Slieve Beagh mountains; over a large aggregate distance, but with many intervals or interruptions, of the line of contact with counties Fermanagh and Donegal, by mountain brooks, and especially by lofty watersheds; and over about ten miles of the terminating contact with County Donegal, down to the junction point with County Londonderry by the rivers Finn and Foyle.

The outline of the county, in a loose or general sense, exhibits a broad parallelogram, extending in the direction of south-east by east.

The greatest length of the county, in the direction of south-east by east, and along the southern border, from the summit of the Croagh mountains, a few miles east of the Barnesmore Gap to the River Blackwater at the village of Caledon, is 38 miles. 

Its greatest breadth, in the opposite direction, and along the western border, over Strabane and Lough Derg, is 30 miles; whereas its least breadth, across the eastern district, and almost over the village of Donaghmore, is 16 miles.

The area of the county comprises about 807,000 acres.

The county town is Omagh.

The highest mountain in The Sperrins is Sawel Mountain, at 2,224 feet.

First published in February, 2018.

County of Fermanagh

An inland county, Ulster's Lakeland, bounded on the north by County Tyrone, and County Donegal; on the north-east, by Tyrone; on the east, by Tyrone, and County Monaghan; on the south and south-west, by County Cavan; and on the west by counties Cavan and Leitrim.

Its boundary line, though occasionally formed by lakes, streams and watersheds, is so very interruptedly natural, and so generally artificial, that it may be pronounced altogether and even curiously capricious.

Its outline is roughly that of an oblong, extending from east-south-east to west-north-west; yet it may be more closely described as including a broad parallelogram in the direction of west by north, and an irregular sub-added feature of nearly equal area, and extending towards the north-west.

Its greatest length is about 35 miles; its greatest breadth, 20; and its area comprises about 457,000 acres, including 47,000 acres of water.

The county town is Enniskillen.

Cuilcagh Mountain, at 2,182 feet, is the highest peak.

First published in February, 2018.

County of Down

A maritime county in the extreme south-east of Ulster.

It is bounded, on the north-west and north, by County Antrim; on the north-east, by the North Channel; on the east and south-east, by the Irish Sea; on the south, by Carlingford Lough; and on the south-west and west, by County Armagh.

Most of its boundary line with County Antrim is formed by the River Lagan and Belfast Lough; whereas most of that with County Armagh by the Newry Canal and River, and a tiny projecting wing between counties Antrim and Armagh touches the south-east point of Lough Neagh; so that, excepting about 15 miles partly south and partly east of the impingement on Lough Neagh, the county is completely insulated.

Its outline is somewhat ellipsoidal, with the greater axis extending from the north-north-east to the south-south-west; but two considerable indentations occur on opposite sides, so as to form a compression at the line of the shorter axis.

The greatest length, in the direction of south by west from Ballymacormick Point to Cranfield Point, is about 56 miles.

The greatest breadth, in nearly the opposite direction from St John's Point to the south-east corner of Lough Neagh, is approximately 26 miles (as the crow flies).

The area is 514,000 acres.

The tallest mountain in County Down (and Northern Ireland), at 2,790 feet, is Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains.

First published in February, 2018.  Select bibliography ~ Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, 1841.

County of Armagh

Armagh, the Orchard County, is an inland county of Ulster, extending from Lough Neagh to the northern boundary of the Irish Republic.

It is bounded, on the north-west, by County Tyrone; on the north, by Lough Neagh; on the east, by County Down; on the south by County Louth; and on the west by County Tyrone and County Monaghan.

The boundary line, on the north-west, is the River Blackwater; on the north, the lough-shore of Lough Neagh.

From Lough Neagh to Knockbride, a distance of about nine miles, is a series of well-defined enclosures through beautiful and highly improved countryside.

From Knockbride to the head of Carlingford Bay, or along much of the greater part of the east, is the Newry Canal.

Along most of the south is a series of water-sheds, streamlet courses, miserable enclosures and imaginary marches, aggregately ill-defined, and extending across so bleak, wild and barren a district as to afford small inducement for its being accurately ascertained.

Along the north-west and west, over a distance of about 20 miles, is retrogradely the River Fane and one of its tributaries; whereas over the next four miles, a chain of poor fences and naked ditches.

Along the remaining distance down towards Lough Neagh is an affluent of the River Blackwater to Caledon, and the Blackwater itself to Lough Neagh.

Its form is a parallelogram of 24 miles by 11, with a considerable triangular protrusion at the north-east corner, a smaller triangular protrusion at the south-east corner, and a large, curved expansion of 14 miles by 7 on the west side.

Its greatest length, from Maghery on Lough Neagh to the townland of Dromlece [sic], near Foxfield, is 25 miles.

Its greatest breadth is from Scarva on the Newry Canal to the boundary with County Monaghan near the village of Glaslough is upwards of 16 miles.

The county's circumference is about 80 miles; and its area about 300,000 acres.

Slieve Gullion, at a height of 1,880 feet, is the highest mountain.

Select bibliography ~ Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, 1841.

County of Antrim

A maritime county in the extreme north-east of Ulster, bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean; on the east by the North Channel; on the south-east and south by County Down; and, on the west by counties Tyrone and Londonderry.

Its boundary over all the south-east and south, excepting five miles adjacent to Lough Neagh (the largest lake in the British Isles), is formed by Belfast Lough and the River Lagan; and, over all the west, excepting seven miles adjacent to the ocean, is formed by Lough Neagh and Lough Beg, and the River Bann.

The county is thus clearly insulated between a sweep of the sea and an alternate chain and line of fresh water.

Its greatest length, from Bengore Head (near the Giant's Causeway) on the north to Spencer's Bridge on the south, is about 42 miles.

Its greatest breadth, from The Gobbins on the east to Toome on the west is about 24 miles.

Trostan, at 1,808 feet, is the highest mountain.

The county's area is approximately 745,000 acres.

First published in January, 2018.  Select bibliography ~ Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland. 1841. 

County of Londonderry

A maritime county in the north of Ulster bounded, on the north, by the Atlantic Ocean; on the east, by County Antrim; on the south, by County Tyrone; and on the west, by Lough Neagh, Lough Beg, the Lower (river) Bann, and County Donegal.

The river Ballinderry traces the southern boundary over the last five miles of its run to Lough Neagh.

A lofty line of watershed along the central summits of the great mountainous district of northern Ulster forms most of the boundary westward from the vale of the river Ballinderry to Foyle Valley.

An artificial line of about eight miles in extent winds round a district on the west side of the River Foyle, down to the beginning of that river's expansion into estuary; and Lough Foyle forms the whole of the western boundary thence to the ocean.

The district east of the River Bann extends at Coleraine; and the district west of the River Foyle, that of Derry; so that, but for the artificial disposition of territory connected with these two towns, the Bann and the Foyle would have formed boundary-lines over the entire extent of their contact with the county, and rendered it a naturally well-defined region, from river to river, and from the line of watershed to the ocean.

The outline of the county is roughly triangular, with its sides facing the east, the south-west and the north-west.

Its area comprises almost 520,000 acres.

The highest mountaain is Sawel Mountain (The Sperrins), at 2,224 feet.