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87-664: The MacGeraghty clan are descended from the Siol Muireadaigh of the Kingdom of Connacht , the same Gaelic lineage and homeland as the Ó Conchubhair dynasty. Their lands were originally situated in the Barony of Roscommon . They were rulers of Clann Tomaltaigh and the Muintir Roduib and are referred to in the topographical poem Tuilleadh feasa ar Éirinn óigh by Giolla na Naomh Ó hUidhrín . Members of this Clan are said to have named

174-498: A taoiseach or chief who had the status of royalty and the smaller and more dependent clans were led by chieftains. Under brehon law , the leaders of Irish clans were appointed by their kinsmen as custodians of the clan and were responsible for maintaining and protecting their clan and its property. The clan system formed the basis of society up to the 17th century. According to T. F. O'Rahilly , in his works Goides and Their Predecessors and later Early Irish History , there were

261-682: A centralised royal administration in which the county and the sheriff replaced the "country" and the clan chief. When the Kingdom of Ireland was created in 1541, the Dublin administration wanted to involve the Gaelic chiefs into the new entity, creating new titles for them such as the Baron Upper Ossory , Earl of Tyrone , and Baron Inchiquin . In the process, they were granted new coats of arms from 1552. The associated policy of surrender and regrant involved

348-650: A change to succession to a title by the European system of primogeniture , and not by the Irish tanistry , where a group of male cousins of a chief were eligible to succeed by election. The early 17th century was a watershed in Ireland. It marked the destruction of Ireland's ancient Gaelic aristocracy following the Tudor re-conquest and cleared the way for the Plantation of Ulster . In 1607

435-456: A four generation group in early medieval Ireland but in late medieval Ireland it was almost always the son, brother or nephew of the king. As per O'Rahilly's doctrine, the Cruthin were the first Celts to settle in Ireland between about 800 and 500 BC. In line with this, according to Cairney, from them descended the following Irish tribes. Although it is not possible to prove O'Rahilly's history of

522-747: A group known as the Feni who came to Ireland directly from the Continent and according to tradition landed in south Kerry and the Boyne estuary. The earlier inhabitants of the country fiercely resisted the newcomers who were referred to as the Gaeil because they spoke the Gaelic language . The power and influence of the Gaeils gradually spread over the next three centuries, northwards, from Kerry into Tipperary and Limerick , as well as to

609-589: A historic manuscript written in the 11th century, also known as the Book of the Invasions of Ireland , and not historic facts based on contemporary evidence. J. P. Mallory stated that O'Rahilly has argued that this manuscript showed that the medieval people of Ireland had seen a series of invasions from whom various dynasties and families might have traced their origins to. According to Mallory, Ireland may have been inhabited by Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) hunters, but that

696-570: A patrilineal grandfather or great-grandfather. However, according to Eoin MacNeill , the system known as Tanistry which also took place before the position of king or chief had become vacant is not found in records until the time of feudalism in Ireland which was not until the time of the Normans, and it was preceded by the similar system known as Rigdomna but which took place only after the position of king or chief had become vacant. This theory however,

783-730: A period of time and the leaders of some were accorded the status of royalty in Gaelic Ireland. Some of the more important septs to achieve this power were O'Connor in Connacht, MacCarthy of Desmond and O'Brien of Thomond in Munster, Ó Neill of Clandeboy in Ulster, and MacMorrough Kavanagh in Leinster. The largely symbolic role of High king of Ireland tended to rotate among the leaders of these royal clans. The larger or more important clans were led by

870-613: A third of the population by 1655. One of the last battles fought in pre-20th century Ireland occurred in Connacht, the Battle of Aughrim on 12 July 1691. Connacht was mainly at peace between 1691 and 1798. In 1798 Connacht was a major backdrop to the Irish Rebellion of 1798 when French forces under General Jean Humbert of the French Republic landed in Killala, County Mayo to link up with

