Old Map of Ulster in 1611 by John Speed - Belfast, Derry, Carrickfergus

Created by John Speed and engraved by Jodocus Hondius in Amsterdam, this map of Ulster was first published in 1611 as part of Speed's Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, the first complete atlas of the British Isles ever assembled. It shows Ireland's northernmost province at a moment of enormous change, only a couple of years after the Ulster Plantation had begun settling English and Scottish colonists across the region under King James I. Speed's map covers the historic nine counties of Ulster, taking in Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan, and is finished with the decorative cartouches and coats of arms typical of his work.

Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles, sits at the map's heart, with the River Bann flowing north out of it toward the coast. Belfast appears as a modest settlement on the Lagan at this date, long before its later industrial growth, while Carrickfergus, with its formidable Norman castle, was still the more important town on Belfast Lough. Further west, Derry is shown just as its transformation into a walled Plantation town was getting underway, and Enniskillen sits among the lakes of Fermanagh. The map also traces Strangford Lough on the Down coast and the high ground of the Mourne Mountains to its south, while Armagh, long regarded as Ireland's ecclesiastical capital, anchors the map's centre.

As a bold, richly detailed wall art print, this map is a striking way to bring early Irish history into a home. For anyone with family roots in Antrim, Down, Fermanagh or Derry, it makes a deeply personal Christmas or birthday gift, and it's just as fitting as a Mother's Day present for an Ulster-born mum living far from home. It also makes a considerate work leaving gift for a colleague heading back to Northern Ireland, or a housewarming present for a new home anywhere across the province.