Connacht
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Connacht
Connachta[1] | ||
---|---|---|
Eircode routing keys Beginning with F, H, N (primarily) | ||
Telephone area codes | 07x, 09x (primarily) | |
ISO 3166 code | IE-C[3] | |
a. ^ Connacht is part of the Midlands–North-West constituency; the five Connacht counties contain 36.2% of the population of this constituency.[4] |
Connacht or Connaught (
Between the reigns of
The Kingdom of Connacht collapsed in the 1230s because of civil war within the royal dynasty, which enabled widespread
Connacht's population was 1,418,859 in 1841.[8] Then came the Great Famine of the 1840s, which began a 120-year decline to under 400,000. The province has a population of just under 590,000 according to the preliminary results of the 2022 census.[9]
British cultural imperialism was weaker in the west of Ireland, and Connacht today has the highest number of Irish language speakers among the four Irish provinces. Currently, the total percentage of people who consider themselves as Irish speakers in Connacht is 39.8% (more than 202,000 persons).[10] There are Gaeltacht areas in Counties Galway and Mayo.
The province of Connacht has no official function for local government purposes, but it is an officially recognised subdivision of the Irish state. It is listed on
Name
The name comes from the medieval ruling dynasty, the Connacht, later Connachta, whose name means "descendants of Conn", from the mythical king Conn of the Hundred Battles. The name of the province in the Irish language is Connachta.[1] Originally Connacht was a singular collective noun, but it came to be used only in the plural Connachta, partly by analogy with plural names of other dynastic territories like Ulaid and Laigin, and partly because the Connachta split into different branches.[11] Before the Connachta dynasty, the province (cúige, "fifth") was known as Cóiced Ol nEchmacht. In Modern Irish, the province is usually called Cúige Chonnacht, "the Province of Connacht", where Chonnacht is plural genitive case with lenition of the C to Ch.
The usual English spelling in Ireland since the
Geography and political divisions
The province is divided into five traditional counties, the fewest of any province. These are: Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. Connacht is the smallest of the four Irish provinces both in terms of size and population. Galway is the only official city in the province.[20]
County | Population (2022) |
Area |
---|---|---|
Galway (Gaillimh) | 276,451 | 6,149 km2 (2,374 sq mi) |
Leitrim (Liatroim) | 35,087 | 1,590 km2 (610 sq mi) |
Mayo (Maigh Eo) | 137,231 | 5,586 km2 (2,157 sq mi) |
Roscommon (Ros Comáin) | 69,995 | 2,548 km2 (984 sq mi) |
Sligo (Sligeach) | 69,819 | 1,838 km2 (710 sq mi) |
Grand Total | 588,583 | 17,711 km2 (6,838 sq mi) |
Largest settlements
Rank | City name | County | Pop. | Rank | City name | County | Pop. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Galway |
1 | Galway | County Galway | 85,910 | 11 | Carrick-on-Shannon | County Leitrim | 4,743 | ![]() Castlebar |
2 | Sligo | County Sligo | 20,608 | 12 | Athenry | County Galway | 4,603 | ||
3 | Castlebar | County Mayo | 13,054 | 13 | Claremorris | County Mayo | 3,857 | ||
4 | Ballina | County Mayo | 10,556 | 14 | Ballinrobe | County Mayo | 3,148 | ||
5 | Tuam | County Galway | 9,647 | 15 | Boyle | County Roscommon | 2,915 | ||
6 | Westport | County Mayo | 6,872 | 16 | Gort | County Galway | 2,870 | ||
7 | Ballinasloe | County Galway | 6,597 | 17 | Ballyhaunis | County Mayo | 2,773 | ||
8 | Roscommon | County Roscommon | 6,555 | 18 | Ballaghaderreen | County Roscommon | 2,387 | ||
9 | Loughrea | County Galway | 6,322 | 19 | Castlerea | County Roscommon | 2,348 | ||
10 | Oranmore | County Galway | 5,819 | 20 | Bearna | County Galway | 2,336 |
Physical geography
The highest point of Connacht is
Much of the west coast (e.g. Connemara and Erris) is ruggedly inhospitable and not conducive for agriculture. It contains the main mountainous areas in Connacht, including the Twelve Bens, Maumturks, Mweelrea, Croagh Patrick, Nephin Beg, Ox Mountains, and Dartry Mountains.
Killary Harbour, one of Ireland's fjords (the others being Carlingford Lough and Lough Swilly), is located at the foot of Mweelrea. Connemara National Park is in County Galway. The Aran Islands, featuring prehistoric forts such as Dún Aonghasa, have been a regular tourist destination since the 19th century.
Inland areas such as east Galway, Roscommon and Sligo have enjoyed greater historical population density due to better agricultural land and infrastructure.
