Misplaced Pages

#871128

66-527: Macha ( Irish pronunciation: [ˈmˠaxə] ) was a sovereignty goddess of ancient Ireland associated with the province of Ulster , particularly the sites of Navan Fort ( Eamhain Mhacha ) and Armagh ( Ard Mhacha ), which are named after her. Several figures called Macha appear in Irish mythology and folklore, all believed to derive from the same goddess. She is said to be one of three sisters known as '

132-523: A further fourteen years on her own, until she was killed by Rechtaid Rígderg . The Lebor Gabála synchronises her reign to that of Ptolemy I Soter (323–283 BC). The chronology of Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn dates her reign to 468–461 BC, the Annals of the Four Masters to 661–654 BC. Marie-Louise Sjoestedt writes of this figure: "In the person of this second Macha we discover a new aspect of

198-432: A hideously ugly woman offers the young men water in return for a kiss. Only Niall kisses her with conviction, and moreover has sex with her, whereupon the woman becomes beautiful and utters the verse King of Tara , I am the sovereignty [Old Irish: in flaithes ]; I will tell you its great benefit. [It will belong] to your descendants forever, above every kindred; that is the true reason for which I speak. The story

264-692: 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

330-566: 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

396-494: Is also clear that medieval Irish rituals inaugurating a new king sometimes took the form of a banais ríghe ('wedding-feast of kingship'), because the king was imagined symbolically to be marrying his dominion, and that similar rituals known by the term feis might involve both sexual activity, and horses (in turn evoking the idea, prominent in modern scholarship, of Celtic horse-goddesses ). Most luridly, Giraldus Cambrensis , in his 1188 Topographia Hibernica , claimed that at

462-633: 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

528-462: Is heavily pregnant, Macha is brought to the gathering and the king forces her to race the horses. She wins the race, but then cries out in pain as she gives birth to twins on the finish line; a boy named Fír ("True") and a girl named Fial ("Modest"). For disrespecting and humiliating her, she curses the men of Ulster to be overcome with weakness—as weak "as a woman in childbirth"—at the time of their greatest need. This weakness would last for five days and

594-633: 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

660-546: Is named as the wife of Nemed, son of Agnoman, or alternately as the wife of Crund, son of Agnoman, which may indicate an identity of Nemed with Crund. Macha is also named as the daughter of Midir and Aed the Red. Sovereignty goddess There is some evidence in Greek and Roman accounts of historical Celtic women that leading women such as Camma and Cartimandua might in antiquity actually have been associated with goddesses. It

726-471: Is often mentioned together with her sisters, " Badb and Morrigu , whose name was Anand ". The three (with varying names) are often considered a triple goddess associated with war. O'Mulconry's Glossary , a thirteenth-century compilation of glosses from medieval manuscripts preserved in the Yellow Book of Lecan , describes Macha as "one of the three morrígna " (the plural of Morrígan ), and says

SECTION 10

#1732773120872

792-507: 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

858-508: 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

924-473: Is said that the hilltop where she was buried was named after her: Ard Mhacha , "Macha's high place". The surrounding woodland was cleared by Nemed's folk and named Magh Mhacha , "Macha's plain". She is described as the daughter of red-weaponed Aed, as the raven of the raids and diffuser of all excellences. Macha, daughter of Ernmas , of the Tuatha Dé Danann , appears in many early sources. She

990-775: 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

1056-420: 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 )

1122-611: Is transparently a pseudo-history composed in support of the claim of the Uí Néill dynasty to dominance in Ireland. The fairly strong evidence for a tradition of sovereignty goddesses in early Ireland has led to a fashion in Celtic scholarship for interpreting other female characters as euhemerised sovereignty goddesses, or for arguing that the portrayals of women have been influenced by traditions of sovereignty goddesses. This way of reading medieval Celtic female characters goes back to

1188-653: 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

1254-580: 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

1320-664: 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

1386-647: 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

SECTION 20

#1732773120872

1452-722: 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

1518-488: 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

1584-630: 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

1650-524: 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

1716-431: 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

1782-710: The 1920s, and is related to the myth and ritual school of scholarship. For example, the protagonist of the Welsh Canu Heledd is sometimes read in this way, and figures as diverse as Guenevere ; the Cailleach Bhéirre ; Medb ; Rhiannon ; warrior women such as the Morrígan , Macha and Badb ; and the loathly lady of Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale have been viewed in the same light. Britta Irslinger has argued that female characters in early Irish literature whose names relate to ruling or

1848-736: 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

1914-787: 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

1980-576: 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

2046-629: 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

Macha - Misplaced Pages Continue

2112-589: 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

2178-532: 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

2244-606: The battle with the Fomorians . Macha Mong Ruad ("red hair"), daughter of Áed Rúad ("red fire" or "fire lord" – a name of the Dagda ), was, according to medieval legend and historical tradition, the only queen in the List of High Kings of Ireland . Her father Áed rotated the kingship with his cousins Díthorba and Cimbáeth , seven years at a time. Áed died after his third stint as king, and when his turn came round again, Macha claimed

2310-627: The curse would last for nine generations. Thereafter, the place where Macha gave birth would be called Emain Macha , or "Macha's twins". This tale, The Debility of the Ulstermen ( Noínden Ulad ) explains the meaning of the name Emain Macha , and explains why none of the Ulstermen but the semi-divine hero Cúchulainn could resist the invasion of Ulster in the Táin Bó Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley ). It shows that Macha, as goddess of

