13 Facts About Connacht

1.

Kingdom of Connacht collapsed in the 1230s because of civil war within the royal dynasty, which enabled widespread Hiberno-Norman settlement under Richard Mor de Burgh, 1st Baron of Connaught, and his successors.

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2.

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.

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3.

Province of Connacht has no official function for local government purposes, but it is an officially recognised subdivision of the Irish state.

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4.

Connacht is the smallest of the four Irish provinces both in terms of size and population.

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5.

Up to the early historic era, Connacht then included County Clare, and was known as Coiced Ol nEchmacht.

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6.

Connacht married Mael Sechnaill's daughter, Ailbe, and had sons Aed mac Conchobair, Tadg mac Conchobair and Cathal mac Conchobair, all of whom subsequently reigned.

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7.

Single most substantial sub-kingdom in Connacht was Ui Maine, which at it maximum extant enclosed central and south County Roscommon, central, east-central and south County Galway, along with the territory of Lusmagh in Munster.

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8.

Connacht asserted control over Dublin, which was even then being recognised as a kind of national capital.

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9.

Connacht was the site of two of the bloodiest battles in Irish history, the Second Battle of Athenry and the Battle of Knockdoe.

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10.

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 brought all under the direct rule of King James I of England.

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11.

Connacht–Ulster was one of Ireland's four regional constituencies for elections to the European Parliament until it was superseded in 2004 by the constituency of North-West.

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12.

Connacht is represented by Connacht Rugby in the Pro14 and the Rugby Champions Cup.

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13.

Connacht-based teams who have played in the All-Ireland League include Buccaneers RFC, Galway Corinthians RFC, Galwegians RFC, Ballina RFC and Sligo RFC.

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