Antrim, County Antrim

According to tradition, a monastery was founded at Antrim in AD 495, thirty years after the death of Saint Patrick, to take forward his ministry, with a small settlement growing up around it. The round tower (see below), also known as "the Steeple", is all that remains. The original name of Antrim was , Irish for 'lone house', referring to the monks' house. This later became or was reinterpreted as ('lone ridge'). In the early Middle Ages, the area was part of the Gaelic territory of Dál Araide, which covered much of what is now County Antrim. At the eastern edge of town is a ringfort called Rathmore (, 'great fort'), which was the royal residence of the kings of Dál Araide. In the late…

There were several incidents in and around Antrim during the Troubles. In 1976, six civilians (five Protestants and one Catholic) were shot and killed during a UVF gun attack on the Ramble Inn pub near Antrim.