The Conmhaícne or Conmaicne were a people of early Ireland, perhaps related to the

Laigin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinsterm ...

, who dispersed to various parts of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. They settled in

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the 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 Delbhn ...

and

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

, giving their name to several Conmaicne territories.

T. F. O'Rahilly Thomas Francis O'Rahilly ( ga, Tomás Ó Rathile; 11 November 1882 – 16 November 1953)Ó Sé, Diarmuid.O'Rahilly, Thomas Francis (‘T. F.’). ''Dictionary of Irish Biography''. (ed.) James McGuire, James Quinn. Cambridge, United Kingdom: C ...

's assertion the Conmaicne were non-

Goidelic The Goidelic or Gaelic languages ( ga, teangacha Gaelacha; gd, cànanan Goidhealach; gv, çhengaghyn Gaelgagh) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically ...

is not widely accepted.

Etymology

Their name supposedly originates from a mythical ancestor known as ''Conmac'', descended from

Fergus mac Roich Fergus may refer to: Given name or surname *Fergus (name), including lists of people and fictional and mythological characters Places *Fergus, Ontario, Canada * River Fergus, County Clare, Ireland *Lake Fergus, South Island, New Zealand *Loc ...

and Queen

Maeve Maeve, Maev or Maiv is a female given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish name ''Méabh'', which was spelt in early modern Irish (), or in Middle Irish, and in Old Irish (). It may derive from a word meaning "she who intoxicates", ...

. However,

Walsh Walsh may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walsh (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Places * Fort Walsh, one of the first posts of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police * Walsh, Ontario, Norfolk ...

stated "Conmac son of Fergus is a genealogical fiction". The word ''Conmacne'' means "progeny of Conmac" (''ne'', a progeny). Conmac itself means "hound-son" (''con'', hound; ''mac'', son).

Branches

Branches of the Conmaicne dispersed to various places.

Conmaicne na Gaillimhe

Conmhaícne Mara The Conmhaícne Mara or Conmaicne Mara (the Conmaicne of the sea), were an early people of Ireland. Their tuath was located in the extreme west of County Galway, Republic of Ireland, giving their name to Connemara, an anglicised form of Conmhai ...

(Conmaicne of the sea) settled in the west of

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

, in the territory of Conmhaícne Mara, anglised today as

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speak ...

. * Conmhaícne Dúna Móir, or Conmaicne Cenel Dubáin, at

Dunmore, County Galway Dunmore () is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It is located on the N83 national secondary road at its junction with the R328 and R360 regional roads. The town belongs to an ancient tuath called Conmhaícne Dúna-Móir and Cenél Dubáin, ...

. * Conmhaícne Mhean or ''Conmaicne Máenmaige'' (Conmaicne of the central plain),

Loughrea Loughrea ( ; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies to the north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains, and the lake from which it takes its name. The town's cathedral, St Brendan's, dominates the town's skyline ...

, County Galway.

Conmaicne Mhaigh Eo

* Conmhaícne Cúile, of

Kilmaine Kilmaine or Kilmain () is a barony and village in County Mayo, Ireland. Village "Kilmaine", derived from the Irish language 'Cill Mheán', means The Middle Church – 'Cill' is the word used in the Irish language for a church, and 'meán' i ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

* Conmhaícne Ceara, of

Carra, County Mayo Carra () is one of the nine baronies of County Mayo in Ireland, located in the mid-south area of the county. It is sometimes known as Burriscarra. It incorporates the town of Castlebar, the villages of Tourmakeady, Belcarra and Turlough, where ...

. * Conmaicne Meic Oirbsen Máir near Lough Corrib,

Conmaicne Ros Comáin

* Conmhaícne Sléibe Formaile, near Ballinlough, in west

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

Conmaicne Rein

* Conmhaícne Rein, or "lower conmaicne", of south

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

into

County Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

. *

Conmhaícne Angaile The Conmhaícne Angaile (the 'Conmhaícne descended from Angaile') were an early people of Ireland. Their tuath comprised the territory of Annaly, now County Longford. Origin The Conmhaícne or Conmaícne were a people of early Ireland, perhap ...

, or "upper Conmaicne", now

county Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

. The Diocese of Ardagh was established in 1111 as the see for east

. Fourteen years later, at the

Synod of Kells-Mellifont The Synod of Kells (, ) took place in 1152, under the presidency of Giovanni Cardinal Paparoni, and continued the process begun at the Synod of Ráth Breasail (1111) of reforming the Irish church. The sessions were divided between the abbeys of ...

, its area was reduced to the territory of the Conmaicne Rein and Conmaicne Angalie, south county Leitrim and all county Longford.P Galloway, ''The Cathedrals of Ireland'', Belfast, 1992 The diocese was commonly called "the Diocese of the Conmaicne".

Septs

Known Septs of the Conmhaícne Rein in south County Leitrim were: * Conmhaícne Maigh Rein anglicised today as barony of Mohill. * Cluain Conmhaícne (Conmaicne of the pasture) of Cloone parish, in Carrigallen and Mohill barony. * Conmhaícne Cenel Luacháin (Conmaicne descended from Luchan), both Oughteragh and

Drumreilly Drumreilly civil parish is situated partly in the baronies of Carrigallen and Dromahaire, County Leitrim and partly in the barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland. Etymology The name of the parish derives from Drumreilly townland in the pari ...

parishes at

Carrigallen Carrigallen () is a small village in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is located on the R201 and R203 roads in the east of the county. , the village had a population of 387. Location The village is set between the north and south shores of Town ...

. * Conmaicne Maigh Nissi along the Shannon, anglicised today as barony of Leitrim.

People

John O'Donovan John O'Donovan may refer to: *John O'Donovan (scholar) (1806–1861), Irish language scholar and place-name expert *John O'Donovan (politician) (1908–1982), Irish TD and Senator *John O'Donovan (police commissioner) (1858–1927), New Zealand pol ...

wrote:

The chief familes of the Conmacians were the O'Fearralls, princes and lords of Annaly, or Longford; the Mac Rannalls, a name anglicised to Reynolds, who were Lords of Conmaincee of Moy-Rein and Muintir-Eolais, in Leitrim; the Mac Keoghes, who were chiefs in Galway, and also in Lenister; the MacShanleys; O'Rodaghans; MacDorchys; O'Mulveys; O'Morans, and O'Mannings, chiefs and clans in various parts of Longford, Leitrim, and Roscommon.

Notables descended from the Conmhaicne include Cruimthear Mac Carthaigh, St. Jarlath of

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...

and some abbots of

Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise (Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th ce ...

References

* ''Some Connacht Population-Groups'', Nollaig Ó Muraíle, in ''Seanchas:Studies in Early and Medieval Archaeology, History and Literature in Honour of

Francis John Byrne Francis John Byrne (1934 – 30 December 2017) was an Irish historian. Born in Shanghai where his father, a Dundalk man, captained a ship on the Yellow River, Byrne was evacuated with his mother to Australia on the outbreak of World War II. Af ...

'', pp. 176–76,

Four Courts Press Four Courts Press is an independent Irish academic publishing house, with its office at Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. Founded in 1970 by Michael Adams, who died in February 2009, its early publications were primarily theological, notably t ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, 2000 * ''Medieval Ireland: Territorial, Political and Economic Divisions'', Paul Mac Cotter, Four Courts Press, 2008, pp. 134–135.

Secondary sources

* * * Medieval Irish people Ulaid History of County Galway History of County Mayo History of County Roscommon History of County Leitrim History of County Longford Conmaicne {{europe-ethno-group-stub