Connacht: Difference between revisions

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The Kingdom of Connacht collapsed in 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 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 [[shire]]d into its present [[Counties of Ireland|counties]].
 
Connacht's population was 1,418,859 in 1841.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol IV |date=1848 |publisher=Charles Knight |location=London |page=858}}</ref> Then came the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|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 of Ireland|2022 census]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Geographic Changes |website=Central Statistics Office|date=23 June 2022 |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpr/censusofpopulation2022-preliminaryresults/geographicchanges/|access-date=2023-01-03|language=en}}</ref>
 
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).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/saveselections.asp|title=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|website=Central Statistics Office|access-date=2018-10-31|archive-date=10 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710165025/http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/saveselections.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> There are [[Gaeltacht]] areas in Counties [[County Galway|Galway]] and [[County Mayo|Mayo]].
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=== Largest settlements ===
{{Largest population centres
| country = Connacht in 2022
| stat_ref = <ref name="F1015">{{cite web|url=https://data.cso.ie/table/F1015|title=Census 2022 Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movements|publisher=[[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|CSO]]}}</ref>
| stat_ref = <ref name=Census />
| list_by_pop =
| div_name =
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| city_1 =Galway
| div_1 = County Galway
| pop_1 = 7985,934910
| img_1 = The Tribes of Galway, Eyre Square.jpg
 
| city_2 = Sligo
| div_2 = County Sligo
| pop_2 = 1920,199608
| img_2 = Sligo Harbour 2020.jpg
 
| city_3 = Castlebar
| div_3 = County Mayo
| pop_3 = 1213,068054
| img_3 = Castlebar large view from above.jpg
 
| city_4 = Ballina, County Mayo{{!}}Ballina
| div_4 = County Mayo
| pop_4 = 10,171556
| img_4 = Fly fishing, River Moy, Ballina, Mayo, Ireland.jpg
 
| city_5 = Tuam
| div_5 = County Galway
| pop_5 = 89,767647
 
| city_6 = BallinasloeWestport, County Mayo{{!}}Westport
| div_6 = County GalwayMayo
| pop_6 = 6,662872
| img_8img_6 = Westport (2409320233).jpg
 
| city_7 = RoscommonBallinasloe
| div_7 = County RoscommonGalway
| pop_7 = 56,876597
 
| city_8 = Westport, County Mayo{{!}}WestportRoscommon
| div_8 = County MayoRoscommon
| pop_8 = 6,198555
| img_8 = Westport (2409320233).jpg
 
| city_9 = Loughrea
| div_9 = County Galway
| pop_9 = 56,556322
 
| city_10 = Oranmore
| div_10 = County Galway
| pop_10 = 45,990819
| img_10 = Oranmore Castle.jpg
 
| city_11 = MonkslandCarrick-on-Shannon
| div_11 = County RoscommonLeitrim
| pop_11 = 4,978743
 
| city_12 = Athenry
| div_12 = County Galway
| pop_12 = 4,445603
 
| city_13 = Carrick-on-ShannonClaremorris
| div_13 = County LeitrimMayo
| pop_13 = 43,062857
 
| city_14 = ClaremorrisBallinrobe
| div_14 = County Mayo
| pop_14 = 3,687148
 
| city_15 = Boyle, County Roscommon{{!}}Boyle
| div_15 = County Roscommon
| pop_15 = 2,915
 
| city_16 = Gort
| div_16 = County Galway
| pop_16 = 2,870
 
| city_17 = Ballyhaunis
| div_17 = County Mayo
| pop_17 = 2,773
 
| city_18 = Ballaghaderreen
| div_18 = County Roscommon
| pop_18 = 2,387
 
| city_19 = Castlerea
| div_19 = County Roscommon
| pop_19 = 2,348
 
| city_20 = Barna{{!}}Bearna
| div_20 = County Galway
| pop_20 = 2,336
}}
 
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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.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}
 
The single most substantial sub-kingdom in Connacht was [[Uí Maine]], which at itits maximum extantextent 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 [[Kelly (surname)|Ó Ceallaigh]];<ref>{{Cite web| url = http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100015/text002.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20010914100800/http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100015/text002.html| archive-date = 2001-09-14| title = Part 2 of MAC CARTHAIGH'S BOOK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-ceallaigh.php|title=Ó Ceallaigh – Irish Names and Surnames|access-date=1 April 2016|archive-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924154521/https://www.libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-ceallaigh.php|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.
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[[File:Rory O'Connor Stone Carving.jpg|thumb|Stone carving of Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair from [[Cong Abbey]] ]]
 
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 [[River Shannon|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 [[Naval fleet|fleet]]), [[Dunmore, County Galway|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.
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A [[population growth|population explosion]] in the early 18th century was curbed by the [[Irish Famine (1740–1741)|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 OneI ===
Connacht was the worst hit area in Ireland during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.libraryireland.com/articles/DeclinePopulationThom1861/index.php|title=1861 Census: Decline of the Population in Ireland (Famine, Disease and Emigration)|website=www.libraryireland.com|access-date=2020-02-09|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128064110/https://www.libraryireland.com/articles/DeclinePopulationThom1861/index.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
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=== Rugby union ===
Connacht is represented by [[Connacht Rugby]] in the [[Pro14United Rugby Championship]] and the [[Rugby Champions Cup]]. Connacht home games are played in the [[Galway Sportsgrounds]] in [[Galway]]. During the 2015/2016 Season of the Pro12, Connacht, for the first time, reached the play off stages of the competition and won the final in Edinburgh against rivals Leinster. It was their first ever Pro12 title.
 
Connacht-based teams who have played in the [[All-Ireland League (rugby union)|All-Ireland League]] include [[Buccaneers RFC]], [[Galway Corinthians RFC]], [[Galwegians RFC]], [[Ballina RFC]] and [[Sligo RFC]].