Northern Ireland Facts and Figures

Northern Ireland is shown in dark yellow (Wikimedia map)

 Northern Ireland ranks 62nd among regions, states and provinces with markers in this database. Northern Ireland is a region of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is some 9 thousand square kilometers in size with a population of around 1.8 million people. The region is divided into eleven districts and five of them have entries in this database. In Northern Ireland we have discovered historical markers in 14 cities and towns lying in 96 postal delivery areas.

There are at least 193 historical markers in Northern Ireland, by our count. We have cataloged 191 historical markers and 37 war memorials—each individually presented on 217 illustrated, annotated, and searchable pages of the Historical Marker Database. In addition, we are reasonably certain of another two historical markers in Northern Ireland that we don’t yet have, and instead show on our Want List. Our correspondents have been finding and adding hundreds of markers a month to the database from all over the world, so next time you visit this page you will probably find that the numbers here have changed.

The first marker in the database, World Wars Memorial, was added December 11, 2013. It was photographed in Moy in Mid Ulster District. The last one added was submitted on June 22, 2019, and titled South Belfast Brigade Memorial. It is in Belfast. Keeping in mind that the erection date of many markers in the database is not known, the earliest historical marker we know of in Northern Ireland was erected in 1843. It was this one: Cole's Monument, and one of our correspondents found it in Enniskillen in Fermanagh And Omagh District on March 27, 2014.

The Northern Irish don’t want to forget their Man-Made Features history. How do we know? Because there are more historical markers in the database from Northern Ireland about Man-Made Features—121 of them—than about any other historical topic. It is followed by Patriots and Patriotism with 58 markers.

The first marker added to the database with the Man-Made Features topic was also World Wars Memorial, added December 11, 2013. It had been erected in Moy in Mid Ulster District. The last one submitted was submitted on June 22, 2019, and titled Shaftesbury Square. It had been erected in Belfast. The earliest marker erected with the Man-Made Features topic that we have listed was erected in 1843. It is Cole's Monument, found in Enniskillen in Fermanagh And Omagh District on March 27, 2014.

What is the most interesting historical marker in Northern Ireland? What we know is that Jane Ross and "Danny Boy" is the most viewed entry in the database from Northern Ireland since it was added in 2013. It is located in Limavady in Causeway Coast and Glens District. It is also the most viewed entry so far this year.

The Northern Irish district with the most historical markers listed in this database is Belfast, with 119 of them. It is followed by the Derry And Strabane District with 67 markers. In the Derry And Strabane District the area with the most markers, 66, is Derry-Londonderry.

Checking the database for the city or town in Northern Ireland with the most markers we again find Belfast at the top of the list with 119 markers in or near it. And Derry-Londonderry also shows up again in next place, with 66 markers. For the postal code with the most markers it’s BT3 9DT at the top of the list with 24 markers in its delivery area. It is followed by postal code BT1 5GS with twelve markers.

Getting back to Belfast, the first marker added to the database from there, Great Victoria Street Station, was added May 13, 2019. . The last one submitted—also the last one submitted in all of Northern Ireland—was uploaded on June 22, 2019, and is titled South Belfast Brigade Memorial. The earliest marker erected in Belfast that we have listed was erected in 1859. It was Calder Fountain on June 11, 2019.

By William Fischer, Jr., May 14, 2019

Latest Entry from Northern Ireland
“South Belfast Brigade Memorial”

And finally the first, last, and oldest markers from Derry-Londonderry. The first: Magazine Gate, was added December 25, 2013. The last: Mc Nutt, Phelan, and Mc Shane Memorial added on January 22, 2014. The earliest marker erected was erected in 1994: The Petrol Bomber, added on January 7, 2014.

There is no organization in charge of erecting official historical markers region-wide in Northern Ireland today. A number of districts have erected historical markers on their streets and roads and within their public areas, as have some cities and towns.

Then there are national government agencies that put up historical markers, especially in national parks and other areas under their jurisdiction. And finally, there are the numerous public and private organizations and individuals that erect markers. Some do this as a continual endeavor, and others once in a while, to mark something, someone, or someplace they find important or interesting. When one of our correspondents comes across one that satisfies our criteria, we add it to the database.

Northern Ireland offers both and there is plenty of history to check out. If you live in or are visiting Northern Ireland, hit the road and check out places where something of interest once occured, or where famous or infamous people once stood. Our database can help you find some of these places. And perhaps you’ll find some we don’t know about and will take the time to photograph them and add them to the database. Happy Hunting!