Connacht genealogy relates to the study of family history research in the Irish province of Connacht. The province is located in western Ireland. It is also known as Connaught.
People from Connacht speak a dialect of Irish known as Connacht Irish (Gaelige Chonnacht), especially in County Mayo and western County Galway. Pronunciation of certain words can differ from county to county. The current capital of Connacht is Galway City and the population of the province today is approximately 580,000.[1] Rathcroghan (Cruachan Aí) in County Roscommon is the ancient capital of the province. The province stretches about 17,700 square kilometers (6,800 square miles).
History of Connacht
Connacht is one of the ancient kingdoms of Ireland and it is also a modern-day province. A series of kings ruled the area as part of the Tara dynasty until they were displaced in the 4th century.[2] All rulers of Connacht until the 12th century traced back to the Uí Briúin and the Uí Fiachrach septs (or clans).[2]
A dominant family of Connacht was the O'Conor (O'Connor) dynasty, who ruled the Kingdom of Connacht for centuries.[3]
The Anglo-Norman settlement disrupted the Irish rulers and changed the trajectory of the territory. Catholics were allowed to own farmland, however, which helped keep the local population loyal to the English crown.[2] Connacht was one of the hardest hit areas in Ireland during the Potato Famine (1840s-1850s). This led to a huge migration across the ocean to North America and also the death of a significant part of the population.
Today Connacht is the poorest part of the Irish Republic and it is the least-populated of Ireland's four provinces.[2]
Geography of Connacht
The western and northwestern part of Connacht's boundaries are coastal areas connected to the Atlantic Ocean. A number of islands lay off the coast, especially around Co. Galway and Co. Mayo. Rocky cliffs and a rugged coastal area make western Connacht difficult for farming, but fishing is a popular industry.[4]
The River Shannon flows along the territory's eastern boundary. Ireland's 2nd largest lake, Lough Corrib, is located in Connacht.[5] It connects to the sea at Galway through the Galway River.
Connacht is known for its stunning landscapes, ranging from mountains and rivers to beaches, a boon for tourism. Connemara National Park, a 2,000-hectares stretch of natural beauty and wilderness, is in Connacht.[6]
Administrative divisions in Connacht
The province of Connacht is divided into five counties:
- Galway
- Leitrim
- Mayo
- Roscommon
- Sligo
Identifying the county of origin for your ancestor is a critical step in Irish genealogy. Records are often kept at the county level. It is also worth examining the records of neighboring counties for connections to your family, especially for those who lived near border areas.
The counties are divided into more than 12,000 townlands and 300 civil parishes, which are listed in their entirety at Irish Townlands.
Popular surnames in Connacht
The most common surnames in Connacht include:
Use John Grenham's Irish Ancestors to help establish your ancestor's county of origin. The website has aggregated data on surnames at the county level. You can even search for two surnames together to see where they both occur.
Notable people from Connacht
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Well-known people from Connacht include:
- Ulick Bourke, writer, scholar
- Louis Brennan, mechanical engineer, inventor
- Nicola Coughlan, actress
- Edward Flanagan, priest
- Paddy Killoran, musician
- Olivia Knight, poet, writer
- Sean MacDiarmada, Irish revolutionary
- Mary Robinson, Ireland's first female president
- John Sealy Townsend, scientist, physicist
- William Butler Yeats, poet, playwright
Famous people with ancestors from Connacht include U.S. President Joe Biden, actress Grace Kelly, and actor Mel Gibson.
Types of records in Connacht
Church records and civil registration records are the primary sources of information for genealogy research in the province of Connacht.
Digitized images of Catholic church records in Connacht are browsable by county level through the National Library of Ireland. Some Church of Ireland records are indexed at RootsIreland.ie.
Civil registration records begin in 1864 (births, marriages, and deaths) and are indexed by civil registration district at IrishGenealogy.ie. If you're unsure of the district, you can search by name and date.
Some church and civil records, and many additional records for the province of Connacht, are available through MyHeritage collections:
- 1766 Ireland Religious Census on MyHeritage
- Ireland Births, 1864-1958 on MyHeritage
- Ireland Marriages, 1619-1898 on MyHeritage
- Ireland Tithe Defaulters, 1831 on MyHeritage
- Ireland, Griffith's Valuation, 1847-1864 on MyHeritage
- 1901 Ireland Census on MyHeritage
- 1911 Ireland Census on MyHeritage
The following local resources in Connacht can be helpful to find additional records or research your family:
- East Galway Family History Society
- Galway Family History Society West
- Leitrim Genealogy Centre
- North Mayo Heritage Centre
- South Mayo Family Research Centre
- County Roscommon Heritage & Genealogy Centre
- Co. Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Centre
Explore more about Connacht genealogy
- How To Trace Your Irish Genealogy by Daniella Levy on MyHeritage Knowledge Base
- Townlands, Parishes and Baronies – understanding land administrative divisions in Ireland by Natalie Bodle on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Tracing Your Immigrant Ancestor to Ireland by Maurice Gleeson at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Greater Galway Y-DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA
References
- ↑ Central Statistics Office, Ireland. Connacht population, per census, 2022: 589,338. https://data.cso.ie/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Connaught | Ireland, Map, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-09-20. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ↑ "High Kings of Connacht & Ireland, O'Conor Dynasty - Clonalis House". clonalishouse.com. https://clonalishouse.com/guest-house-ireland/high-kings-of-connacht/ 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ↑ "About Connaught Ireland". resources.teachnet.ie. https://resources.teachnet.ie/jroberts/mission1/connaught.html Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ↑ "Visit Lough Corrib with Discover Ireland". Discover Ireland. https://www.discoverireland.ie/galway/lough-corribRetrieved 2024-09-20.
- ↑ "Connemara". National Parks of Ireland. https://www.nationalparks.ie/connemara/Retrieved 2024-09-20.