Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
coast of western
County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional
Irish culture
The culture of Ireland includes language, literature, music, art, folklore, cuisine, and sport associated with Ireland and the Irish people. For most of its recorded history, Irish culture has been primarily Gaelic (see Gaelic Ireland). It has ...
and contains much of the
Connacht Irish
Connacht Irish () is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Connacht. Gaeltacht regions in Connacht are found in Counties Mayo (notably Tourmakeady, Achill Island and Erris) and Galway (notably in parts of Connemara and o ...
-speaking
Gaeltacht
( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home.
The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...
, which is a key part of the identity of the region and is the largest Gaeltacht in the country. Historically, Connemara was part of the territory of
Iar Connacht
West Connacht ( ga, Iarthar Chonnachta; Modern Irish: ''Iar Connacht'') was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Galway, particularly the area known more commonly today as Connemara. The kingdom represen ...
(West Connacht). Geographically, it has many mountains (notably the
Twelve Bens
, photo=Boats and mountains, Roundstone (6047965086).jpg
, photo_caption= View of the range from Roundstone village.
, region = Connacht
, region_type = Provinces of Ireland
, translation = The peaks of Beola
, language = Irish language
...
), peninsulas, coves, islands and small lakes.
Connemara National Park
Connemara National Park ( ga, Páirc Naisiúnta Chonamara) is one of six national parks in Ireland, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is located in the northwest of Connemara in County Galway, on the west coast.
History
...
is in the northwest. It is mostly rural and its largest settlement is
Clifden
Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...
.
Etymology
"Connemara" derives from the tribal name , which designated a branch of the , an early tribal grouping that had a number of branches located in different parts of . Since this particular branch of the lived by the sea, they became known as the (sea in Irish is ,
genitive , hence "of the sea").
Definition
One common definition of the area is that it consists of most of west Galway, that is to say the part of the county west of
Lough Corrib and Galway city, contained by
Killary Harbour
Killary Harbour or Killary Fjord () is a fjord or fjard on the west coast of Ireland, in northern Connemara. To its north is County Mayo and the mountains of Mweelrea and Ben Gorm; to its south is County Galway and the Maumturk Mountains.
...
,
Galway Bay
Galway Bay ( Irish: ''Loch Lurgain'' or ''Cuan na Gaillimhe'') is a bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south; Galw ...
and the Atlantic Ocean. Some more restrictive definitions of Connemara define it as the historical territory of , i.e. just the far northwest of County Galway, bordering
County Mayo. The name is also used to describe the (Irish-speaking areas) of western County Galway, though it is argued that this too is inaccurate as some of these areas lie outside of the traditional boundary of Connemara. There are arguments about where Connemara ends as it approaches Galway city, which is definitely not in Connemara — some argue for
Barna, on the outskirts of
Galway City
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
, some for a line from
Oughterard to
Maam Cross
Maam Cross () is a crossroads in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Shindilla, at the junction of the N59 from Galway to Clifden and the R336 from Galway to the Maam Valley
Gleann an Mháma (English languag ...
, and then diagonally down to the coast, all within rural lands.
The wider area of what is today known as Connemara was previously a sovereign kingdom known as , under the kingship of the , until it became part of the English-administered
Kingdom of Ireland in the 16th century.
Geography
Connemara lies in the territory of , "West Connacht," within the portion of County Galway west of
Lough Corrib, and was traditionally divided into North Connemara and South Connemara. The mountains of the
Twelve Bens
, photo=Boats and mountains, Roundstone (6047965086).jpg
, photo_caption= View of the range from Roundstone village.
, region = Connacht
, region_type = Provinces of Ireland
, translation = The peaks of Beola
, language = Irish language
...
and the Owenglin River, which flows into the sea at /
Clifden
Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...
, marked the boundary between the two parts. Connemara is bounded on the west, south and north by the Atlantic Ocean. In at least some definitions, Connemara's land boundary with the rest of County Galway is marked by the Invermore River otherwise known as (which flows into the north of
Kilkieran Bay),
Loch Oorid
Oorid Lough () is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is located in the Connemara area of County Galway.
Geography and natural history
Oorid Lough is located along the N59 road about west of Oughterard, and about west of the villa ...
(which lies a few kilometres west of Maam Cross) and the western spine of the
Maumturks
, photo=View south to Knocknahillion from Letterbreckaun.jpg
, photo_caption= Maumturk Mountains: looking south from Letterbreckaun towards Knocknahillion and Binn idir an dá Log.
, country=Republic of Ireland
, region = Connacht
, region_t ...
mountains. In the north of the mountains, the boundary meets the sea at
Killary, a few kilometres west of
Leenaun
Leenaun (), also Leenane, is a village and 1,845 acre townland in County Galway, Ireland, on the southern shore of Killary Harbour and the northern edge of Connemara.
Location
Leenaun is situated on the junction of the N59 road, and the R336 ...
.
The coast of Connemara is made up of multiple peninsulas. The peninsula of (sometimes corrupted to ) in the south is the largest and contains the villages of
Carna and
Kilkieran. The peninsula of Errismore consists of the area west of the village of
Ballyconneely. Errisbeg peninsula lies to the south of the village of Roundstone. The Errislannan peninsula lies just south of the town of
Clifden
Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...
. The peninsulas of Kingstown, Coolacloy, Aughrus, Cleggan and Renvyle are found in the north-west of Connemara. Of the numerous islands off the coast of Connemara,
Inishbofin is the largest; other islands include
Omey, Inishark, High Island, Friars Island, Feenish and
Maínis.
The territory contains the civil parishes of Moyrus, Ballynakill, Omey,
Ballindoon
Ballindoon () Friary was a Dominican priory beside Lough Arrow in County Sligo
County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province
A province is almost always a ...
and
Inishbofin (the last parish was for a time part of the territory of the , the O Malleys of the territory of Umhall, County Mayo), and the
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
parishes of Carna, Clifden (Omey and
Ballindoon
Ballindoon () Friary was a Dominican priory beside Lough Arrow in County Sligo
County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province
A province is almost always a ...
