A Closer Look at the Glens of Antrim

The Nine Glens of Antrim dominate the 80 miles of cliff that span the north coast of the Emerald Isle. This breathtaking collection of deep glens was carved out during the Ice Age when melting and receding glaciers cut deep into the land and slowly created what we know and love today. 

The nine famous Glens, and the meaning behind their names, are as follows:

• Glenarm – Glen of the Army
• Glencloy – Glen of the Dykes
• Glenariff – Glen of the Plough
• Glenballyeamon – Edwardstown Glen
• Glanaan – Glen of the Little Fords
• Glencorp – Glen of the Dead
• Glendun – Brown Glen
• Glenshesk – Glen of the Sedges (Reeds)
• Glentaisie – Princess Taisie of Rathlin Island

 Each Glen boasts its own unique charm, quirks and characteristics in both the surrounding landscape and its people. 

In 2014 Emerald Heritage began life with a small patch of land in Glendun, part of the Glens of Antrim listed above, and since then we’ve helped Irish from around the world reconnect with their ancestral home whilst also conserving the landscape one plot and one native tree at a time!

If you haven’t been able to visit your land just yet (don’t worry, there’s always time!) then imagine a quiet patch of land bordered on one side by an old iron-gate and hand-built stonewall and on the other by lush woods with rolling hills in the far-off background. When you close your eyes you hear the sounds of birds and nearby farm animals and your face will be cooled by a light Irish mist or warmed by the welcome summer sun.   

When you open your eyes and pass the iron-gate you’ll find a rolling stretch of land that comes to an abrupt stop down in the far corner where the ruins of a 300-year-old Irish cottage and farm lie as a dormant reminder of a bygone age. Before that you’ll see native Irish trees, selected to complement and help the surrounding landscape, planted on behalf of Irish from around the world and hear the rustle of leaves as the wind sweeps through our little patch of heaven. 

The surrounding Glens are just as majestic and breathtaking. If you continue along the Causeway Coastal Route road, which directly passes Emerald Heritage land when you take the in-land route, you’ll eventually come across Loughareema, also known as the Vanishing Lake…

The Glens are also home to beautiful coastal villages including the lively Cushendall, where the annual summer festival includes a footrace up the nearby Lurig mountain, picturesque Cushendun, Carnlough, Waterfoot and Glenarm where the local Glenarm Castle has remained occupied for hundreds of years.

To top it all off, in Glenariff Forest Park, we have the Glenariff Waterfalls, otherwise known to locals as the “jewel of the Glens”.

This designated area of outstanding natural beauty knows no bounds and remains just as beautiful throughout the year no matter what season it is.