Rivers and lakes include the River Moy, River Corrib, the Shannon, Lough Mask, Lough Melvin, Lough Allen and Lough Gill.
The largest urban area in Connacht is Galway, with a population of 79,934. Other large towns in Connacht are Sligo (19,199), Castlebar (12,068) and Ballina (10,171).[22]
History
Early history
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Ireland_early_peoples_and_politics.gif/220px-Ireland_early_peoples_and_politics.gif)
Up to the early historic era, Connacht then included
Some of the more notable peoples or ethnic groups included the following:
- Conmaicne – west coast and northern areas of County Galway
- Dartraige– north-west County Leitrim
- Delbhna – south County Roscommon, and both sides of the Lough Corrib
- Fir Craibe – County Clare (then part of Connacht) and south-west Galway
- Fir Domnann – west coast of Mayo
- Soghain – most of east-central County Galway
By the 5th century, the pre-historic nations such as the
During the mid-8th century, what is now County Clare was absorbed into
The name Connacht arose from the most successful of these early dynasties, The Connachta. By 1050, they had extended their rule from Rathcroghan in north County Roscommon to large areas of what are now County Galway, County Mayo, County Sligo, and County Leitrim. The dynastic term was from then on applied to the overall geographic area containing those counties, and has remained so ever since.
Kingdom of Connacht
The most successful sept of the
Conchobar was a nominal
By the reign of
The single most substantial sub-kingdom in Connacht was
Though the Ó Ceallaigh's were never elevated to the provincial kingship, Uí Maine existed as a semi-independent kingdom both before and after the demise of the Connacht kingship.
Kings and High Kings
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Rory_O%27Connor_Stone_Carving.jpg/220px-Rory_O%27Connor_Stone_Carving.jpg)
Under kings
Tairrdelbach was highly innovative, building the first stone castles in Ireland, and more controversially, introducing the policy of primogeniture to a hostile Gaelic polity. Castles were built in the 1120s at Galway (where he based his fleet), Dunmore, Sligo and Ballinasloe, where he dug a new six-mile canal to divert the river Suck around the castle of Dun Ló. Churches, monasteries and dioceses were re-founded or created, works such as the Corpus Missal, the High Cross of Tuam and the Cross of Cong were sponsored by him.
Tairrdelbach annexed the
His son, Ruaidrí, became king of Connacht "without any opposition" in 1156. One of his first acts as king was arresting three of his twenty-two brothers, "Brian Breifneach, Brian Luighneach, and Muircheartach Muimhneach" to prevent them from usurping him. He blinded Brian Breifneach as an extra precaution.
Ruaidrí was compelled to recognise
However, his expulsion of
High medieval era
Connacht was first raided by the
Lesser lords of both ethnicities included
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Old-Galway.jpg/268px-Old-Galway.jpg)
The town of
Connacht was the site of two of the bloodiest battles in Irish history, the Second Battle of Athenry (1316) and the Battle of Knockdoe (1504). The casualties of both battles were measured in several thousand, unusually high for Irish warfare. A third battle at Aughrim in 1691 resulted in an estimated 10,000 deaths.
All of Connacht's lordships remained in states of full or semi-independence from other Gaelic-Irish and Anglo-Irish rulers until the late 16th century, when the
Confederate and Williamite Wars
During the 17th century representatives from Connacht played leading roles in
Early modern era
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Green_harp_flag_of_Ireland.svg/220px-Green_harp_flag_of_Ireland.svg.png)
Connacht was mainly at peace between 1691 and 1798. In 1798 Connacht was a major backdrop to the
A population explosion in the early 18th century was curbed by the Irish Famine, which led to many deaths and some emigration. Its memory has been overshadowed by the Great Famine (Ireland) one hundred years later.
The Famine to World War I
Connacht was the worst hit area in Ireland during the Great Famine, in particular, counties Mayo and Roscommon. In the Census of 1841, the population of Connacht stood at 1,418,859, the highest ever recorded. By 1851, the population had fallen to 1,010,031 and would continue to decline until the late 20th century.[25]
Politics
Irish language
The
According to the 2016 census, Irish is spoken outside of the education system on a daily basis by 9,455 people in the Galway County Gaeltacht areas.[27]
There are 202,667 Irish speakers in the province, over 84,000 in Galway and more than 55,000 in Mayo.
Sport
Gaelic games
Gaelic football and hurling dominate sport in Connacht with 212 Gaelic Athletic Association affiliated clubs in the province.[29]
Gaelic football is played throughout the province with the five counties annually competing in the Connacht Senior Football Championship to determine the provincial champion. Galway are the most successful side in Connacht with 48 Connacht titles and 9 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Mayo have been the dominant force in the province in recent years winning a five-in-a-row of Connacht titles from 2011 to 2015, and have regularly reached the semi-finals and finals of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.[30] No football team from Connacht has won the All-Ireland since Galway in 2001.
