Ireland – Ulster

Historical Background

Published by Joan Blaeu in Amsterdam in 1654, this old map presents Ulster through its counties, waterways and older territorial names. Its title, Ultonia; Hibernis Cui-Guilly; Anglis Ulster, gives names for the province in several languages. The engraved landscape reaches from Donegal’s Atlantic coast to Antrim and Down, extending south through Cavan and Monaghan to include Louth.

Map Details

• Original title: Ultonia; Hibernis Cui-Guilly; Anglis Ulster
• Mapmaker and publisher: Joan Blaeu
• First published: Amsterdam, 1654
• Source publication: Blaeu’s Atlas Novus, volume devoted to Scotland and Ireland
• Area shown: Historic Ulster, adjoining districts and County Louth
• Orientation: North at the top
• Format: Engraved atlas map, with colour applied separately to the original impression
• Notable features: Lough Neagh, Lough Erne, Inishowen, coloured county divisions, sailing ships and an animal-decorated title cartouche

Ulster’s Historic Boundaries

The map should not be read as a map of modern Northern Ireland. Historic Ulster encompasses nine counties, including Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan, which are now in the Republic of Ireland. Blaeu’s engraving also places Louth within the coloured area of the province, although Louth belongs to Leinster today. This southern extension is a particularly revealing feature of the map’s inherited geography.

The labels preserve older forms of familiar names. Donegal appears as Tirconnell, while Antrim and Down are written as Antrym and Downe. Across the interior, county names sit beside smaller territorial labels and family names. These layers make the engraving more than a simple diagram of county boundaries.

Loughs, Peninsulas and the Scottish Coast

Lough Neagh forms a dark, conspicuous shape near the centre-right of the sheet. Farther west, the island-filled waters of Lough Erne dominate Fermanagh. Rivers link these inland waters with a coastline broken by bays, headlands and narrow inlets.

Inishowen projects prominently into the northern sea, with Malin at its tip. The long indentations of Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle help distinguish the peninsula from neighbouring Donegal. Across the water, fragments of Scotland appear at the upper-right edge, placing Ulster within its wider maritime setting.

Relief is represented by small pictorial hills, while clusters of trees and settlement symbols provide texture throughout the counties. This is seventeenth-century atlas geography: it records a recognisable landscape without the road network or measured contours expected on a modern map.

Animals, Heraldry and Ships

The lower-left title cartouche is surrounded by animals, with a horse and horned cattle above the lettering and sheep beside it. A crowned Irish harp rises over the title. These details reward close inspection and give the map a character distinct from Blaeu’s other regional engravings.

Royal arms occupy the upper-left sea, while sailing ships are distributed around the northern and eastern coasts. Beneath the title sit distance scales and Blaeu’s publisher’s imprint. The colouring distinguishes neighbouring districts while leaving the engraved place-names and waterways legible.