957-598: A total of four waves of Celtic invasions of the British Isles and that the first three of these were pre-Gaelic. According to O'Rahilly, these were people who had largely remained unconquered by the Romans whose territory was mostly restricted to the broad plains of England . A larger part of England remained out of the control of the West Germanic people who invaded after the imperial collapse of Roman Britain and who founded

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1044-507: Is 39.8% (more than 202,000 persons). 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 ISO-3166-2 as one of the four provinces of Ireland and "IE-C" is attributed to Connacht as its country sub-division code. Along with counties from other provinces, Connacht lies in

1131-462: Is a borrowing from the Latin planta , meaning 'a plant, an offshoot, offspring, a single child or children, by extension race or descendants'. For instance, the O'Daly family were poetically known as Clann Dalaigh , from a remote ancestor called Dalach. Clann was used in the later Middle Ages to provide a plural for surnames beginning with Mac meaning 'son of'. For example, "Clann Cárthaigh" meant

1218-557: Is also possible to identify from Ptolemy's map the Dál Riata of Antrim who later founded a powerful kingdom in Argyll , Scotland. The 11th century Lebor Gabála Érenn or Book of the Invasions of Ireland , describes a series of failed invasions of Ireland before settlement in the 8th century. However, by the 8th century battles in Ireland were not between the natives and invaders but between tribes and dynasties for control of different parts of

1305-621: Is demonstrated in the noun moccu in names such as Muirchu moccu Machtheni , which indicated a person was of the Machtheni people. As evidenced by kings such as Mac Cairthinn mac Coelboth (died 446) and Ailill Molt (died c. 482), even by the 5th century the gens was giving way to kinship all over Ireland, as both men were identified as of the Uí Enechglaiss and Uí Fiachrach dynasties, not of tribes. By 700, moccu had been entirely replaced by mac and hua (later Mac and Ó ). During

1392-616: 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 . Up to

1479-501: Is one of the four provinces of Ireland , in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach , Uí Briúin , Uí Maine , Conmhaícne , and Delbhna ). Between the reigns of Conchobar mac Taidg Mór (died 882) and his descendant, Aedh mac Ruaidri Ó Conchobair (reigned 1228–33), it became a kingdom under the rule of the Uí Briúin Aí dynasty, whose ruling sept adopted

1566-499: 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

1653-688: Is the largest Irish-speaking region in Ireland, taking in Cois Fharraige , parts of Connemara , Conamara Theas , the Aran Islands , Dúithche Sheoigeach (Joyce Country) and the Galway City Gaeltacht . Irish-speaking areas in County Mayo can be found in Iorras , Acaill and Tourmakeady . According to the 2016 census, Irish is spoken outside of the education system on a daily basis by 9,455 people in

1740-420: Is the smallest of the four Irish provinces both in terms of size and population. Galway is the only official city in the province. [REDACTED] Sligo [REDACTED] Ballina The highest point of Connacht is Mweelrea (814 m), in County Mayo. The largest island in Connacht (and Ireland) is Achill . The biggest lake is Lough Corrib . Much of the west coast (e.g. Connemara and Erris )

1827-579: The Connaught Telegraph (founded 1830) retains the anglicised spelling in its name, whereas the Connacht Tribune (founded 1909) uses the Gaelic. Connacht Rugby who represent the region and are based in Galway , use the Gaelic spelling also. The province is divided into five traditional counties , the fewest of any province. These are: Galway , Leitrim , Mayo , Roscommon and Sligo . Connacht

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1914-491: The Barony of Athlone . Geoffrey Keating ’s History of Ireland records that: " Mac Oiraghty of the steeds was the ruling chief of Muintir Roduiv of rightful laws - A fearless warrior as he ranged the woods " The clan name MacGeraghty lead to the anglicised name Geraghty, descendants of the family are still found in large numbers in County Galway , County Mayo , County Roscommon , County Sligo and among

