Discover CS Lewis’s Narnia in Northern Ireland

By
Sally Coffey
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Dunluce Castlem County Antrim, Northern Ireland, CS Leiws, Narnia, Cair Paravel
Dunluce Castle in County Antrim may have been the original Cair Paravel

Together, the magical landscapes of County Antrim and County Down inspired one of the most fantastical worlds in English literature: Narnia

His preternatural land of Narnia, first introduced to the world with the publication in 1950 of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, fired the imaginations of generations of children. What child didn’t read CS Lewis’s series of seven fantasy novels, The Chronicles of Narnia, and wish they too could step into a wardrobe and out into another realm – one where talking animals led them on adventures to rid the world of evil, and they were rewarded by being crowned kings and queens? In Narnia, anything could happen and it often did.

Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast in 1898 and though he spent much of his life in England, he never forgot his homeland, which provided inspiration for his fictional world.

Scroll through these photos for a taste of the dramatic landscapes that fired his imagination and the legacy his stories have left.

Mountains of Mourne, Mourne Mountains, County Down, Narnia, CS Lewis
View to the Mourne Mountains from Murlough National Nature Reserve, County Down, Northern Ireland. Credit: National Trust Images/Joe Cornish
In a letter to his brother, CS Lewis said that Rostrevor and its surrounds played a part in his vision of Narnia. credit: NITB Photographic Library
In a letter to his brother, CS Lewis said that Rostrevor and its surrounds played a part in his vision of Narnia. credit: NITB Photographic Library
Cair Paravel, Dunluce Castle, Westeros, Narnia, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Visitors may also recognise Dunluce Castle from Game of Thrones. Credit: NITB Tourist Board
CS Lewis Reading Room, Narnia, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland
At Queen’s University the CS Lewis Reading Room includes engraved quotes from the writer and it also holds a collection of his private letters. Credit: NITB Photographic Library
Aslan statue, CS Lewis Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland, CS Lewis, Narnia trail
This statue of Aslan, the pivotal character in the novels, delights visitors to CS Lewis Square in Belfast. Credit: NITB Photographic Library
White Witch, snow queen, Jadis, Narnia, statue, CS Lewis Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Narnia
Statue of the White Witch – the epitome of evil in the novels – in CS Lewis Square. Credit: NITB Photographic Library

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