Antrim

Names prominent in this county include: Alister, Cleary, Close, Cracken, Creed, Diamond, Donnell, Earle, Gee, Hara, Keon, Lavery, Lench, Lynch, Lynn, MacAlister, MacAllister, MacCleary, MacCracken, MacDonell , MacDonnel, MacDonnell, MacGee, MacKeon, MacNeil, MacNeill, MacQuillan, McAlister, McAllister, McClean, McCleary, McCleery, McCracken, McDonald, McDonell, McDonnel, McDonnell, McDougall, McElvenny, McGee, McKee, McKeon, McMamee, McNally, McNeil, McNeill, McQuillan, Mulholland, Neil, Neill, O'Donnellan, O'Flynn, O'Hamill, O'Hara, O'Hood, O'Keevan, O'Lavery, O'Lynn, O'Neil, O'Neill, O'Quin, O'Quinn, O'Shiel, Quillan, Quin, Quinn, Stewart

A town as well as a county, Antrim lies in the North East of Ireland facing the Irish Sea & bound by Lough Neagh and the river Bann. Once part of the historical Kingdom of Ulster Antrim has an ancient history that pre-dates the coming of Patrick by more than two thousand years. Credited as the original home of the Scoti tribe --who in the 6th century invaded, settled and eventually gave their name to modern day Scotland-- Ulster retained strong links to Scotland well into the next millennium. Roughly seven hundred years later Edward the Bruce left Scotland to invade Ulster. However, while Ulster’s history is often one of stormy conflict, it should also be noted that Ulster was one of the first homes of the Society of Friends; better known in America as the Quakers. - notes by Sarah Nagle

One of a series of Irish District tartans designed (and copyrighted) by Polly Wittering of the House of Edgar in 1995. This is not an 'officially sanctioned' District tartan but has proven popular.