North Ireland

Ancient province of Ulster

The six counties of Northern Ireland, make up this part of the United Kingdom, or Ulster as it is sometimes called. Here the currency is the pound whereas in the Republic it is the Euro. For years it was bypassed by visitors but it is now seeing a revival in its fortunes. Belfast is the major town and belies its reputation. Built during the boom days of the Victorian era, it has many fine buildings. The countryside is agricultural and fairly unremarkable but the Antrim coast is well worth visiting, with a wide range of coastal scenery from white sandy beaches to the volcanic rock landscape of the Giant’s causeway. In the north east corner is the rugged coastline of county Donegal in the Republic and below that the lovely loughs (lakes) of County Sligo.