Summary

This chapter has introduced the basics of counties and provinces on the island of Ireland, and has situated these provinces and counties within the context of the two main political entities that exist on the island – the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This framework is integral to look back on and have a firm grasp of as you continue to read about the making of the Irish landscape throughout this textbook. For instance, when you come to read about the environmental crises in Northern Ireland’s Lough Neagh, and consider their impacts on drinking water in the surrounding regions, you will know that this environmental change impacts the Northern Irish counties within the province of Ulster, bordering the lake (i.e., Derry, Antim, Down, Armagh and Tyrone). In this regard, while limited in its cultural, human and physical analysis, this chapter provides significant context in relation to political borders and boundaries that ground much of what you will learn in the subsequent chapters.

Interactive Map Activities

Try to match the missing county and province names to their locations on the maps below!

Figure 2.8 Map of the 4 provinces on the island of Ireland. © Holthoff, www.adobestock.com. View Source.  This photograph is included under Adobe’s Education Licence – Standard Image terms.

Figure 2.9 Map of the 26 counties that make up the Republic of Ireland. © asantosg, www.adobestock.com. View Source.  This photograph is included under Adobe’s Education Licence – Standard Image terms. 

References

Wright, Catherine. 2020. “Administrative Divisions in 19th Century Ireland.” County Wicklow Heritage. Last modified March 30.

• Original Link: https://heritage.wicklowheritage.org/topics/genealogy/general-information/2_administrative_divisions_in_19th_century_ireland.
• Web Archive Link: http://web.archive.org/web/20250612143454/https://heritage.wicklowheritage.org/topics/genealogy/general-information/2_administrative_divisions_in_19th_century_ireland