),
Ballynakill, Kilcumin (Oughterard and Rosscahill),
Roundstone and
Inishbofin.
History
The main town of Connemara is
Clifden
Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...
, which is surrounded by an area rich with
megalithic tombs.
The famous "
Connemara Green marble" is found outcropping along a line between
Streamstown and
Lissoughter. It was a trade treasure used by the inhabitants in prehistoric times. It continues to be of great value today. It is available in large dimensional slabs suitable for buildings as well as for smaller pieces of jewellery. It is used for the pendant for the
Chief Scout's Award, the highest award in
Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland ( ga, Gasóga na hÉireann) is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers . Of the 750,000 peo ...
.
The east of what is now Connemara was once called , and was ruled by Kings who claimed descent from the
Delbhna
The Delbna or Delbhna were a Gaelic Irish tribe in Ireland, claiming kinship with the Dál gCais, through descent from Dealbhna son of Cas. Originally one large population, they had a number of branches in Connacht, Meath, and Munster in Irela ...
and
Dál gCais of
Thomond
Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nena ...
and kinship with King
Brian Boru
Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Br ...
. The Kings of
Delbhna Tír Dhá Locha eventually took the title and surname Mac Con Raoi (since anglicised as Conroy or King).
The
Chief of the Name of
Clan Mac Con Raoi directly ruled as
Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
of Gnó Mhór, which was later divided into the civil parishes of Kilcummin and Killannin. Due to the power they wielded through their
war galleys, the Chiefs of Clan Mac Con Raoi were traditionally considered to be, along with the Chiefs of Clans
O'Malley,
O'Dowd
O'Dowd ( ga, Ó Dubhda) is an Irish Gaelic clan based most prominently in what is today County Mayo and County Sligo. The clan name originated in the 9th century as a derivative of its founder Dubda mac Connmhach. They descend in the paternal ...
, and
O'Flaherty, the Sea Kings of Connacht. The nearby kingdom of Gnó Beag was ruled by the
Chief of the Name of Clan Ó hÉanaí (usually anglicised as Heaney or Heeney).
The (Kealy) clan were the rulers of West Connemara. Like the Chiefs of Clan clan, the Chiefs of Clan (Conneely) also claimed descent from the .
During the early
13th-century, however, all four clans were displaced and subjugated by the Chiefs of Clan , who had been driven west from into by the
Mac William Uachtar
Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries.
Te ...
branch of the
House of Burgh
The House of Burgh or Burke (; ; ; ga, de Búrca; la, de Burgo) was an ancient Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman aristocratic dynasty (with the Anglo-Irish branches later adopting the surname Burke and its variants) who held the earldom ...
, during the
Hiberno-Norman invasion of .
According to Irish-American historian Bridget Connelly, "By the thirteenth century, the original inhabitants, the clans Conneely, Ó Cadhain, Ó Folan, and MacConroy, had been steadily driven westward from the Moycullen area to the seacoast between Moyrus and the Killaries. And by 1586, with the signing of the
Articles of the Composition of Connacht that made
Morrough O'Flaherty landlord over all in the name of
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
, the MacConneelys and Ó Folans had sunk beneath the list of chieftains whose names appeared on the document. The Articles deprived all the original
Irish clan chieftains not only of their title but also all of the rents, dues, and tribal rights they had possessed under
Irish law Law of Ireland or Irish law may refer to:
* Early Irish law (Brehon law) of Medieval Ireland
* Alternative law in Ireland prior to 1921
* Law of the Republic of Ireland
* Law of Northern Ireland
The law of Northern Ireland is the legal syste ...
."
During the
16th-century
The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582).
The 16th centu ...
, however, legendary local pirate queen
Grace O'Malley
Grace O'Malley ( – c. 1603), also known as Gráinne O'Malley ( ga, Gráinne Ní Mháille, ), was the head of the Ó Máille dynasty in the west of Ireland, and the daughter of Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Máille.
In Irish folklore she is commonly k ...
is on record as having said, with regard to her followers, "''Go mb'fhearr léi lán loinge de chlann Chonraoi agus de chlann Mhic an Fhailí ná lán loinge d'ór''" (that she would rather have a shipload of Conroys and MacAnallys than a shipload of gold).
[Ordnance Survey Letters, Mayo, vol. II, cited in Anne Chambers (2003), ''The Pirate Queen'', but with spelling modernised.]
One of the last
Chiefs of
Clan O'Flaherty and
Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
of
Iar Connacht
West Connacht ( ga, Iarthar Chonnachta; Modern Irish: ''Iar Connacht'') was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Galway, particularly the area known more commonly today as Connemara. The kingdom represen ...
was the
17th-century historian
Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh
Roderick O'Flaherty ( ga, Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh; 1629–1718 or 1716) was an Irish historian.
Biography
He was born in County Galway and inherited Moycullen Castle and estate.
O'Flaherty was the last ''de jure'' Lord of Iar Connacht, ...
, who lost the greater part of his ancestral lands during the
Cromwellian confiscations of the 1650s.
After being dispossessed, Ó Flaithbheartaigh settled near
Spiddal
Spiddal ( ga, An Spidéal , meaning 'the hospital') is a village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is west of Galway city, on the R336 road. It is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) an ...
wrote a book of
Irish history
The first evidence of human presence in Ireland dates to around 33,000 years ago, with further findings dating the presence of homo sapiens to around 10,500 to 7,000 BC. The receding of the ice after the Younger Dryas cold phase of the Quatern ...
in
New Latin
New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...
titled ''Ogygia'', which was published in 1685 as ''Ogygia: seu Rerum Hibernicarum Chronologia & etc.'', in 1793 it was translated into English by Rev. James Hely, as ''Ogygia, or a Chronological account of Irish Events (collected from Very Ancient Documents faithfully compared with each other & supported by the Genealogical & Chronological Aid of the Sacred and Profane Writings of the Globe''.