2001-514: The C to Ch . The usual English spelling in Ireland since the Gaelic revival is Connacht , the spelling of the disused Irish singular. The official English spelling during English and British rule was the anglicisation Connaught , pronounced / ˈ k ɒ n ɔː t / or / ˈ k ɒ n ə t / . This was used for the Connaught Rangers , an Irish regiment in the British Army ; in

2088-725: The Clan Fearghaill whose chiefs were the O'Hallorans , the MacCotters , and the O'Doyles . The following surnames found in Ireland are believed to be of Norman origin and to have arrived following the Norman invasion of Ireland: Barry , Branne, Burke , Butler , Condon , Cusak , Dalton , Darcy , de Covcy, Dillon , Fagun, Fitzgerald , MacGibbon, French , Hackett , Jordan , Keating , Lacy , Lynch , MacCostello , Martin, Nugent, Power, Purcell , Rothes, Sarsfield , Wall. The following surnames are believed to have come to Ireland with

2175-574: The Gaels or Gaeils were the fourth and final wave of Celtic settlement in Ireland which took place during the first century BC. In line with this, according to Cairney, from them descended the following Irish tribes. Although it is not possible to prove O'Rahilly's history of the four Celtic invasions of Ireland or that the Gaels or Gaeils were the fourth of these invasions, or that the following Irish tribes descended from them, according to historian Sean Duffy, with

2262-520: The Irish diaspora . Related surnames that derive from the same Gaelic root are: The name Geraghty may refer to: Irish clans Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or fine in Irish, plural finte ) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives; however, Irish clans also included unrelated clients of

2349-651: The Iron Age . During this time, the Irish people came into contact with Roman traders. According to the writers of Ulster: An Illustrated History , there is evidence for the Ulaid who are referred to as the Erainn by some genealogists which is also the name given on Ptolemy's map of Ireland which dates from the second century AD for the Iverni who lived in County Cork , as well as being

2436-643: The Midlands–North-West constituency for elections to the European Parliament . 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 . Originally Connacht was a singular collective noun , but it came to be used only in

2523-502: The Oirialla in the north-east where they controlled what is now the counties of Tyrone , Armagh , Fermanagh and Monaghan . There was also the Ulaidh who inhabited what is now the counties of Down and Antrim . Within these large areas there were up to 150 small divisions known as Túath and the names of many of these are reflected today in the names of the Irish baronies that make up

2610-631: The Turoe stone and the Castlestrange stone , whatever their purpose, denote the ambition and achievement of those societies, and their contact with the La Tène culture of mainland Europe. In the early historic era (c. A.D. 300 – c. A.D. 600), Ol nEchmacht was not a united kingdom but a region. It comprised dozens of major and minor túath ; rulers of larger túatha ( Maigh Seóla , Uí Maine , Aidhne and Máenmaige ) were accorded high-king status, while peoples such as

2697-695: The United Irishmen . Together, the French army and United Irishmen rebels defeated a force of Crown troops at the Races of Castlebar before proclaiming the Irish Republic , which later became better known as the "Republic of Connacht" as its area of effective control never extended beyond the province. The Republic, and the Rebellion itself, was effectively crushed at the Battle of Ballinamuck . A population explosion in

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2784-483: The usurper Flaithbertaigh Ua Flaithbertaigh gained the kingship in 1092 by the expedient of blinding King Ruaidrí na Saide Buide . After 1102 the Ua Ruairc's and Ua Flaithbertaigh's were suborned and confined to their own kingdoms of Bréifne and Iar Connacht . From then until the death of the last king in 1474, the kingship was held exclusively by the Ó Conchobair's. The single most substantial sub-kingdom in Connacht

2871-626: The 1230s because of civil war within the royal dynasty, which enabled widespread Hiberno-Norman settlement under Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Baron of Connaught , and his successors. The Norman colony in Connacht shrank from c. 1300 to c. 1360, with events such as the 1307 battle of Ahascragh (see Donnchad Muimnech Ó Cellaigh ), the 1316 Second Battle of Athenry and the murder in June 1333 of William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster , all leading to Gaelic resurgence and colonial withdrawal to towns such as Ballinrobe , Loughrea , Athenry , and Galway . Well into

