Connachta

Connachta is the term used for a Gaelic Irish dynastic group and medieval political confederation based in western Ireland. The name means “descendants of Conn” and traces to Conn Cétchathach, a legendary hero said to have founded the lineage. In the early medieval period the Connachta comprised several kin-groups that claimed common descent from Conn and ruled areas that would become the western province of Connacht. The leading dynasties included the Uí Briúin Ai, a powerful branch of the Uí Briúin, and the Síol Muireadaigh, a chiefly lineage within Uí Briúin Ai that supplied many kings of Connacht. From the Síol Muireadaigh came the Ó Conchobair (O’Conor) dynasty, which held the kingship of Connacht for much of the later medieval era, culminating in Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair (Rory O’Conor), who was High King of Ireland at the time of the Norman invasion in the late 12th century.

Geographically, the Connachta occupied most of what is today western Ireland, roughly corresponding to the modern province of Connacht: counties Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, and Roscommon, as well as adjacent areas. After the Norman invasion, the political unity of the Connachta declined, though the name Connacht continued to denote the western province. The Connachta left a lasting imprint on Irish history and literature, with genealogies, annals, and poems preserving their legends and lineages.