Ballycastle forest, Glentaisie - geograph

Glentaisie ( Irish: ''Taoibhgeal'', en, of the bright cheeks) is one of the nine

Glens of Antrim The Glens of Antrim,Logainm.ie
(

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population of ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

. It was shaped during the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

glaciers A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

. The glen is most northerly of the nine glens and lies at the foot of Knocklayde mountain. The town of Ballycastle lies on the coast at the foot of the glen. According to the traditional shanachies, Glentaisie was named after Princess Taisie, the daughter of King Dorm of

Rathlin Island Rathlin Island ( ga, Reachlainn, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. ...

. Renowned for her beauty, she was betrothed to Congal, heir to the Kingdom of Ireland, however the

King of Norway The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kin ...

also sought her hand in marriage, and he arrived to claim his bride, as wedding celebrations to Congal were underway. The King of Norway and his army tried to capture Taisie but in the subsequent battle he was killed and his army fled leaderless and empty handed. The Battle of Glentaisie, was fought in the Glentaisie area on 2 May 1565, with Shane O'Neill defeating

Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, also known as Clan Donald South, ''Clan Iain Mor, Clan MacDonald of Islay and Kintyre, MacDonalds of the Glens (Antrim)'' and sometimes referred to as ''MacDonnells'', is a Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald. T ...

in battle.

References

Glens of Antrim Historical Society
Glens of County Antrim Northern Ireland coast and countryside {{Antrim-geo-stub