2376-468: 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

2442-527: 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,

2508-724: 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

2574-468: The first settlement of Ireland after the flood, although it records nothing about her. Various sources record a second Macha as the wife of Nemed , leader of the second settlement of Ireland after the flood. She was the first of Nemed's people to die in Ireland – twelve years after their arrival according to Geoffrey Keating , twelve days after their arrival according to the Annals of the Four Masters . It

2640-515: The house and acting as his wife. Soon she becomes pregnant by him. As long as they were together Cruinniuc's wealth grew. When he leaves to attend a festival organised by the king of Ulster, she warns him that she will only stay with him so long as he does not speak of her to anyone, and he promises to say nothing. However, during a chariot race, he boasts that his wife can run faster than the king's horses. The king orders Cruinniuc be held on pain of death unless he can make good on his claim. Although she

2706-825: The idea of the sovereignty goddess, but this has been shown to rest on little evidence. Likewise the role of the Empress of Constantinople, who appears in the Middle Welsh Peredur but not in its French source, has been found to be open to other readings. Even where female characters might historically owe something to traditions of sovereignty goddesses, reading them primarily through this lens has been argued to be limiting and reductive. 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] ),

Macha - Misplaced Pages Continue

2772-464: The inauguration of the king of the Cenél Conaill , the successor to the kingship publicly sexually embraced a white mare. This would then be slaughtered and cooked into a broth in which the king bathed, before he and his people drank it. However, the type-text for the idea of the sovereignty goddess is the medieval Irish Echtra Mac nEchach ('the adventures of the sons of Eochaid'), in which

2838-446: The kingship. Díthorba and Cimbáeth refused to allow a woman to take the throne, and a battle ensued. Macha won, and Díthorba was killed. She won a second battle against Díthorba's sons, who fled into the wilderness of Connacht . She married Cimbáeth, with whom she shared the kingship. Macha pursued Díthorba's sons alone, disguised as a leper , and overcame each of them in turn when they tried to have sex with her, tied them up, and carried

2904-455: The land and sovereignty, can be vengeful if disrespected, and how the rule of a bad king leads to disaster. This Macha is particularly associated with horses—it is perhaps significant that twin colts were born on the same day as Cúchulainn, and that one of his chariot-horses was called Liath Macha or "Macha's Grey"—and she is often compared with the Welsh mythological figure Rhiannon . Macha

2970-603: 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

3036-420: The local goddess, that of the warrior and dominator; and this is combined with the sexual aspect in a specific manner which reappears in other myths, the male partner or partners being dominated by the female." Macha, daughter of Sainrith mac Imbaith, was the wife of Cruinniuc , an Ulster farmer. Some time after the death of Cruinniuc's first wife, Macha appears at his house. Without speaking, she begins keeping

3102-515: 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

3168-556: The plain"). In modern Scottish Gaelic , the etymologically related term machair refers to a fertile grassy plain that is maintained by continuous trampling and grazing of livestock. In the Dindsenchas Macha is called Grian Banchure , the "Sun of Womanfolk" and is referred to as the daughter of Midir of Brí Léith. A poem in the Lebor Gabála Érenn mentions Macha as one of the daughters of Partholón , leader of

3234-550: 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

3300-444: 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

3366-539: 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,

SECTION 50

#1732773120872

3432-423: 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

3498-504: The supernatural, or who have been named after kingdoms, originate as sovereignty goddesses, whereas those whose names relate to drink or some other benefit of the hall were queens. However, recent scholarship has tended to criticise these assumptions, in both medieval Irish and related material. For example, the portrayals of Gormflaith ingen Donncadha (d. 861), Gormflaith ingen Flann Sinna (c. 870–948), and Gormflaith ingen Murchada (960–1030) have all been read as showing influence from

3564-1000: 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

3630-443: 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

3696-407: The term Mesrad Machae , "the mast of Macha", refers to "the heads of men that have been slaughtered". A version of the same gloss in MS H.3.18 identifies Macha with Badb, calling the trio "raven women" who instigate battle. Keating explicitly calls them "goddesses", but medieval Irish tradition was keen to remove all trace of pre-Christian religion. Macha is said to have been killed by Balor during

3762-493: The three Morrígna '. Like other sovereignty goddesses, Macha is associated with the land, fertility, kingship, war and horses. Proinsias Mac Cana discusses three Machas: Macha, wife of Nemed; Queen Macha, wife of Cimbáeth; and Macha, wife of Crunnchu, who caused the debility of the Ulstermen. Gregory Toner discusses four, with the addition of Macha as one of the three Morrigans. The name is presumably derived from Proto-Celtic * makajā denoting "a plain" (genitive * makajās "of

3828-435: The three of them bodily to Ulster . The Ulstermen wanted to have them killed, but Macha instead enslaved them and forced them to build Emain Macha (Navan Fort near Armagh), to be the capital of the Ulaid , marking out its boundaries with her brooch (explaining the name Emain Macha as eó-muin Macha or "Macha's neck-brooch"). Macha ruled together with Cimbáeth for seven years, until he died of plague at Emain Macha, and then

3894-432: 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,

3960-443: 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

4026-403: 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

SECTION 60

#1732773120872

4092-566: 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

4158-703: 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

4224-440: 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

4290-519: 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

4356-442: 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

#871128