Ogygia
Ogygia (; grc, Ὠγυγίη, Ōgygíē , or ''Ōgygíā'' ) is an island mentioned in Homer's ''Odyssey'', Book V, as the home of the nymph Calypso, the daughter of the Titan Atlas. In Homer's ''Odyssey'', Calypso detained Odysseus on Ogygi ...
, the island of
Calypso in
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
's ''
The Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...
'', was used by Ó Flaithbheartaigh as a poetic allegory for Ireland. Drawing from numerous ancient documents, ''Ogygia'' traces
Irish history
The first evidence of human presence in Ireland dates to around 33,000 years ago, with further findings dating the presence of homo sapiens to around 10,500 to 7,000 BC. The receding of the ice after the Younger Dryas cold phase of the Quatern ...
back before
Saint Patrick and into Pre-Christian
Irish mythology
Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...
.
Even so, another branch, also descended from the
derbhfine
The derbfine ( ; ga, dearbhfhine , from ''derb'' 'real' + ''fine'' 'group of persons of the same family or kindred', thus literally 'true kin'electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language s.vderbḟine/ref>) was a term for patrilineal groups and po ...
of the Chiefs, continued to live in a thatch-covered
long house
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America.
Many were built from timber and often rep ...
at
Renvyle
Renvyle or Rinvyle () is a peninsula and electoral division in North-West Connemara in County Galway, close to the border with County Mayo in Ireland.
History
The ruins of the castle of Grace O'Malley (''Gráinne Mhaol'') can be found on t ...
and to act as both clan leaders and agents for the
Anglo-Irish Blake family. This arrangement continued until 1811, when Henry Blake ended a 130-year-long tradition of his family acting as
absentee landlord
In economics, an absentee landlord is a person who owns and rents out a profit-earning property, but does not live within the property's local economic region. The term "absentee ownership" was popularised by economist Thorstein Veblen's 1923 book ...
s and evicted 86-year-old Anthony O'Flaherty, his relatives, and his retainers. Henry Blake then demolished Anthony O'Flaherty's longhouse and built Renvyle House on the site.
Even though Henry Blake later termed the eviction of Anthony O'Flaherty in ''Letters from the Irish Highlands'', as "the dawn of law in Cunnemara" (
sic
The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...
), the Blake family is not remembered warmly in the region. Contemporary Anglo-Irish landlord
John D'Arcy, who bankrupted both himself and his heirs to found the town of
Clifden
Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...
, is recalled much more fondly.
Connemara was drastically depopulated during the
Great Famine in the late 1840s, with the lands of the
Anglo-Irish Martin family
Martin may either be a given name or surname. In Scotland, Martin or McMartin is a common surname of Scottish Gaelic origin. Martin is, however, more common as a masculine given name in many languages and cultures. It comes from the Latin nam ...
being greatly affected and the bankrupted landlord being forced to auction off the estate in 1849:
The
Sean nós song ''
Johnny Seoighe
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John (given name), John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly ...
'' is one of the few Irish songs from the era of the Great Famine that still survives.
The
Irish Famine of 1879 similarly caused mass starvation, evictions, and violence in Connemara against the abuses of power by local
Anglo-Irish landlords, bailiffs, and the
Royal Irish Constabulary
The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...
. In response, Father Patrick Grealy, the
Roman Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
assigned to Carna, selected ten, "very destitute but industrious and virtuous families", from his parish to emigrate to America and be settled upon frontier
homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
* Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept t ...
s in
Moonshine Township, near
Graceville, Minnesota
Graceville is a city in Big Stone County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 529 at the 2020 census.
History
Graceville was founded in the 1870s by a colony of Catholics and named for Thomas Langdon Grace, second Roman Catholic Bisho ...
, by Bishop
John Ireland
John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...
of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Paul.
According to historian Cormac Ó Comhraí, during the decades immediately preceding the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, politics in Connemara was largely dominated by the pro-
Home Rule
Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP; commonly called the Irish Party or the Home Rule Party) was formed in 1874 by Isaac Butt, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nation ...
and its ally, the
United Irish League
The United Irish League (UIL) was a nationalist political party in Ireland, launched 23 January 1898 with the motto ''"The Land for the People"''. Its objective to be achieved through agrarian agitation and land reform, compelling larger grazi ...
. At the same time, though, despite an almost complete absence of the Sinn Fein
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
in Connemara, the militantly
anti-monarchist Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...
had a number of active units throughout the region. Furthermore, many
County Galway veterans of the subsequent
Irish War of Independence traced their belief in
Irish republicanism
Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate.
The develop ...
to a father or grandfather who had been in the IRB.
The first transatlantic flight, piloted by
British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown, landed in a boggy area near Clifden in 1919.
Renvyle House was burned down by the
Anti-Treaty IRA
The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...
during the
Irish Civil War, but later rebuilt by
Oliver St John Gogarty and turned into a hotel.
Irish language, literature, and folklore
The population of Connemara is 32,000. There are between 20,000–24,000 native Irish speakers in the region, making it the largest Irish-speaking . The Enumeration Districts with the most Irish speakers in all of Ireland, as a percentage of population, can be seen in the South Connemara area. Those of school age (5–19 years old) are the most likely to be identified as speakers.
Connemara, which was formerly called "The Irish Highlands", has had an enormous influence on
Irish culture
The culture of Ireland includes language, literature, music, art, folklore, cuisine, and sport associated with Ireland and the Irish people. For most of its recorded history, Irish culture has been primarily Gaelic (see Gaelic Ireland). It has ...
,
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
, and
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
.
