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Odds n' Ends..! |
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The ancient western province of Connaught (Cuige Chonnacht) - also spelt as Connacht, contains the counties of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sleigo and
Leitrim. It was here that the hated Oliver Cromwell banished the bulk of the Catholic landowners, and it was also here on the dry stony land that the
Potato Famine was the most severe, exacting a dreadful toll on the population.
Today you would be hard pressed to guess its dark history, as the
beautiful wild heather encrusted mountains, turquoise lakes, golden beaches, island studded bays and its proud Gaelic speaking inhabitants all
add up to a wonderful and unspoilt paradise that has fiercely resisted the ever encroaching onslaught of the 22nd century.
Connacht stretches from the long estuary of the Shannon in the south to beautiful Sligo Bay in the north, intersected by the Partry Mountains it then
stretches east inland as far as the Shannon. This west coast of Ireland is the quintessential image of Ireland, and is epitomised in the stark
landscapes of Connemara, thousands of miles of low dry-stone walls, the wild and rumbling Atlantic Ocean, and the breathtaking wild beauty of the
accompanying storm skies.
Not all of Connacht is wild mountain country, as the whole of Roscommon, parts of Leitrim, south Sligo and much of Galway
is a patchwork of neatly farmed fields, trees and wild heather, studded with small lakes and watered by the lovely Shannon River. The climate is
quite mild, although often cloaked in misty rain, and in summer it can get quite warm.
The region has had its share of heroes, villains and legends, with legend having it that the Fir Bolgs were defeated by the fair Tuatha de' Danaan
on the plain of Moytura and retreated to their new home in the mountains and islands of the west, building their wonderful ring forts on the Aran
Islands, and holding on right up to the arrival of the Celts. Two infamous Queens resided here, one the famous Queen Maeve, a legendry Queen from
antiquity that is best immortalised in the epic 'Cattle Raid of Cooley' fable, and the other a sea pirate called Grace O'Malley (Granuaile) who
lived on Clare Island.
She is best remembered for telling Queen Lizzie the First to `get lost' - or blunter words to that effect when she was
asked to give up her lands. Deeply enriching this whole region and giving it a particularly powerful and parochial quality is the ubiquitous
influence of the language and music of Gaelic culture. The farther west one travels, the more powerful is the impact of their proud and
self-assertive idenity. Each town and village, as well as many cities in the region are a bright display of colour, proudly embellished
with Celtic motifs and Gaelic names.
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