Early history Up to 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 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
Máenmag) were accorded high-king status, while peoples such as 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 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, had evolved into 'son' and
patronymics had become surnames formed with 'descendant' (later and ). During 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 was from then on applied to the overall geographic area containing those counties, and has remained so ever since.
Kingdom of Connacht ,
Airgíalla,
Mide,
Laigin,
Munster,
Connaught,
Breifne and
Aileach. The city-states of
Dyflin,
Weisforthe,
Vedrafjord,
Corcach and
Luimneach are shown. Missing are kingdoms of
Osraighe and
Uí Maine. 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 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, 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 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 the demise of the Connacht kingship.
Kings and High Kings 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 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
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 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 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 the annals as late
"King of Connacht and of All Ireland, both the Irish and the English." High medieval era 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 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 Goisdealbh,
Mac Bhaildrín,
Mac Siúrtáin,
Ó hEaghra,
Ó Flaithbheartaigh,
Ó Dubhda,
Ó Seachnasaigh,
Ó Manacháin,
Seoighe,
Ó Máille,
Ó Ruairc,
Ó Madadháin,
Bairéad,
Ó Maolruanaidh,
Ó hEidhin,
Ó Fionnachtaigh,
Ó Fallamhain,
Breathnach,
Mac Aireachtaigh,
Ó Neachtain,
Ó hAllmhuráin,
Ó Fathaigh. map of c. 1651 displaying the medieval town, which now forms the modern city centre The town of
Galway 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 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
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.
Confederate and Williamite Wars 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 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.
Early modern era 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 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 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. == Politics ==