Micheál Mac Suibhne (), a
Connacht Irish
Connacht Irish () is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Connacht. Gaeltacht regions in Connacht are found in Counties Mayo (notably Tourmakeady, Achill Island and Erris) and Galway (notably in parts of Connemara and o ...
bard mainly associated with
Cleggan, remains a locally revered figure, due to his genius level contribution to
oral poetry and
sean-nós singing
Sean-nós singing ( , ; Irish for "old style") is unaccompanied traditional Irish vocal music usually performed in the Irish language. Sean-nós singing usually involves very long melodic phrases with highly ornamented and melismatic melodic ...
in
Connacht Irish
Connacht Irish () is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Connacht. Gaeltacht regions in Connacht are found in Counties Mayo (notably Tourmakeady, Achill Island and Erris) and Galway (notably in parts of Connemara and o ...
.
After emigrating from Connemara to the United States during the 1860s,
Bríd Ní Mháille, a
Bard in the
Irish language outside Ireland and
sean-nós singer from the village of Trá Bhán,
Garmna, composed the ''
caoine'' ''
Amhrán na Trá Báine''. The song is about the drowning of her three brothers after ''
currach
A currach ( ) is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, though now canvas is more usual. It is sometimes anglicised as "curragh".
The construction and design of the currach are unique ...
'' was rammed and sunk while they were out at sea. Ní Mháille's lament for her brothers was first performed at a
ceilidh in
South Boston, Massachusetts before being brought back to Connemara, where it is considered an ''Amhrán Mór'' ("Big Song") and remains a very popular song among both performers and fans of both
sean-nós singing
Sean-nós singing ( , ; Irish for "old style") is unaccompanied traditional Irish vocal music usually performed in the Irish language. Sean-nós singing usually involves very long melodic phrases with highly ornamented and melismatic melodic ...
and
Irish traditional music
Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland.
In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there we ...
.
During the
Gaelic revival, Irish teacher and nationalist
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ga, Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who ...
, who would go on to lead the 1916
Easter Rising before being
executed by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are us ...
, owned a cottage at
Rosmuc
Rosmuc or Ros Muc, sometimes anglicised as Rosmuck, is a village in the Conamara Gaeltacht of County Galway, Ireland. It lies halfway between the town of Clifden and the city of Galway. Irish is the predominant spoken language in the area, wit ...
, where he spent his summers learning the
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
and writing. According to ''
Innti
''Innti'' was a literary movement of poets writing Modern literature in Irish, associated with a journal of the same name founded in 1970 by Michael Davitt, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Gabriel Rosenstock, Louis de Paor and Liam Ó Muirthile. These ...
'' poet and
literary critic Louis de Paor, despite Pearse's enthusiasm for the ''
Conamara Theas
Conamara Theas, which is Irish for South Connemara, is however today the western Irish-speaking regions County Galway. There are around 7,000 people living in the area (excluding the Aran islands). Between 60% and 80% of residents are native Ir ...
'' dialect of
Connacht Irish
Connacht Irish () is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Connacht. Gaeltacht regions in Connacht are found in Counties Mayo (notably Tourmakeady, Achill Island and Erris) and Galway (notably in parts of Connemara and o ...
spoken around his summer cottage, he chose to follow the usual practice of the
Gaelic revival by writing in
Munster Irish
Munster Irish () is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Munster. Gaeltacht regions in Munster are found in the Gaeltachtaí of the Dingle Peninsula in west County Kerry, in the Iveragh Peninsula in south Kerry, in Cap ...
, which was considered less
Anglicized
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...
than other Irish dialects. At the same time, however, Pearse's reading of the radically experimental poetry of
Walt Whitman
Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...
and of the French
Symbolists led him to introduce
Modernist poetry
Modernist poetry refers to poetry written between 1890 and 1950 in the tradition of modernist literature, but the dates of the term depend upon a number of factors, including the nation of origin, the particular school in question, and the biases ...
into the
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
. As a
literary critic, Pearse also left behind a very detailed blueprint for the
decolonization
Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on separatism, in ...
of
Irish literature
Irish literature comprises writings in the Irish, Latin, English and Scots ( Ulster Scots) languages on the island of Ireland. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from the 7th century and was produced by monks writing in both Latin a ...
, particularly in the
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
.
During the aftermath of the
Irish War of Independence and the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Connemara was a major center for the work of the
Irish Folklore Commission
The Irish Folklore Commission (''Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann'' in Irish) was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland.
History
Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Dela ...
in recording Ireland's endangered
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
,
mythology
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...
, and
oral literature. According to folklore collector and archivist
Seán Ó Súilleabháin
Seán Ó Súilleabháin (30 November 1903 – 13 December 1996) was a teacher and folklorist with the Irish Folklore Commission. He was a native Irish speaker from County Kerry.
Educated at St. Brendan's, College, Killarney, he trained from ...
, residents with no stories to tell were the exception rather than the rule and it was generally conceded in 1935 that there were more unrecorded folktales in the parish of
Carna alone than anywhere else in Western Europe.
One of the most important tradition bearers the Commission recorded in Connemara or anywhere else was
Éamon a Búrc. Before his repertoire of tales was recorded and transcribed, a Búrc had emigrated to America and lived in
Graceville, Minnesota
Graceville is a city in Big Stone County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 529 at the 2020 census.
History
Graceville was founded in the 1870s by a colony of Catholics and named for Thomas Langdon Grace, second Roman Catholic Bisho ...
and in the
Connemara Patch
Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the 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-speaking Gaeltacht, ...
shantytown in the
Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...
. After returning to his native Carna, Éamon a Búrc became a tailor and was recorded in 1935 at the home now owned the Ó Cuaig family. Furthermore, according to Irish-American historian Bridget Connelly, the stories collected in Irish from Éamon a Búrc are still taught in University courses alongside ''
Beowulf'', the
Elder Edda
The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems, which is distinct from the ''Prose Edda'' written by Snorri Sturluson. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic med ...
and the
Homeric Hymns
The ''Homeric Hymns'' () are a collection of thirty-three anonymous ancient Greek hymns celebrating individual gods. The hymns are "Homeric" in the sense that they employ the same epic meter— dactylic hexameter—as the ''Iliad'' and '' Odyssey' ...
.
