As part of a new series of examining why we love our counies, JOE takes a close look at Antrim and what makes it the ‘lone-ridge’ county so special.
Sporting moment – St. Galls All-Ireland club champions, 2010
Without ever winning an All-Ireland title at senior level in either football or hurling, victorious days for Antrim teams at Croke Park, such as in 2010, are long savoured.
In 1983, Loughiel Shamrocks became the first Antrim club to win the club All-Ireland title, a feat they repeated last year, but it was the success of St. Gall’s in the 2010 decider that really captured the imagination.
After winning the Antrim Championship in 2001 for the first time in eight years, they went on to dominate the competition, winning it eleven out of the following 12 years. However, Ulster was far more difficult, winning just twice, but the second occasion in 2009 proved to be a catalyst for greater things.
Victory celebrations in Croke Park
The following St. Patrick’s Day they lined up against Kilmurray-Ibrickane, another strong club is a county with little senior inter-county success. St. Galls demonstrated all the skill and determination that got them to the final and more as they saw off the Banner men by five points on the day, fully deserving of their famous victory and the first ever Antrim side to win the senior club title.
Further proof of their achievement is that outside of Crossmaglen Rangers, they are the only other Ulster side to have won the competition since Lavey of Derry in 1991.
Giants Causeway
Antrim is home to one of the most famous landmarks in the country with the Giant’s Causeway. With more than 40,000 inter-locking basalt columns, thousands of tourists flock to the location every year to learn more about the geographical site, plus to hear tales about Fionn MacCumhaill. The folklore is every bit as good as the views themselves.
Breathtaking views on the Antrim coastline
First announced to the world in 1693 by a Trinity scholar, it had in fact been discovered by the Bishop of Derry a year earlier.
One of the must-sees for any visitor to Irish shores.
Black-taxi tours Belfast
Few cities in the world can tell as compelling a story as that of Belfast. The largest city in Northern Ireland has witnessed some of the darkest days of the Troubles during times of great civil unrest, as well being being home to huge industries such as linen, boat-building and tobacco production.
One of the many murals to be seen on the tour
The black-taxi tours give a real insight into the city, from the shipyards, to the scenes of the troubles to the great divide between two communities. And above all else it is done with typical Belfast wit.
