Upon the partition of Ireland in 1921, the county became one of the basic land divisions employed, along with county boroughs. [23] In this period Ireland is said to have been divided into five independent over-kingdoms, or cuigeadh whose rí (kings) were of equal rank, not subject to a central monarchy. When Great Britain announced plans to leave the European Union following a close 2016 referendum, the impact of the initiative on Northern Ireland became a major issue of debate. In 1949 it became a republic and left the British Commonwealth. These provinces were dynamic and their borders changed all the time. With the collapse of English control in Ireland following the Bruce campaign in Ireland in 1315, and the subsequent collapse of the Earldom of Ulster, the Gaelic order had a resurgence and the Clandeboye O'Neills of the Northern Uí Néill stepped into the power vacuum in Ulster bringing it under the sovereignty of the O'Neills of Tyrone. [6], In the years following the invasion, the kingdoms of Connacht, Desmumu, Laigin, Mide, Tuadmumu, and Ulaid formed the basis for the Norman liberties of Connacht, Desmond, Leinster, Meath, Thomond and Ulster respectively. Today the island of Ireland is divided into two countries: (1) the Republic of Ireland, also known as Éire and (2) Northern Ireland, one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (together with England, Scotland, and Wales). Patrick Hillery 1976–1990. The island of Ireland is divided into the Republic of Ireland and Nothern Ireland. [26] It is from them that the Airgíalla are said to descend, branching off from the rest of the Connachta. "Four Provinces" redirects here. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has separate provincial councils and its county teams contest provincial championships. [6] By the 7th century Osraige had lost their dependence on the Corcu Loígde,[6] with the restoration of the local Dál Birn dynasty. Smaller groups included the aithechthúatha (see Attacotti), Cálraighe, Cíarraige, Conmaicne, Dartraighe, Déisi, Éile, Fir Bolg, Fortuatha, Gailenga, Gamanraige, Mairtine, Múscraige, Partraige, Soghain, Uaithni, Uí Maine, Uí Liatháin. Éire Nua envisaged a united Ireland that would be created when the British withdrew from Northern Ireland, and the creation of a federal state with assemblies for each of its four historic provinces. These are joined together to represent various All Ireland sports teams and organisations via the Four Provinces Flag of Ireland and a four province Crest of Ireland, with examples including the Ireland national field hockey team, Ireland national rugby league team, Ireland national rugby union team and Irish Amateur Boxing Association. The partition left bitter divisions and led to a civil war (from June 1922 – May 1923) that pitted communities and families within the Republic against each other. 8.1 - Why is Ireland divided? The number of provinces and their delimitation fluctuated until 1610, when they were permanently set by the English administration of James I. Try researching 'the Battle of the Boyne' and 'Oliver Cromwell in Ireland' and you will see the roots of the conflict go way back into the history books. Update 16 to GEC is dated 2014-06-30. Carlow is a county in the South East of Ireland, within the borders of Leinster province. Grab a copy of our NEW encyclopedia for Kids. The island of Ireland comprises the Republic of Ireland, which is a sovereign country, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. [21], The main body of the events in the myth of the Three Collas may have occurred in the late 4th to early 5th century, however as the centuries passed the myth underwent updating and alteration. Neither side was satisfied. County Clare upon its creation in 1569 was transferred from Munster to Connacht, and was only restored to Munster after 1660. Six, mostly protestant, counties in the north stayed a part of the UK. Its capital city, Dublin, has a metro population of 1,024,027 residents. [26] They then took possession of central Ulaid spanning the modern counties of Armagh, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Monaghan and Tyrone founding the over-kingdom of Airgíalla.