Belfast Lower is a
barony in
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
.
To its east lies the east-Antrim coast and
Belfast Lough, and it is bordered by four other baronies:
Belfast Upper to the south,
Carrickfergus to the east,
Antrim Upper to the west;
Glenarm Upper to the north.
The
Forth and
Milewater rivers both flow through Belfast Lower, with Larne harbour also situated in the barony.
Roughfort
Roughfort is a medieval motte located in the barony which was used as an assembly point for the
United Irishmen
The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association, formed in the wake of the French Revolution, to secure Representative democracy, representative government in Ireland. Despairing of constitutional reform, and in defiance both of British ...
who were under the command of
Henry Joy McCracken prior to the
Battle of Antrim on 7 June 1798.
Thousands of
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
s from the surrounding area of the
Six Mile Water valley rose up and fought in the battle.
Opposite the motte is a
Liberty Tree, an American tradition where revolutionary notices where pinned to a tree.
Whilst Liberty Trees in Ireland were planted in 1798, it is speculated that the one at Roughfort may have been planted the following year.
List of settlements
Below is a list of settlements in Belfast Lower:
Towns
*
Ballyclare (split with barony of Antrim Upper)
*
Newtownabbey
*
Larne (Belfast Lower portion)
Villages
*
Ballycarry
*
Ballynure
*
Ballyrobert
*
Ballystrudder
Ballystrudder or Ballystruder () is a small village and townland (of 255 acres) on Islandmagee in County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of ...
*
Glynn
*
Whitehead
Population centres
*Browns Bay
*Magheramorne
*Mossley
*Straid
*Whitewell
List of civil parishes
Below is a list of civil parishes in Belfast Lower:
*Ballylinny
*Ballymartin (split with barony of Belfast Upper)
*Ballynure
*Carnmoney
*Glynn
*Kilroot
*Inver
*Island Magee
*Raloo
*Shankill (split with barony of Belfast Upper)
*Templecorran
*Templepatrick (split with barony of Belfast Upper)
References
Clandeboye
{{Antrim-geo-stub