Joe Heaney
Joe Heaney (AKA Joe Éinniú; Irish: Seosamh Ó hÉanaí) (1 October 1919 – 1 May 1984) was an Irish traditional ( sean nós) singer from County Galway, Ireland. He spent most of his adult life abroad, living in England, Scotland and New York ...
a legendary
seanchai and
sean-nós singer in
Connacht Irish
Connacht Irish () is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Connacht. Gaeltacht regions in Connacht are found in Counties Mayo (notably Tourmakeady, Achill Island and Erris) and Galway (notably in parts of Connemara and o ...
, is said to have known more than 500 songs – most learned from his family while he was growing up in Carna. The Féile Chomórtha Joe Éinniú (Joe Heaney Commemorative Festival) is held every year in Carna.
Sorcha Ní Ghuairim, a
Sean-nós singer and writer of
Modern literature in Irish, was also born in Connemara. Initially a newspaper columnist termed ‘Coisín Siúlach’ for the newspaper ''The Irish Press'', where she eventually became the editor. She also wrote a regular column for the children's page under the pen name ‘Niamh Chinn Óir’. Her other writings included a series of children's stories titled ''Eachtraí mhuintir Choinín'' and ''Sgéal Taimín Mhic Luiche''. With the assistance of Pádraig Ó Concheanainn, Sorcha also translated
Charles McGuinness' ''Viva Irlanda'' for publication in the newspaper. Their translation was subsequently published under the title ''Ceathrar comrádaí'' in 1943.
While living at
Inverin
Inverin (, meaning "mouth of the river") is a Gaeltacht village between Baile na hAbhann and Minna in County Galway, Ireland. There are Irish-language summer colleges in the area, most notably Coláiste Lurgan and Coláiste Uí Chadhain.
The v ...
, Connemara during the
Emergency
An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...
, however,
Calum Maclean, the brother of highly important
Scottish Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean, was appointed by Professor
Séamus Ó Duilearga
Séamus Ó Duilearga (born James Hamilton Delargy; 26 May 1899 – 25 June 1980) was an Irish folklorist, professor of folklore at University College Dublin and Director of the Irish Folklore Commission.
Born in Cushendall, Co Antrim, he was on ...
(1899–1980) as a part-time collector for the
Irish Folklore Commission
The Irish Folklore Commission (''Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann'' in Irish) was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland.
History
Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Dela ...
(''Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann''). From August 1942 to February 1945, Maclean sent a considerable amount of lore in the local
Conamara Theas
Conamara Theas, which is Irish for South Connemara, is however today the western Irish-speaking regions County Galway. There are around 7,000 people living in the area (excluding the Aran islands). Between 60% and 80% of residents are native Ir ...
dialect of
Connaught Irish to the Commission, amounting to six bound volumes. From March 1945 Maclean was employed as a temporary cataloguer by the Commission in Dublin, before being sent to the Scottish
Gàidhealtachd
The (; English: ''Gaeldom'') usually refers to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and especially the Scottish Gaelic-speaking culture of the area. The similar Irish language word refers, however, solely to Irish-speaking areas.
The term ...
to collect folklore there as well, first for the Irish Folklore Commission and later for the
School of Scottish Studies
The School of Scottish Studies ( gd, Sgoil Eòlais na h-Alba, sco, Scuil o Scots Studies) was founded in 1951 at the University of Edinburgh. It holds an archive of approximately 33,000 field recordings of traditional music, song and other lo ...
.
While interned during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
in the
Curragh Camp
The Curragh Camp ( ga, Campa an Churraigh) is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel.
History
Longstanding ...
by
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of govern ...
,
Máirtín Ó Cadhain, a Post-
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
Irish republican from
An Spidéal
Spiddal ( ga, An Spidéal , meaning 'the hospital') is a village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is west of Galway city, on the R336 road. It is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) a ...
, became one of the most radically innovative writers of
Modern literature in Irish by writing the
comic and
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
literary classic ''
Cré na Cille''.
The novel is written almost entirely as conversation between the dead bodies buried underneath a Connemara cemetery. In a departure from
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ga, Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who ...
's idealization of the un-Anglicised
Irish culture
The culture of Ireland includes language, literature, music, art, folklore, cuisine, and sport associated with Ireland and the Irish people. For most of its recorded history, Irish culture has been primarily Gaelic (see Gaelic Ireland). It has ...
of the
Gaeltacht
( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home.
The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...
aí, the deceased speakers in ''Cré na Cille'' spend the whole novel gossiping, backbiting, flirting, feuding, and scandal-mongering. ''Cré na Cille'' is widely considered a masterpiece of
20th-century Irish literature
Irish literature comprises writings in the Irish, Latin, English and Scots ( Ulster Scots) languages on the island of Ireland. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from the 7th century and was produced by monks writing in both Latin a ...
and has drawn comparisons to the writings of
Flann O’Brien,
Samuel Beckett and
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
.
Through ''Cré na Cille'' and his other writings, Máirtín Ó Cadhain became a major part of the revival of
literary modernism
Literary modernism, or modernist literature, originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional ways of writing, in both poetry and prose fiction writing. Modernism experimented ...
in Irish, where it had been largely dormant since the execution of
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ga, Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who ...
in 1916. Ó Cadhain created a
literary language
A literary language is the form (register) of a language used in written literature, which can be either a nonstandard dialect or a standardized variety of the language. Literary language sometimes is noticeably different from the spoken langua ...
for his writing out of the
Conamara Theas
Conamara Theas, which is Irish for South Connemara, is however today the western Irish-speaking regions County Galway. There are around 7,000 people living in the area (excluding the Aran islands). Between 60% and 80% of residents are native Ir ...
and
Cois Fharraige dialects of
Connacht Irish
Connacht Irish () is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Connacht. Gaeltacht regions in Connacht are found in Counties Mayo (notably Tourmakeady, Achill Island and Erris) and Galway (notably in parts of Connemara and o ...
