Ulster

The province of Ulster in the north of the Republic of Ireland includes the three southern counties of the former larger province of the single united Ireland. The modern province was once part of the ancient kingdom of Ulaid that was captured by the Anglo-Normans in 1177. In 1205 King John of England made the kingdom an earldom under Hugh de Lacy, founder of the de Burgh family who held the land until 1333. Then it passed by marriage to a son of Edward III and thus to the English crown. The clans of O'Donnell and O'Neil, Catholic leaders of the province, rebelled unsuccessfully against English rule from 1594 to1607. Scottish Presbyterians were settled in the area, which became largely Protestant, especially in the six northernmost counties. Those six refused to accept Irish Home Rule in 1920 and thus became the separate country of Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster. The remaining three, Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan, formed the modern Irish province of Ulster, which culturally still retains considerable English influence. The 2003 estimated population was 248,600.