The Glens of Antrim (Irish: Gleannta Aontroma) or, simply, the Glens, or Antrim Mountains is a region of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, comprising nine glens, or valleys, that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast. The inhabitants of the several glens are descended primarily from native Irish and Hebridean Scots. The Glens are an area of outstanding natural beauty and are a major tourist attraction in north Antrim. Principal towns in the Glens are Ballycastle, Cushendun, Cushendall, Waterfoot and Carnlough. The majority of the population are from a Catholic background.

The nine glens from northernmost to southernmost are:

• Glentaisie
• Glenshesk
• Glendun
• Glencorp
• Glenaan
• Glenballyeamon
• Glenariff
• Glencloy
• Glenarm

Glenravel is often considered a tenth glen, although it is not officially a Glen because it does not open directly onto the sea. It lies to the southwest of Glenballyeamon and Glenariff being separated by the Glenariff forest park. The principal settlements of Glenravel are Cargan, Martinstown and Skerry (Newtowncrommelin).

[edit] Archaeology

In the Glens there is evidence that Neolithic communities ranged across the whole area. At Glencloy, Neolithic people had megalithic tombs in the uplands, while they lived in settlements near the coast at the end of the valleys. The beaches were visited to access flint, as evidenced by stone tool (lithic) production sites in the glens. At Madman's Window (near Glenarm Neolithic chipping floors and stone axe rough outs were found along with Neolithic pottery, scrapers, flakes, and leaf-shaped arrowheads. At Bay Farm II, a Neolithic site near marshland, archaeologists found occupation debris, charcoal, postholes, flint cores, axes and Neolithic pottery.^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Glens of Antrim Website
• Glens of Antrim Historical Society
• [1] Children's short story set in the Antrim Glens
• Landscapes Unlocked - Aerial footage from the BBC Sky High series explaining the physical, social and economic geography of Northern Ireland.

Coordinates: 55°09′36″N 6°06′00″W / 55.16°N 6.1°W / 55.16; -6.1

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