, but he was often accused of an unnecessarily dialectal usage in
grammar
In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraints, a field that includes domain ...
and
orthography
An orthography is a set of conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, word breaks, emphasis, and punctuation.
Most transnational languages in the modern period have a writing system, and ...
even in contexts where realistic depiction of the Connemara
vernacular
A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...
wasn't called for. He was also happy to experiment with borrowings from other dialects,
Classical Irish and even
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
. Consequently, much of what Ó Cadhain wrote is, like the poetry of fellow
Linguistic
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
experimentalist
Liam S. Gógan, reputedly very hard to understand for a non-native speaker.
In addition to his writings, Máirtín Ó Cadhain was also instrumental in preaching what he called ''Athghabháil na hÉireann'' ("Re-Conquest of Ireland"), (meaning both
decolonization
Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on separatism, in ...
and re-
Gaelicisation
Gaelicisation, or Gaelicization, is the act or process of making something Gaelic, or gaining characteristics of the ''Gaels'', a sub-branch of celticisation. The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group, traditionally viewed as having spread from Ire ...
) and in the 1969 founding of
Coiste Cearta Síbialta na Gaeilge (English: Irish Language Civil Rights Committee"),
a pressure group campaigning for
social, economic and cultural rights for native-speakers of the
Irish-language
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the ...
in
Gaeltacht
( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home.
The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...
areas and which drew inspiration from the use of
civil disobedience by the contemporary
Welsh Language Society
The Welsh Language Society ( cy, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, often abbreviated to Cymdeithas yr Iaith or just Cymdeithas) is a direct action pressure group in Wales campaigning for the right of Welsh people to use the Welsh language in every as ...
, the
Northern Ireland civil rights movement, and the
American civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...
.
One of their most successful protests involved the
pirate radio
Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license.
In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially ...
station
Saor Raidió Chonamara (Free Radio Connemara) which first came on the air during
Oireachtas na Gaeilge
Oireachtas na Gaeilge (, “The Irish (language) Gathering”) is an annual arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Inspired by the Welsh eisteddfodau, the festival has included different events connected with Irish lang ...
1968, as a direct challenge to the
Irish government
The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.
The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...
's inaction regarding
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
broadcasting. The station used a
medium wave transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...
smuggled in from the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. The Irish government responded by proposing a national Irish-language radio station
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (; "Radio of the Gaeltacht"), abbreviated RnaG, is an Irish language radio station owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the Inter ...
which came on the air on
Easter Sunday
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel P ...
1972. Its headquarters are now in
Casla.
In 1974, Gluaiseacht also persuaded
Conradh na Gaeilge
(; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it eme ...
to end the practice since 1939 of always holding
Oireachtas na Gaeilge
Oireachtas na Gaeilge (, “The Irish (language) Gathering”) is an annual arts festival of Irish culture, which has run since the 1890s. Inspired by the Welsh eisteddfodau, the festival has included different events connected with Irish lang ...
, a cultural and literary festival modeled after the Welsh
Eisteddfod
In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music.
The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, ac ...
, in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
rather than in the
Gaeltacht
( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home.
The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...
areas.
Gluaisceart also successfully secured recognition of
sean-nós dance
Sean-nós dance ( ; , ) is an older style of traditional solo Irish dance. It is a casual dance form, as opposed to the more formal and competition-oriented form of Irish stepdance.
''Sean nós'' in Irish means "old style", and is applied to th ...
in 1977.
Recently, the
Coláiste Lurgan
Coláiste Lurgan is an independent summer school that runs three-week Irish-language immersion courses in the Connemara Gaeltacht village of Inverin in County Galway.
As part of their student-directed focus in language teaching, the school runs ...
, a
language immersion
Language immersion, or simply immersion, is a technique used in bilingual language education in which two languages are used for instruction in a variety of topics, including math, science, or social studies. The languages used for instruction ...
summer college located at
Inverin
Inverin (, meaning "mouth of the river") is a Gaeltacht village between Baile na hAbhann and Minna in County Galway, Ireland. There are Irish-language summer colleges in the area, most notably Coláiste Lurgan and Coláiste Uí Chadhain.
The v ...
, has won worldwide acclaim for their Irish language covers of pop songs,including
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
's ''
Hallelujah
''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...
'',
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...
's ''
Hello
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...
'', and
Avicii
Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first re ...
's ''
Wake Me Up'', on the
TG Lurgan YouTube channel. The band
Seo Linn
Seo Linn (; "here we go") is an Irish folk/indie group formed in Ireland that has been making music and performing since 2013. The group consists of Stiofán Ó Fearail on vocals and guitar, Daithí Ó Ruaidh on vocals, keyboard, and saxophone, Ke ...
is composed of musicians who met at the college.
Transport
Connemara is accessible by the and
City Link bus services. From 1895 to 1935 it was served by the
Midland Great Western Railway
The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railways in 1924. At its peak the MGWR had a network of , making it Irelan ...
branch that connected
Galway City
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...
to
Clifden
Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...
.
The
N59 is the main area road, following an inland route from Galway to Clifden. A popular alternative is the coastal route beginning with the
R336 from Galway. This is also known as the Connemara Loop consisting of a 45 km drive where one can view the landscape and scenery of Connemara.
Aer Arann Islands
Aer Arann Islands (stylised as aer arann islands) is an Irish airline headquartered in Inverin, County Galway. They operate a three-strong fleet of Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft to connect the Aran Islands with mainland County Galway ...
serves the
Aran Islands
The Aran Islands ( ; gle, Oileáin Árann, ) or The Arans (''na hÁrainneacha'' ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the historic barony of Aran i ...
from
Connemara Airport
Connemara Airport ( ga, Aerphort Chonamara) or Connemara Regional Airport (''Aerfort Réigiúnach Chonamara'') is located at Inverin in the Connemara region of Ireland, west of the city of Galway. It is also known as Spiddal Airport, Inverin A ...
in the south of Connemara also known as .