2958-514: The 16th century, kingdoms such as Uí Maine and Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe remained beyond English control, while many Norman families such as de Burgh, de Bermingham, de Exeter, de Staunton, became entirely Gaelicised . Only in the late 1500s, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland , was Connacht shired into its present counties . Connacht's population was 1,418,859 in 1841. Then came the Great Famine of

3045-431: 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 . Anglicisation was less prominent 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

3132-693: 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. Connacht is represented by Connacht Rugby in

3219-709: The Corpus Missal , the High Cross of Tuam and the Cross of Cong were sponsored by him. Tairrdelbach annexed the Kingdom of Mide ; its rulers, the Clann Cholmáin , became his vassals. This brought two of Ireland's five main kingdoms under the direct control of Connacht. He also asserted control over Dublin , which was even then being recognised as a kind of national capital. His son, Ruaidrí, became king of Connacht "without any opposition" in 1156. One of his first acts as king

3306-449: The Cruthin as invaders, including by Ian Adamson . O'Rahilly's history has been entirely unaccepted by some historians including Francis John Byrne . According to Myles Dillon and Nora K. Chadwick , while O'Rahilly's version of history has been accepted by some scholars and dismissed by others, it is an entirely traditional history that he had sourced from Lebor Gabála Érenn which was

3393-581: The Dumnonii or Laigin were the third of these invasions, or that the following Irish tribes descended from them, according to historian Sean Duffy, with the exception of the Ciarraighe Loch na nAirne and the Feara Cualann, the existence of all of the following Irish tribes in around the 7th century is supported by the literature of the time that came to Ireland with Christianity. As per O'Rahilly's doctrine,

3480-465: The English nation. O'Rahilly's version of the origins of the Irish, as supported by C. Thomas Cairney and John Grenham is as follows: The first of the Celtic invaders of Ireland were known as the Cruthin who arrived between 800 and 500 BC . The second wave of Celts to come to Ireland were known as the Erainn and this is supposedly where the Gaelic name for Ireland, Erin , originated from. These people arrived between 500 and 100 BC. They came from

3567-425: The Gaeltacht, in Irish medium education or native Irish speakers who no longer live in Gaeltacht areas but still live in the province. Gaelic football and hurling dominate sport in Connacht with 212 Gaelic Athletic Association affiliated clubs in the province. Gaelic football is played throughout the province with the five counties annually competing in the Connacht Senior Football Championship to determine

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3654-464: The Gailenga, Corco Moga and Senchineoil were lesser peoples given the status of Déisi . All were termed kingdoms, but according to a graded status, denoting each according the likes of lord, count, earl, king. Some of the more notable peoples or ethnic groups included the following: By the 5th century, the pre-historic nations such as the Auteini and Nagnatae – recorded by Ptolemy (c. AD 90 – c. 168) in Geography – gave way to dynasties. This

3741-409: The Galway County Gaeltacht areas. There are 202,667 Irish speakers in the province, over 84,000 in Galway and more than 55,000 in Mayo. There is also the 4,265 attending the 18 Gaelscoileanna (Irish language primary schools) and three Gaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary schools) outside the Gaeltacht across the province. Between 7% and 10% of the province are either native Irish speakers from

3828-407: The Norman invasion but are believed to have been of Flemish origin: Tobin , Flemming , Prendergast . The following surnames are believed to have come to Ireland with the Norman invasion but are believed to have been of Welsh origin: Roche , Blake , Joyce , MacQuillan , Rice , Taffe, Walsh , Savage. In the 16th century, English common law was introduced throughout Ireland, along with

