Province

Ulster

The north that most visitors miss entirely

Ulster is Ireland at its most elemental - coastlines that take your breath away, history that goes back past the Celts, and a welcome that's all the warmer for being unexpected. Nine counties, two jurisdictions, one province worth knowing properly.

Counties
9
Guides
11
Itineraries
1
Map of Ulster province showing county boundaries

Getting to Ulster

✈️
Fly in
Belfast International, Belfast City, City of Derry Airport
🚗
Drive from Dublin
1h 45m to Belfast, 3h to Donegal Town
🚂
Rail
Dublin to Belfast Enterprise (2h). Limited within Ulster.
⛴️
Ferry
Cairnryan to Belfast (2h 20m) from Scotland
Heritage & Ancestry

Ulster's clan history is among the most complex in Ireland - O'Neill, O'Donnell, MacQuillan. The province's surnames are a reliable indicator of deep roots: Gallagher, Doherty, McLaughlin in Donegal; Campbell, McAuley in Antrim.