Notable places
Towns and villages
These settlements are within the most extensive definition of the area. More restrictive definitions will exclude some:
*
Barna – ()
*
Ballyconneely – ( / )
*
Ballynahinch – ()
*
Carna – ()
*
Carraroe
Carraroe (in Irish, and officially, , meaning 'the red quarter') is a village in County Galway, Ireland, in the Irish-speaking region (Gaeltacht) of Connemara. It is known for its traditional fishing boats, the Galway Hookers. Its population ...
– ()
*
Claddaghduff – ()
*
Cleggan – ()
*
Clifden
Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...
– ()
*
Clonbur
''An Fhairche'' (locally ''An Fháirthí''), or Clonbur in English, is a Gaeltacht village in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland.
The village of Clonbur sits between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask. Two kilometres to the west rises Mount Gable wher ...
– ()
*
Inverin
Inverin (, meaning "mouth of the river") is a Gaeltacht village between Baile na hAbhann and Minna in County Galway, Ireland. There are Irish-language summer colleges in the area, most notably Coláiste Lurgan and Coláiste Uí Chadhain.
The v ...
– ()
*
Kilkerren – ()
*
Leenaun
Leenaun (), also Leenane, is a village and 1,845 acre townland in County Galway, Ireland, on the southern shore of Killary Harbour and the northern edge of Connemara.
Location
Leenaun is situated on the junction of the N59 road, and the R336 ...
– ( / Leenane)
*
Letterfrack
Letterfrack or Letterfrac () is a small village in the Connemara area of County Galway, Ireland. It was founded by Quakers in the mid-19th century. The village is south-east of Renvyle peninsula and north-east of Clifden on Barnaderg Bay an ...
– ()
*
Lettermore
Lettermore () is a Gaeltacht village in County Galway, Ireland. It is also the name of an island, linked by road to the mainland, on which the village sits. The name comes from the Irish ''Leitir Móir'' meaning ''great rough hillside'' (''leiti ...
– ()
*
Lettermullan
Lettermullen, ( or possibly "the hill with the mill"), is a small island and village on the coast of southern Connemara in County Galway, Ireland. It is about west of Galway city, at the far western end of Galway Bay, Lettermullen is the wester ...
– ()
*
Maum – (, also )
*
Oughterard – ()
*
Recess – ()
*
Renvyle
Renvyle or Rinvyle () is a peninsula and electoral division in North-West Connemara in County Galway, close to the border with County Mayo in Ireland.
History
The ruins of the castle of Grace O'Malley (''Gráinne Mhaol'') can be found on t ...
– ()
*
Rosmuc
Rosmuc or Ros Muc, sometimes anglicised as Rosmuck, is a village in the Conamara Gaeltacht of County Galway, Ireland. It lies halfway between the town of Clifden and the city of Galway. Irish is the predominant spoken language in the area, wit ...
– ()
*
Rossaveal
Rossaveal or Rossaveel ( or ''Ros a' Mhíl'') is a Gaeltacht village and townland in the Connemara area of County Galway, Ireland. It is the main ferry port for the Aran Islands in Galway Bay. It is about from Galway city.
The Irish name ''Ros ...
– ()
*
Roundstone – ()
*
Spiddal
Spiddal ( ga, An Spidéal , meaning 'the hospital') is a village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is west of Galway city, on the R336 road. It is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) an ...
– ()
Islands
*
Omey Island
Omey Island ( ga, Iomaidh) is a tidal island situated near Claddaghduff on the western edge of Connemara in County Galway, Ireland. From the mainland the island is almost hidden. It is possible to drive or walk across a large sandy strand to th ...
– ()
*
Inishbofin – () has been home to fishermen, farmers, exiled monks and fugitive pirates for over 6,000 years and today the island supports a population of 200 full-time residents.
Notable people
*
Seán 'ac Dhonncha
Seán 'ac Dhonncha (alternatively, Seán 'ac onna, Johnny Joe Pheaitsín, 2 October 1919 – 1996) was a traditional Irish singer.
Born in Carna, Conamara, Co. Galway the son of a fisherman, his siblings were Joe, Matt, Páraic,Bairbre, Brí ...
(1919–1996),
sean-nós singer
*
Nan Tom Teaimín de Búrca, a local
sean-nós singer, lives near
Carna in Rusheenamanagh
*
Róisín Elsafty,
sean-nós singer
*
John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
, the American film director, and winner of 4
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, whose real name was Seán O'Feeney, was the son of John Augustine Feeney from
An Spidéal
Spiddal ( ga, An Spidéal , meaning 'the hospital') is a village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is west of Galway city, on the R336 road. It is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) a ...
, and directed the classic film ''
The Quiet Man
''The Quiet Man'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen. The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent was based on a 1933 ''Saturday Ev ...
'' in nearby
Cong, County Mayo
Cong (, from ''Cúnga Fheichín'' meaning "Saint Feichin's narrows") is a village straddling the borders of County Galway and County Mayo, in Ireland.
Geography
Cong is situated on an island formed by a number of streams that surround it on all ...
.
*
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (; born 5 September 1950) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science from 2010 to 2014, Member of the European Court of Auditors from 2000 to 2010, ...
is an Irish politician, and was the former European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science was born in
Carna.
*
Claire Hanna
Claire Aisling Hanna (born 19 June 1980) is an Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) politician from Northern Ireland. In December 2019, she was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast South in the House of Commons. Previous ...
,
SDLP
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) ( ga, Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is a social-democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Irela ...
MP in
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
was born here.
*
J. Bruce Ismay, Chairman of the
White Star Line
The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...
, which owned the ''
Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...
'', lived for part of his later life in his lodge in Connemara. Ismay was on board the Titanic when it sank but was one of the survivors.
["J. Bruce Ismay, 74, Titanic Survivor. Ex-Head of White Star Line Who Retired After Sea Tragedy Dies in London". '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''. 19 October 1937. "Joseph Bruce Ismay, former chairman of the White Star Line and a survivor of the Titanic disaster in 1912, died here last night. He was 74 years old."
