Connacht
Connacht ( kɒnɔːt ; old English spelling Connaught ; ir. : Connachta kunəxtə , land of the descendants of Conn ) is the northwest of the historic provinces of Ireland and now includes the counties ( English Counties ) Galway , Mayo , Sligo , Leitrim and Roscommon . The province has 550,742 inhabitants (as of 2016) and an area of 17,713 km 2 . The largest city is Galway .
The legend
Connacht played a major role in Irish mythology . It is the region where Medb and Ailill mac Máta ruled on Rathcroghan or Rath Cruachain and in Ireland sought power in the fight against Cuchulain . Cet mac Mágach is her great hero. Connacht were attributed the qualities of learning, history, storytelling and knowledge by the wise Fintan.
When King Conchobor rules the province of Ulster , Medb and Ailill talk about which of them has the best bull in his herd. It turns out that the king has the better bull, so the queen wants an even better one. There is only one in Ulster, the Donn Cuailnge . So messengers are sent to Conchobar, but he does not give the bull over. This leads to a great war which, in reality, is a goddess' last attempt to rule Ireland. The province of Ulster is weakened on the one hand because the king has banished the best heroes from his country and they fight on the side of the enemy, and on the other hand because Ulster is under the spell of a fairy who causes his men to be incapacitated for a time . But there is the seventeen-year-old Cuchulain, a heroic figure who, in addition to her superhuman strength, can also change her body, so that this is a young god (a new faith). Ultimately, Cuchulain is the only one facing the enemy army or parts of it. With the enemy, his friends, the exiled heroes, also fight. Cuchulain manages to survive the fight until the Ulster men are fit to fight again. In the end, the two bulls fight each other: the Ulster bull wins, but dies after the fight from exhaustion.
Reality
In the Republic of Ireland, the provinces are no longer important for the administration of the state, but they play a role in sport, as this is often organized on a regional basis in Ireland.
Connacht has always been the poorest and most deprived part of Ireland where living in has been seen as a punishment. For a long time it was known as " Siberia of Ireland". To hell or to Connacht - this was the choice left by many Irish when Oliver Cromwell conquered Ireland in the 17th century. Connacht was also the province most severely affected by the Great Famine of 1845–1849 .
Museums and visitor centers
Co. Galway
- Aran Center, in Galway
- Aughnanure Castle
- Aughrim Interpretative Center
- Dan O'Hara's Heritage Center, at Clifden
- Dunguaire Castle
- Leenane Cultural Center
- Thoor Ballylee (William Butler Yeats)
Co. Leitrim
- Sliabh-an-Iarainn Visitors Center
- Parkes' Castle
Co. Mayo
- Cide Fields
- Foxford , Woolen Mills
- Granuaile Cender, Louisburgh
- Knock Folk Museum, Knock
- Mayo North, Enniscoe
- Westport House
Co. Roscommon
- Boyle Abbey
- Conalis House, Castlerea
- The King House, Boyle
- Strokestown Park, Strokestown
Co. Sligo
- Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery
- Sligo Abbey
- Sligo County Museum, Sligo
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 47 ' N , 9 ° 3' W