What is an ulster?

Ulster (/ˈʌlstər/ UL-stər; from Old English: Ūlster) is a province in the north of the island of Ireland. Before partition, it covered nine counties of the thirty-two of Ireland. Six of the nine counties (County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry and County Tyrone) are in Northern Ireland, while the remaining three (County Cavan, County Donegal, and County Monaghan) are in the Republic of Ireland. The population of the nine counties is about 2,057,000.

Ulster is the second largest Irish province, consisting of about one-fifth of the area of the island. It has two of the four highest peaks in Ireland: Slieve Donard (849 metres or 2,785 feet) and Mount Errigal (751 metres or 2,464 feet). The largest town in Ulster is Belfast, on Belfast Lough at the mouth of the River Lagan. The second largest town is Derry (or Londonderry). Other major population centres include Lisburn, Newry, Craigavon, and Coleraine.