Located in the northern part of Europe, the Northern Ireland belongs to the United Kingdom, a region where people speak not only English, but also Irish and Ulster Scots.
Starting with 1998, the Northern Ireland is a region that governs itself, but cooperates with the other regions belonging to the United Kingdom.
The major geographic characteristic of the region is the Lough Neagh, a 391 square kilometers lake, which is the largest in Ireland and the British islands as well. The higher areas, known as the Sperrin Mountains, are rich in gold, although they do not have high altitudes when compared to other mountain ranges in Europe.
The largest and most important city in Northern Ireland is Belfast, a large metropolitan area where about one third of the Northern Irish population lives.
The climate in Northern Ireland is temperate maritime, having wet periods in the west and east. Thick clouds cover the sky almost all year long, and the seasons are not very well separated one from the other. In Belfast, the average temperature is about 17 degrees Celsius in July and about 6 degrees Celsius during the winter months.
The Northern Ireland is divided into smaller counties, which no longer have administrative roles. Each county covers a certain geographical area and has a main city. In many parts of the Northern Ireland people are involved in the shipbuilding industry, rope manufacture and textiles. These are the main sectors of activity in the region.
Tourism has an important role as well. More and more people are attracted by the old medieval castles, monuments and monasteries that can be easily found in the region. The oldest castles were built during the Norman period, but numerous fortified houses and buildings can still be seen in many of the counties.
As an example, the first settlement dates around 7,000 BC and there are others which display the artistry of the Stone Age. Tourists also come to see the early signs of Christianity in the country, as the region is rich in monasteries, gravestones and abbeys.
Carrickfergus is known as the most astonishing Irish stronghold, being ready to face battles even nowadays. The castle was built around 1177 by John de Courcy and was in use until 1928. People come and visit the museum inside of it, where even canons from the 17th century can be admired, to give just one example. The visit to the castle is a rapid lap in time that people simply love to make.
The Enniskillen Castle is just another popular stop on the tourists’ itineraries. The building was once a stronghold of the Gaelic Maguire Chieftains. Built about 600 years ago, the castle was turned nowadays into two wonderful museums where people come to admire the great exhibitions.
People that love history and travels back in time are very tempted to choose Northern Ireland as their travel destination, as the region is able to take us 9,000 years back in time.
There is a lot of information about the pre Christian times here, when it is believed that magic, druids, fairies, warriors and heroes populated the land. In the 4th century, Saint Patrick spread The Christian faith in the country, and even nowadays it is considered to be the patron saint of Ireland.
Later on, in the 12th century, the Normans managed to conquer the island, and only after centuries the English army managed to take control over it once again. Settlers came from England and the region began to develop quickly.
The city of Belfast was created in 1613 and it started to develop and extend, outpacing Carrickfergus. After the religious Reformation, Ireland became a Protestant nation.
But not only history lovers come to Northern Ireland. For many tourists, it is the coarse angler that attracts them, as the country has been elected to be one of the best fishing places in the entire Europe. People usually go fishing on Lough Erne in Fermanagh or on the Upper Bann River.
It is important to know that many fishing world records are linked to these spots in Northern Ireland. And the people that get a license to fish in Northern Ireland need to return the catches into the waters.
Northern Ireland boasts with a multitude of great fishing places, and Belfast and the environs represent just one such example, right on Lagan River. It is the place where people fish for gudgeon, pike, roach and rudd.
County Antrim is another preferred region fit for fishing. There are three popular canal stretches where bream, perch, pike and the rouch can be caught. Fishermen need to have a permit in order to fish here. It is in this region that the majority of Public Angling Estate with fisheries are located.
Northern Ireland is considered to offer a world class game of fishing, with many spots where salmons, grisles or sea trouts can be caught. There are hundreds of miles of rivers, freshwater lakes, sea loughs, wonderful places where anglers will feel like in paradise. Game fishing is allowed starting February till October, but there are certain spots where fishing is allowed all year long.
Northern Ireland is the perfect destination for sea fishing as well, and this is mainly due to the clean and unpolluted waters around the island. There are numerous fishing opportunities one can benefit from. Among the numerous places to go sea fishing, there is the Causeway Coast of Country Antrim, for example, where people catch wrasse, cod, whiting, plaice, flatfish and many other fish species.
A rod license is not necessary for sea angling in these regions, but all fishermen should be correctly advised depending on the region they want to go fishing.
As Northern Ireland has gained a top position when it comes to fishing places, there should be no wonder that several types of accommodation have been created and built in order to satisfy the needs of people that visit the region with this purpose in their minds.
There are accommodation facilities to fit any budget, from the most elegant to the simplest one, and during the months of the year when fishing is allowed, they do not lack clients.