The Magical Nine Glens Of Antrim
The Magical Nine Glens Of Antrim
The Nine Glens of Antrim include, a fifty mile shoreline, grasslands, forests, peat bogs, mountain uplands, churches and castles steeped in history and culture. For nearly a 100 miles the Antrim Coast Road (built in the 1830s) winds its way round beautiful bays, high cliff lines, green fields and majestic castle ruins.
The Glens folk are great storytellers... many of these stories are about "The wee folk" who have been spotted on many a dark night around the glens especially near Lurigethan mountain and Tiveragh hill! These little rascals can get up to all types of devilish antics an can have you running around in circles.
NEVER cut down a skeogh (Fairy Thorn) or they will have a devastating revenge on anyone who would be so brave to try it! One story is that a certain gentleman cut down a skeogh in his field and his wife became paralyzed and didn't speak for the next thirty years! So fairy thorns are well respected in the Glens and very few farmers would interfere with them as they would tend to plough around them..
The Nine Glens and their meanings .......
Turn Your Sound Up And Click here for the song about the Glens!
Glenariff "Queen of the Glens" cascading down from the Antrim Plateau is the largest and the most famous of the nine glens, it is a perfect u-shaped valley with beautiful views and spectacular waterfalls and at its mouth lies a one mile sandy beach where the glen meets the sea at the small village of Waterfoot.
Around 100 years ago, lots of trees were planted to enhance the native woodlands
of hazel, oak, ash and willow and to make the area more attractive to its many visitors.
The glen is bounded by rugged precipicies 200 to 400 metres in height, the two most famous
being Carneil and Lurigedan. At the Glenariff forest Park is
a nature reserve which has breathtaking views of the Irish Sea and the Scottish
coasts.
Walkers can view its magnificent waterfalls and wildlife then follow the Moyle way to
Ballycastle.
The Glenariff Forest Park is open all year round from 10am until sunset.
Car parks, caravanning and camping sites, picnic, barbecue areas, horse riding routes, toilets and a visitor centre, also well signposted paths for the many walks are among the facilities provided for this beautiful glen.
Glenariff Forest Park is also among 28 new sites being developed by the Northern Ireland Orienteering Association (NIOA). It is hoped that the £150,000 project that is already underway will be completed by December 2001. Thereafter it will be maintained by orienteering clubs so that anyone can turn up and take part at anytime. Other places to visit are Red Bay Castle near Waterfoot and Garron Head.
The main source of income is from farming and tourism.
On the outskirts of the small village of Cushendall is Tiveragh hill where many a fairy has been spotted in the twilight evenings. Legend has it that the wee folk live inside the hill and a cave nearby is to be avoided as an unsuspecting visitor can be lured in by the fairy music never to be heard off again!
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Ess-na-Larach Waterfall,Glenariff Glen.Be sure and keep an eye out for the Fairies! Click Here for a short Fairytale story.
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Why not visit the Glens Teahouse near Waterfoot at the foot of the Glenariff falls for a pleasant snack in beautiful peaceful surroundings!
A Poem by William Allinghan "The Fairies"
Up
the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket , red cap,
And white owl's feather!
Down along the rocky shore
Some make their home,
They live on crispy pancakes
Of yellow tide foam;
Some in the reeds
Of the black mountain lake,
With frogs for their watchdogs,
All night awake.
High on the hilltops
The old king sits;
He is now so old and gray
He's nigh lost his wits.
With a bridge of white mist
Columbokill he crosses,
On his stately journeys
From Slieveleague to Rosses;
Or going up with music
On cold starry nights,
To sup with the Queen
Of the gay Northern Lights.
They stole little Bridget
For seven years long;
When she came down again
Her friends were all gone.
They took her lightly back,
Between the night and morrow,
They thought that she was fast asleep,
But she was dead with sorrow.
They have kept her ever since
Deep within the lake,
On a bed of flag-leaves,
Watching till she wake.
By the craggy hill-side,
Through the mosses bare,
They have planted thorn-trees
For pleasure here and there.
Is any man so daring
As dig them up in spite,
He shall find their sharpest thorns
Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket , red cap,
And white owl's feather!
Click here for a lot more information on the Glens. Also click here ........ lots of more information