3915-415: The annals as late "King of Connacht and of All Ireland, both the Irish and the English." Connacht was first raided by the Anglo-Normans in 1177 but not until 1237 did encastellation begin under Richard Mor de Burgh (c. 1194–1242). New towns were founded ( Athenry , Headford , Castlebar ) or former settlements expanded ( Sligo , Roscommon , Loughrea , Ballymote ). Both Gael and Gall acknowledged

4002-452: The area which is today known as Belgium and had superior iron weaponry, and thus eventually reduced the Irish Cruthin to tributary status. The third wave of Celtic settlement in Ireland came from Continental Europe during the first century BC and this was probably because of pressure from the Romans on the south of Gaul . These people were known as the Dumnonii and gave their name to Devon in England. Their most powerful branch in Ireland

4089-450: The chief. Before the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland which took place during the late 12th century, the Irish people were Celts who lived in kinship groups as found recorded in historic manuscripts such as the Irish annals , the Leabhar na nGenealach (the Great Book of Irish Genealogies), the Book of Ballymote , the Great Book of Lecan and Ó Cléirigh Book of Genealogies (the O Clery Book of Genealogies). The Irish word clann

4176-468: The demise of the Connacht kingship. Under kings Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (1088–1156) and his son Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair (c. 1120–1198), Connacht became one of the five dominant kingdoms on the island. Tairrdelbach and Ruaidrí became the first men from west of the Shannon to gain the title Ard-Rí na hÉireann ( High King of Ireland ). In the latter's case, he was recognised all over the island in 1166 as Rí Éireann , or King of Ireland . Tairrdelbach

4263-414: 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. 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,

4350-486: The early historic era, Connacht then included County Clare , and was known as Cóiced Ol nEchmacht . Later myths state the Fir Bolg ruled all Ireland before the Tuatha Dé Danann arrived. When the Fir Bolg were defeated, the Tuatha Dé Danann drove them to Connacht. Sites such as the Céide Fields , Knocknarea , Listoghil , Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery and Rathcroghan , all demonstrate intensive occupation of Connacht far back into prehistory. Enigmatic artefacts such as

4437-467: The evidence for this is only a few pieces of flint . The first actual evidence of human residence in Ireland dates to around 8000 BC. Evidence of the first Neolithic farmers in Ireland dates to around 4000 BC. There is little evidence of a warrior elite in Ireland before 1500 BC and evidence for this appears during the Bronze Age where everyone of a wealthy class had weaponry. The Irish language first appeared from between 700/600 BC and 400 AD during

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4524-455: The exception of the Clann Cholmáin , Cineal Laoghaire and the Muintear Tadhagain, the existence of all of the following Irish tribes in around the 7th century is supported by the literature of the time that came to Ireland with Christianity. Vikings and Normans are Ethnically linked in ancestry from the 9th to 11th centuries and who raided and settled in Britain and Ireland. In Ireland the Vikings became completely Gaelicized and established

4611-429: The first towns. The Normans invaded and conquered England in 1066 and later had similar success invading Ireland in the late 12th century. The Normans were the first people to introduce the mounted knight . In Ireland they were influenced just as much as they themselves influenced and have been described as having become "more Irish than the Irish". The following three Irish families are believed to be of Viking descent:

4698-409: The following Irish tribes. Although it is not possible to prove O'Rahilly's history of the four Celtic invasions of Ireland or that the Erainn were the second of these invasions, or that the following Irish tribes descended from them, according to historian Sean Duffy, with the exception of the Clann Choinleagain, the existence of all of the following Irish tribes in around the 7th century is supported by

4785-536: The four Celtic invasions of Ireland or that the Cruthin were the first of these invasions, or that the following Irish tribes descended from them, according to historian Sean Duffy, the existence of all three of the following Irish tribes in around the 7th century is supported by the literature of the time that came to Ireland with Christianity. As per O'Rahilly's doctrine, the Erainn were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland between about 500 and 100 BC. In line with this, according to Cairney, from them descended

