Belfast Lower

Belfast Lower

*Béal Feirste Íochtarach*^[1] (Irish)
Belfast Lower Béal Feirste Íochtarach (Irish)
	Location of Belfast Lower, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Northern Ireland
County	Antrim

Belfast Lower is a barony in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.^[2] 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.^[2] The Forth and Milewater rivers both flow through Belfast Lower, with Larne harbour also situated in the barony.^[1]

Roughfort

Roughfort is a medieval motte located in the barony which was used as an assembly point for the United Irishmen who were under the command of Henry Joy McCracken prior to the Battle of Antrim on 7 June 1798.^[3] Thousands of Presbyterians from the surrounding area of the Six Mile Water valley rose up and fought in the battle.^[3] Opposite the motte is a Liberty Tree, an American tradition where revolutionary notices where pinned to a tree.^[3] Whilst Liberty Trees in Ireland were planted in 1798, it is speculated that the one at Roughfort may have been planted the following year.^[3]

List of settlements

Below is a list of settlements in Belfast Lower:^[1]

Towns

Ballyclare (split with barony of Antrim Upper)
Newtownabbey
Larne (Belfast Lower portion)

Villages

Population centres

Browns Bay
Magheramorne
Mossley
Straid
Whitewell

List of civil parishes

Below is a list of civil parishes in Belfast Lower:^[4]^[5]

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

^ ^a ^b ^c "Belfast Lower". Placenames Database of Ireland. Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
^ ^a ^b PRONI Baronies of Northern Ireland
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Roughfort Motte". Touring Newtownabbey. Newtownabbey Borough Council. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
^ "PRONI Civil Parishes of County Antrim". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
^ "Baronies and parishes of County Antrim". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2011.