Ulster << UHL stuhr >> is a traditional province in the northeastern part of the island of Ireland. Ulster includes all of the country of Northern Ireland and some lands that are part of the Republic of Ireland. Ulster is made up of nine traditional counties: Antrim, Armagh, Londonderry (also called Derry), Down, Fermanagh, and Tyrone in Northern Ireland; and Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland.
Ulster’s name comes from the Irish Cúige Uladh, meaning province of Ulster. The Irish word for province, Cúige, also means fifth. In ancient times, Ireland was divided into five provinces, and the Ulaid tribe lived in the north. The name eventually became Ulster.
Ulster has a population of around 2 million people. Its largest city is Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Mountains and lakes dominate Ulster’s landscape. The story of Cúchulainn, a hero of Irish folklore, is central to the Ulster cycle of ancient Irish tales. The Ulster cycle manuscripts date from about 1100. They include Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), the oldest epic of western Europe in a native language.
See also Cuchulainn; Ireland, History of; Northern Ireland.