*
Seán Mannion, a professional boxer who fought for the
WBA, was born in
Rosmuc
Rosmuc or Ros Muc, sometimes anglicised as Rosmuck, is a village in the Conamara Gaeltacht of County Galway, Ireland. It lies halfway between the town of Clifden and the city of Galway. Irish is the predominant spoken language in the area, wit ...
.
*
Richard Martin, MP, known as "Humanity Dick", was born in Ballynahinch Castle,
Ballynahinch and represented Galway in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
.
*
Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin
Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin, (30 July 1914 – 25 April 1999) was an Irish journalist, author, sports official, and the sixth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He succeeded his uncle as Baron Killanin in the Peer ...
, was
president of the International Olympic Committee
The president of the International Olympic Committee is head of the executive board that assumes the general overall responsibility for the administration of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the management of its affairs. The IOC E ...
(IOC), and lived at the family seat in Spiddal.
*
Patrick Nee
Patrick Joseph Nee (born December 22, 1944) is an Irish-American former mobster and Irish republican sympathizer. A former member of the Mullen Gang and the Winter Hill Gang, he is a Vietnam War veteran, and author of ''A Criminal and an Iri ...
,
Rosmuc
Rosmuc or Ros Muc, sometimes anglicised as Rosmuck, is a village in the Conamara Gaeltacht of County Galway, Ireland. It lies halfway between the town of Clifden and the city of Galway. Irish is the predominant spoken language in the area, wit ...
-born
Irish-American organized crime figure turned
Irish republican, senior member of the
Mullen Gang
The Mullen Gang was an Irish-American gang operating in Boston.
Gang members
Paulie McGonagle (died November 1974) was a Boston mobster and onetime leader of the Mullen Gang, a South Boston street gang involved in burglary, auto theft, and a ...
, and mastermind of an enormous
arms trafficking
Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small arm ...
ring to the
Provisional IRA
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...
from bases in
Charlestown,
South Boston
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformat ...
, and
Gloucester, Massachusetts and which paid
protection money
A protection racket is a type of racket and a scheme of organized crime perpetrated by a potentially hazardous organized crime group that generally guarantees protection outside the sanction of the law to another entity or individual from viol ...
to local
crime boss Whitey Bulger
James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger Jr. (; September 3, 1929 – October 30, 2018) was an American organized crime boss who led the Winter Hill Gang in the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, a city directly northwest of Bos ...
.
*
Sorcha Ní Ghuairim (1911–1976) was a teacher, writer of
modern literature in Irish, and
sean-nós singer.
*
Peter O'Toole, the noted actor of stage and screen, who achieved international stardom in 1962 playing Col.
T.E. Lawrence
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...
in ''
Lawrence of Arabia
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...
'', was born in Connemara in 1932, according to some accounts of his life.
*
K. S. Ranjitsinhji,
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
Jam Sahib
Jam Sahib ( gu, જામ સાહેબ), is the title of the ruling prince of Nawanagar, now known as Jamnagar in Gujarat, an Indian princely state.
Jam Sahibs of Nawanagar
References
External links
Nawanagar History and Genealogyat '' ...
of
Nawanagar State
Nawanagar was an Indian princely state in the historical Halar region, located on the southern shores of the Gulf of Kutch. It was ruled by the Jadeja Rajput dynasty and became the part of newly formed India. The city is now known as Jamnagar. ...
in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, was the first
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
to make an official visit to the newly founded
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...
, bought
Ballynahinch Castle estate and visited the area every year till his death in 1932.
* Major
John Riley, an
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...
soldier from
Clifden
Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...
, who
deserted from the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
over
anti-Catholicism in the United States
Anti-Catholicism in the United States concerns the anti-Catholic attitudes first brought to the Thirteen Colonies by Protestant European settlers, composed mostly of English Puritans, during the British colonization of North America (16th–17 ...
and
religious persecution by
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
In the United States, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants or WASPs are an ethnoreligious group who are the white, upper-class, American Protestant historical elite, typically of British descent. WASPs dominated American society, culture, and polit ...
officers. Riley became a Major in the
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army.
The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National ...
and the
commanding officer of the highly decorated
Saint Patrick's Battalion during the
Mexican-American War.
*
Tim Robinson, a cartographer, has lived many years in Connemara and published books on the area.
*
Gráinne Seoige
Gráinne Seoige (; born 5 November 1973) is an Irish journalist, news anchor and documentary and entertainment television presenter. A noted Irish language supporter, Seoige is the only television personality to have worked with all four Irish ...
, the Irish TV presenter and journalist, who has worked for
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
,
RTÉ,
Sky News Ireland
Sky News Ireland was a programming block on Sky News broadcast in Ireland. It was a separate feed from the UK and international versions of Sky News. Sky News Ireland was broadcast from its studios in Dublin. The service was also available in th ...
and the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, the Irish TV presenter and journalist. She is the younger sister of Gráinne Seoige and a fellow native of An Spidéal
*
was a heavyweight boxer, nicknamed the "Connemara Chrusher", he was the Irish Heavyweight boxing champion in 1943, and fought
for the British heavyweight title in 1945.
had an international hit with the song "Les Lacs du Connemara" in 1981.
* The Irish drinking song "
" has been recorded and performed by a number of Irish and Celtic-themed bands.
* Poet
, is named after the Connemara region.
*
is a breed of horse native to the region. The only native pony breed in Ireland.
* Connemara is also the name of a brand of
.
* ''807. A slaughter was made of the Conmaicni by the foreigners.''
, agus Filidh an tSéibhe'', 1934, poetry collection, edited by Tomas Ó Maille, Dublin, Foils. an Rialtais,
* ''
* ''A Chorographical Description of West or H-Iar Connaught written A.D. 1684'' by Roderic O'Flaherty ESQ with notes and Illustrations by,
– Useful source of information for everything related to this area of West Ireland: environment, people, traditions, events, books and movies.
{{Authority control