Old Map of Ireland – Ulster

 “The Province of Ulster described”

Here we offer a state of the art reproduction of this particularly fine hand coloured antique map of Ulster, the northern province of Ireland.

1. Title and Cartouche
Upper left: “The Province of Ulster described” – the decorative shield with a harp shows it is an Irish province.
The style of lettering and ornament strongly resembles maps published by John Speed (early 17th century).

2. Date and Origin

John Speed’s atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine was first published in 1611–1612 and as well as featuring maps of all the counties of England & Wales included maps of the Irish provinces. Later editions were printed through the 17th century.

3. Geography

Ulster is shown divided into its old counties: Donegal, Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Cavan, Londonderry (at that time known as “County Colrane”),

Surrounding seas are labelled “The West Ocean” and “The Irish Sea.” You can see Lough Neagh (spelled “Lough Naugh”) near the centre.

4. Inset Illustration
Bottom left: a perspective view titled “Enis Kelling Fort”, depicting a fortified castle on an island in Lough Erne (Enniskillen). Speed often added these little town plans or forts.

5. Decorative Elements

Compass rose, sea monsters, sailing ships – all typical of 17th-century decorative cartography.

Hand-colouring of county borders was usually added by colourists after printing.

6. Historical Significance

This old map would have been drawn shortly after the Plantation of Ulster begun in 1609, when the English crown was settling colonists in Ulster after the Nine Years’ War (1594–1603

It reflects the English administration’s new county boundaries and anglicised place names.

In summary:

Mapmaker John Speed
First Published 1611–1612 in The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine
Region Province of Ulster, Ireland
Insets Enis Kelling Fort (Enniskillen)
Style Early 17th-century English decorative map, hand-coloured
Purpose Display counties and new political divisions after Plantation

A beautiful example of a classic old Speed map of Ulster, the remaining originals being prized by collectors of early Irish cartography and a vivid snapshot of Ireland’s northern province just after the major political changes of the early 1600s.

• Stunning giclée fine art print on authentically aged heavy textured paper
• 12 Colour printing technology  •  Guaranteed to pass or exceed museum quality standards   •  Free UK Courier Delivery with tracking

Available in three sizes:  Large: 24″ x 31″ (61 x 78.7cms)   Medium: 18″ x 24″ (45.5 x 61cms)   Small: 19.5″ x 14″ (49.5 x 35.5cms)