4872-401: The island of Innis Murray after themselves as they were formerly chiefs of the Siol Murray . The MacGeraghty clan are associated with the Gaelic Kingdoms of Uí Briúin and Uí Maine , in the latter they were second only to the O’Ceallaigh , who were the Kings of Uí Maine. A Chief of the name , called McGiriaght is listed in the Composition Book of Connacht in 1585, as seated in

4959-433: The island. Donnchadh Ó Corráin put the evidence for the Irish naitional identity back to the 7th century emphasising the impact that Christianity had on the people there. In 1002, the Uí Néill lost the high kingship of Ireland to the leader of the Dal gCais or Dalcassians , Brian Boru. It was during the century of declining Uí Néill dominance that surnames first started being used in Ireland. This meant that Ireland

5046-470: The late 16th century, when the Tudor conquest of Ireland (1534–1603) brought all under the direct rule of King James I of England . The counties were created from c. 1569 onwards. During the 17th century representatives from Connacht played leading roles in Confederate Ireland and during the Williamite War in Ireland . Its main town, Galway, endured several sieges (see Sieges of Galway ), while warfare, plague , famine and sectarian massacres killed about

5133-399: The literature of the time that came to Ireland with Christianity. As per O'Rahilly's doctrine, the Dumnonii or Laigin were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC. In line with this, according to Cairney, from them descended the following Irish tribes. Although it is not possible to prove O'Rahilly's history of the four Celtic invasions of Ireland or that

5220-463: The men of the MacCarthy family and " Clann Suibhne " meant the men of the MacSweeny family. Clann was also used to denote a subgroup within a wider surname, the descendants of a recent common ancestor, such as the Clann Aodha Buidhe or the O'Neills of Clandeboy, whose ancestor was Aodh Buidhe who died in 1298. Such a "clan", if sufficiently closely related, could have common interests in landownership, but any political power wielded by their chief

5307-451: The mid-8th century, what is now County Clare was absorbed into Thomond by the Déisi Tuisceart . It has remained a part of the province of Munster ever since. 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

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5394-445: The modern counties. Each Túath had a ruler or petty king who owed allegiance to a more powerful king who was over-king of three or more Túath. This over-king would in turn be subordinate to the king of a province, usually either the Eoghanacht or Uí Néill. The succession of kings or chiefs was governed by a system known as Tanistry whereby after a chief had died, the new chief would be elected from all paternal cousins descended from

5481-447: The modern province of Connacht . The most important of the Connacta tribes was the Uí Néill who claimed descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages. Niall's brothers included Ailill , Brion and Fiachra who were founders of the important Connachta tribes of Ui Ailella, Uí Briúin and Uí Fiachrach . Although the Eoghanacht and Uí Néill were the most powerful tribal groups in Ireland, there were others who were locally powerful including

5568-434: The native clans and their lordships. A number of modern Irish clan societies were former or reformed in the latter half of the 20th century. Today, such groups are organised in Ireland and in many other parts of the world. Several independent Irish clans have sprung up with international affiliation and membership from across the global Irish diaspora for the purposes of helping others with preserving history, culture, and

5655-399: The origin of the name for Ireland. The centre of the Ulaid's land was in the Diocese of Down . The main population group of the Ulaid was the Cruthin whose territory was in the Diocese of Connor and Dromore . There is also evidence for the Loígis in Leinster and the Cíarraige in Munster who also belong to this group and it is possible that their ancestors in Ireland were pre-Celtic. It

5742-437: 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. 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

5829-444: The population had fallen to 1,010,031 and would continue to decline until the late 20th century. Connacht–Ulster was one of Ireland's four regional constituencies for elections to the European Parliament until it was superseded in 2004 by the constituency of North-West . The Irish language is spoken in the Gaeltacht areas of Counties Mayo and Galway, the largest area being in the west of County Galway. The Galway Gaeltacht

