According to tradition, a monastery was founded at Antrim in AD 495, thirty years after the death of Saint Patrick, to take forward his ministry, with a small settlement growing up around it.

[7] In the early Middle Ages, the area was part of the Gaelic territory of Dál Araide, which covered much of what is now County Antrim.

[8] At the eastern edge of town is a ringfort called Rathmore (Ráth Mór, 'great fort'), which was the royal residence of the kings of Dál Araide.

[9] In the late 12th century, the area was conquered by Anglo-Normans led by John de Courcy, becoming part of the Earldom of Ulster.

[10] The Anglo-Norman earldom collapsed in the early 14th century and Antrim became part of the Gaelic territory of Clannaboy.

Its goal was to unite Catholics and Protestants and to end British monarchical rule over Ireland and to found a sovereign, independent Irish republic.

Before the Act of Union, the parliamentary borough of Antrim returned two members to the Irish House of Commons by virtue of letters patent granted in 1666 by Charles II.

Steeple House, a substantial 18th-century mansion which was home to the Clark family and then became the headquarters of Antrim Borough Council, was destroyed in a fire in July 2019.

[14] As with the rest of Northern Ireland, Antrim experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters.

The nearest official Met Office weather station for which online records are available is at Belfast International Airport,[15] under 4 miles to the south of the town centre.

[48] The association football club, Chimney Corner F.C., plays its home games in Allen Park on Castle Road.