Hurling in Connacht mostly played in County Galway. Galway is the only team in the province to compete in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winning the Liam MacCarthy Cup five times. The Galway hurling team compete in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship due to the lack of competition in the province.[31]
Rugby union
Connacht is represented by
Connacht-based teams who have played in the
Other sports
Some other sports are overseen by provincial bodies, including in association football, where the Connacht Football Association is the governing body for a number of Connacht league and cup competitions. Traditionally there have been two main senior men's teams from the province that compete on a national level, Galway United F.C. and Sligo Rovers F.C. Both clubs have won various domestic honours.
Cricket is a minor, but growing, sport within the province. The Connacht Cricket Union, founded in 2010, is the governing body for cricket in the province.[32] There are cricket clubs based in Ballaghaderreen, Ballyhaunis, Galway, and Sligo. Connacht does not currently enter a team into the provincial competitions.
See also
- Galway city
- Connacht Senior Football Championship
- Grace O'Malley
- Kings of Umaill
- Kings of Uí Fiachrach Muaidhe
- Kings of Uí Maine
- Kings of Luighne Connacht
- Kings of Sliabh Lugha
- Corca Fhir Trí
- List of Cities and Towns in Connacht by population
- Coin of Connaught
- The Connaught Rangers
- Duke of Connaught
- Kings of Connacht
- Lords of Connaught
References
- ^ a b "Connacht (also Connaught)". foclóir.ie. Foras na Gaeilge. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Population by province". Central Statistics Office. 2016. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
- ^ a b "ISO 3166-2 Newsletter II-1 (including Irish language names for provinces and counties)" (PDF). International Organization for Standardization (ISO). 19 February 2010. p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ^ Census of Ireland 2016: 550,742 out of 1,521,592 total.
- ^ "Connacht" (US) and "Connacht". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 11 February 2020.
- ^ "Connacht". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Connacht". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol IV. London: Charles Knight. 1848. p. 858.
- ^ "Geographic Changes". Central Statistics Office. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ "Percentage of Irish Speakers and Non-Irish Speakers Aged 3 Years and Over 2011 to 2016 by Sex, County and City, Statistical Indicator and Census Year". Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- JSTOR 30006811.
- ISBN 978-1-4058-8117-3.
- ^ "Population of Saorstát Éireann and of each Province at each Census since 1881 and the Numbers of Marriages, Births and Deaths Registered in each Intercensal Period since 1871" (PDF). Census 1926 Volume 1 – Population, Area and Valuation of each DED and each larger Unit of Area. CSO. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ "European Assembly Elections Act, 1977, Schedule 2". Irish Statute Book. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ "European Parliament Elections Act, 1993, Section 9". Irish Statute Book. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ "European Parliament Elections Act, 1997, Schedule 3". Irish Statute Book. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ "S.I. No. 91/2014 – Statistics (Carriage of Passengers, Freight and Mail by Air) Order 2013". Irish Statute Book. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ "S.I. No. 200/1987 – Garda Síochána (Associations) (Superintendents and Chief Superintendents) Regulations, 1987". Irish Statute Book. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ "Connacht Rugby Website". www.connachtrugby.ie. Archived from the original on 25 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Table B – Population of administrative counties, 2011 and 2016". Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ "Census 2022 Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movements". CSO.
- ^ "Population and Birthplace 2016 by Alphabetical List of Towns, CensusYear and Statistic". Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Part 2 of MAC CARTHAIGH'S BOOK". Archived from the original on 14 September 2001.
- ^ "Ó Ceallaigh – Irish Names and Surnames". Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ "1861 Census: Decline of the Population in Ireland (Famine, Disease and Emigration)". www.libraryireland.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ "Government parties hope to woo electorate during six months". The Irish Times. 5 January 2004. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ "Census of Population 2016 – Profile 10 Education, Skills and the Irish Language. Irish Language and the Gaeltacht. The Gaeltacht". Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ "Percentage of Irish Speakers and Non-Irish Speakers Aged 3 Years and Over 2011 to 2016 by Sex, County and City, Statistical Indicator and Census Year". Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ "Infographic: The number of GAA clubs in every county in Ireland and every continent around the world". Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ Rooney, Declan (19 July 2015). "Mayo crush Sligo for Connacht five-in-a-row". RTÉ.
- ^ "Dublin have had better preparation ahead of Leinster final clash with Galway claims Cathal Moore". 6 July 2013. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ "Cricket Ireland expands into the west". The Irish Times. 8 November 2010. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
External links
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