5916-539: The power of the Síol Muiredhaigh south into Uí Maine , west into Iar Connacht , and north into Uí Fiachrach Muaidhe and Bréifne . By the reign of Áed in Gai Bernaig (1046–1067), Connacht's kings ruled much what is now the province. Yet the Ó Conchobair's contended for control with their cousins, the Ua Ruairc of Uí Briúin Bréifne . Four Ua Ruairc's achieved rule of the kingdom – Fergal Ua Ruairc (956–967), Art Uallach Ua Ruairc (1030–1046), Áed Ua Ruairc (1067–1087), and Domnall Ua Ruairc (1098–1102). In addition,

6003-423: 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 . No football team from Connacht has won

6090-487: The pursuit of genealogy . In 1989, the private organisation Clans of Ireland was formed under the leadership of Rory O'Connor, "Chieftain" of the "O'Connor Kerry Clan", with the purpose of creating and maintaining a register of clans. Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( / ˈ k ɒ n ɔː t , ˈ k ɒ n ə ( x ) t / KON -awt, KON -ə(kh)t ; Irish : Connachta [ˈkʊn̪ˠəxt̪ˠə] or Cúige Chonnacht [ˌkuːɟə ˈxʊn̪ˠəxt̪ˠ] ),

6177-407: The senior Gaelic chiefs of Ulster left Ireland to recruit support in Spain but failed, and instead eventually arrived in Rome where they remained for the rest of their lives (see Flight of the Earls ) . After this point, the English authorities in Dublin established real control over all of Ireland for the first time, bringing a centralised government to the entire island, and successfully disarmed

6264-1099: The supreme lordship of the Earl of Ulster ; after the murder of the last earl in 1333, the Anglo-Irish split into different factions, the most powerful emerging as Bourke of Mac William Eighter in north Connacht, and Burke of Clanricarde in the south. They were regularly in and out of alliance with equally powerful Gaelic lords and kings such as Ó Conchobair of Síol Muireadaigh , Ó Cellaigh of Uí Maine and Mac Diarmata of Moylurg , in addition to extraprovincial powers such as Ó Briain of Thomond , FitzGerald of Kildare , Ó Domhnaill of Tír Chonaill . Lesser lords of both ethnicities included Mac Donnchadha , Mac Goisdelbh , Mac Bhaldrin, Mac Siurtain , Ó hEaghra , Ó Flaithbeheraigh , Ó Dubhda , Ó Seachnasaigh , Ó Manacháin , Seoighe , Ó Máille , Ó Ruairc , Ó Madadháin , Bairéad , Ó Máel Ruanaid , Ó hEidhin , Ó Finnaghtaigh , Ó Fallmhain , Breathneach , Mac Airechtaig , Ó Neachtain , Ó hAllmhuráin , Ó Fathaigh . The town of Galway

6351-443: The surname Ua Conchobair. At its greatest extent, it incorporated the often independent Kingdom of Breifne , as well as vassalage from the lordships of western Mide and west Leinster . Two of its greatest kings, Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (1088–1156) and his son Ruaidri Ua Conchobair (c. 1115–1198) greatly expanded the kingdom's dominance, so much so that both became High King of Ireland . The Kingdom of Connacht collapsed in

6438-732: The title of Queen Victoria's son Arthur, Duke of Connaught ; and the Connaught Hotel , London, named after the Duke in 1917. Usage of the Connaught spelling is now in decline. State bodies use Connacht , for example in Central Statistics Office census reports since 1926, and the name of the Connacht–Ulster European Parliament constituency of 1979–2004, although Connaught occurs in some statutes. Among newspapers,

6525-455: The west into Galway and Roscommon . By the 5th century they were dominant in most of Ireland and had established dynasties and tribal groups. These groups determined the Irish politics and culture until the Norman invasion of Ireland which took place during the late 12th century. O'Rahilly's version of history has been questioned by archaeologists and historians who have played down the role of

6612-578: The west. The tribes in the south called themselves the Eoghanacht and in about the year 400 AD they established at Cashel a dynasty which held power throughout most of southern Ireland from the 5th to 12th centuries. The Munster families of O'Sullivan , MacCarthy and O'Connell claim descent from the Eoghanacht. In the midlands of Ireland, the Gaeil tribes were known as Connachta and their name continues in

6699-492: Was Uí Maine , which at its maximum extent enclosed central and south County Roscommon, central, east-central and south County Galway, along with the territory of Lusmagh in Munster . Their rulers bore the family name Ó Ceallaigh ; its spelling sometimes varying slightly from scribe to scribe. Though the Ó Ceallaigh's were never elevated to the provincial kingship, Uí Maine existed as a semi-independent kingdom both before and after

6786-403: 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 Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn as Ard-Rí, though he went to war with him in 1159. Mac Lochlainn's murder in 1166 left Ruaidrí the unopposed ruler of all Ireland. He

6873-672: Was crowned in 1166 at Dublin , "took the kingship of Ireland ...[and was] inaugurated king as honourably as any king of the Gaeidhil was ever inaugurated;" He was the first and last native ruler who was recognised by the Gaelic-Irish as full King of Ireland . However, his expulsion of Dermot MacMurrough later that year brought about the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169. Ruaidrí's inept response to events led to rebellion by his sons in 1177, and his deposition by Conchobar Maenmaige Ua Conchobair in 1183. Ruaidrí died at Cong in 1198, noted as

6960-409: Was disputed by Gearóid Mac Niocaill who stated that there is no good evidence to support that the usage of the term Rigdomna in early medieval Ireland was any different to that of tanaise (Tanistry) in late medieval Ireland and that the two terms were synonymous with each other. Although Mac Niocaill did state that MacNeill was correct in identifying a number of cases where Rigdomna was limited to

7047-754: Was from then on applied to the overall geographic area containing those counties, and has remained so ever since. The most successful sept of the Connachta were the Ó Conchobair of Síol Muireadaigh . They derived their surname from Conchobar mac Taidg Mór (c. 800 – 882), from whom all subsequent Ó Conchobair Kings of Connacht descended. Conchobar was a nominal vassal of Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid , High King of Ireland (died 862). He married Máel Sechnaill's daughter, Ailbe, and had sons Áed mac Conchobair (died 888), Tadg mac Conchobair (died 900) and Cathal mac Conchobair (died 925), all of whom subsequently reigned. Conchobar and his sons' descendants expanded

7134-440: 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

7221-631: Was one of the first countries in Europe to start using surnames. Descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages , who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasty, include people with the surnames O'Boyle , O'Connor and O'Donnell . From the Dal gCais or Dalcassians came the surnames O'Brien and Kennedy . Within the Gaeil there was distinction between the tribes of the south from those of the north, and also from those of

7308-577: Was territorially based. From ancient times, Irish society was organised around traditional kinship groups or clans. These clans traced their origins to larger pre-surname population groupings or clans such as Uí Briúin in Connacht , Eóganachta and Dál gCais in Munster , Uí Néill in Ulster , and Fir Domnann in Leinster . Within these larger groupings there tended to be one sept (division) who through war and politics became more powerful than others for

7395-613: Was the Laigin who gave their name to Leinster . A branch of the Irish group of the Dumnonii settled just to the south of Dumbarton in Scotland and were the ancestors of the Strathclyde-Britons . The fourth and last major Celtic settlements in Ireland took place around 50 BC. This was directly because of Roman attempts to dominate the Gauls of Continental Europe. This included, among others,

7482-568: Was the only significant urban area in the province. Its inhabitants governed themselves under charter of the king of England. Its merchant families, The Tribes of Galway , traded not only with the lordships around them and in Ireland , but with England , France, and Spain. Its mayor enjoyed supreme power but only for the length of his office, rarely more than a year. Galway's inhabitants were of mixed descent, its families bearing surnames of Gaelic, French, English, Welsh, Norman and other origins. Connacht

7569-497: 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

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