[26]. It assigns new codes to reflect the changes in local government. The Act intended for both home ruleterritories to remain within the United Kingdom and contained provisions for their eventual reunification. King's County and Queen's County were formed in the time of Queen Mary. The Republic of Ireland has 26 counties, and Northern Ireland has 6 - a total of 32 counties in the whole island of Ireland. In ancient times, Ireland was divided into provinces, each ruled by a King. € 1 = $1.25475 (or $1 = € 0.79697) as of 2005. [6][7] After this situation ended it became an independent kingdom which gradually moved towards the Laigin sphere of influence as they sought to claim the Laigin kingship. Eoin MacNeill discounts this suggestion citing the Táin Bó Cúailnge, which makes mention of Eochaidh as king of all Munster, with Cu Roi simply a "great Munster hero". Northern Ireland is a province of the United Kingdom, and is sometimes referred to by this term. In 1169, the king of Osraige, Domnall Mac Gilla Pátraic, hired the Norman knight Maurice de Prendergast to resist the Laigin king, Diarmait Mac Murchada, who had also recruited Norman aid. County is divided into historic sub-regions called Barony. [26] The Northern and Southern Uí Néill dynasties are claimed to descend from Eocaidh's brother, Fiacha Sraibhtine. [15] The eagerness of these submissions encouraged Henry II to revive the papal grant, Laudabiliter, for Ireland. [26] The most oft quoted version of their story was written by Geoffrey Keating in the 17th century in his work the Foras Feasa ar Éirinn, also known as "The History of Ireland". After several years of upheaval, Patrick Hillery bought stability to the … The fairs of Munster were the greatest in all Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is divided into 30 administrative regions, mostly tied to the 26 constituent counties (county Tipperary is divided in two and county Dublin in four). The Republic of Ireland, which makes up the southern portion of the country, is independent from the United Kingdom, while Northern Ireland is [15] This resulted in the division of Mumu into two: Tuadmumu (Thomond, meaning "north Munster") to the north under the Uí Briain; and Desmumu (Desmond, meaning "south Munster") to the south under the Mac Cárthaigh. The Republic of Ireland is divided into 166 LEAs, with an average population of 28,700 and average area of 423.3 square kilometres (163.4 sq mi). in 1922 the island was divided. The four provinces are: Province Population (2006) Area (km²) Number of Counties† [21], Pseudo-historians list 84 kings of Ireland prior to the formation of the Pentarchy. This map shows you more. [5], The kingdom of Osraige, which had its genealogy traced back by early Irish genealogists to the Laigin, was part of Mumu from the 6th to 8th century and ruled by the Corcu Loígde dynasty. In modern times the provinces have become associated with groups of counties, although they have no legal status. [26], The Collas with their army along with a host from Connacht marched to Achaidh Leithdeircc in Fernmagh, southern Ulaid, and fought the Ulaid in seven battles over the course of seven days. [1] This term appears in 8th-century law texts such as Miadslechta and in the legendary tales of the Ulster Cycle where it refers to the five kingdoms of the "Pentarchy". Below is a translation from Old Irish: Connacht in the west is the kingdom of learning, the seat of the greatest and wisest druids and magicians; the men of Connacht are famed for their eloquence, their handsomeness and their ability to pronounce true judgement. For many years Ireland was part of Britain, but, in 1922, the island of Ireland was formerly divided into the southern, larger part, called Eire (an independent republic), and a smaller division (6 counties) called Northern Ireland. [21] By then, Ireland had become divided into seven over-kingdoms. Wicklow. The proposal was particularly associated with the Dublin-based leadership group centred on Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and Dáithí Ó Conaill, who were the authors of the policy. [26] According to the story the Collas were told by Fiacha's son, Muiredach Tirech, the High King of Ireland, to conquer land of their own to pass on to their descendants, directing them to wage war on the Ulaid to avenge a slight against their great-grandfather Cormac mac Airt. The last kingdom, Meath, is the kingdom of Kingship, of stewardship, of bounty in government; in Meath lies the Hill of Tara, the traditional seat of the High King of Ireland. The Protestant majority and Catholic minority in Northern Ireland were in conflict almost from the beginning. [15] The following decades would see Mumu united and repartitioned several times as the Uí Briain and Mac Cárthaigh vied for complete control. Taking up an area of 27,133 square miles (70,273 square km), Ireland has a population of approximately 4,937,786 people. The Republic of Ireland endured a hard-fought birth. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros. The Annals of Tigernach state that Ireland was divided into the five upon the slaying of Conaire Mór, however it is suggested alternatively that it happened upon the death of Conaire's father, Eterscél Mór, the 84th king of Ireland. The provinces of Ireland … Since the early 17th century, there have been four Provinces of Ireland: Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster. The number of provinces and their delimitation fluctuated until 1610, when they were permanently set by the English administration of James I. Facing civil war in Ireland, Britain partitioned the island in 1920, with separate parliaments in the predominantly Protestant northeast and predominantly Catholic south and northwest. The dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland) poetically describes the five kingdoms of Ireland. Ireland's four professional rugby teams in the Pro14 play under the names of the provinces. [15] Ua Conchobair would then conquer the heartland of the Uí Briain situated around modern County Clare and make it part of Connacht. They began as Norman structures, and as the powers exercised by the Cambro-Norman barons and the Old English nobility waned over time, new offices of political control came to be established at a county level. It ultimately set the stage f… [3], Paul MacCotter proposes the following structure of lordship in the 12th century: High-king of Ireland; semi-provincial king, such as Connacht, Ulaid, Desmumu; regional king, such as Dál Fiatach and Uí Fhiachrach Aidni; local king or king of a trícha cét, such as Leth Cathail or Cenél Guaire; and taísig túaithe at the bottom. The counties of Ireland are historic administrative divisions of the island, now used in various contexts. The original intention was for both regions to remain within the United Kingdom, but the Irish War of Independence led to the south seceding from the UK in 1922, while Northern Ireland opted to remain. [26] The host from Connacht fought the first six battles, and the Collas fought the seventh. Later major groups included the Connachta, Ciannachta, Eóganachta. Note 1: † "Number of Counties" is traditional counties, not administrative ones.Note 2: ‡ Population for Ulster is the sum of the 2016 census results for counties of Ulster in Republic of Ireland and the 2016 mid-year population estimates for Northern Ireland. cúigí). Search Catalog Data Catalog Data & text in Documents Search By Date Range; Advanced Search [15], Osraige would be amongst the first Irish kingdoms to fall following the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1170, and was soon afterwards split from Leinster and made part of the royal demesne lands of Waterford. [3][4] These seven over-kingdoms are again listed in the 12th-century Lebor na Cert.[1]. The island of Ireland comprises the Republic of Ireland, which is a sovereign country, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. The rest of the island , mostly Catholic, became the Irish Free State and an independent republic in 1949. Up to 1972 Northern Ireland was allowed to rule itself . [16] In an attempt to reduce the importance of the province of Munster, Sydney, using the River Shannon as a natural boundary took Thomond and made it into the county of Clare as part of the presidency of Connaught in 1569. The epic poem, An Táin Bó Cúailnge (the Cattle Raid of Cooley) describes a war between Connacht and Ulster, and is perhaps best known for Cú Chulainn's single handed defence of Ulster against the champions of Connacht in turn, while his comrades were disabled by a spell. Historically, Ireland was divided into four ancient provinces, namely Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster, however these have no administrative significance today. Almost immediately, the northeast—Northern Ireland—withdrew and accepted self-governance within the United Kingdom. The language most widely spoken is English. [24] Keating however suggests it occurred in the reign of Eochu Feidlech who was the 82nd king of Ireland. In 1919 an Irish republic was proclaimed by Sinn Féin, an Irish nationalist party. Don Vaughan is a freelance writer based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ma… Ireland (officially, the Republic of Ireland) is divided into 26 county councils, 3 city councils, 2 city & county councils. When this mythical kingship was interrupted is a matter of dispute. The kings of Tara and Dinn Riogh were said to derive from the same lineage, which ruled all the Laigin. The Irish word for this territorial division, cúige, meaning "fifth part", indicates that there were once five; however, in the medieval period there were more. [24] It was also described as "the Pentarchy". [16][17] These liberties were later subdivided into smaller ones that became the basis for the counties of Ireland.[16]. [16] His administrative reign in Ireland however was cut short and even with his reappointment by Elizabeth I (1558–1603) this plan was never implemented. Sir Henry Sidney, about 1565, formed the county Longford from the ancient district of Annaly. Ulster is made up of counties from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The ancient earthwork of Tara is called Rath na Ríthe ('Ringfort of the Kings'). [26] The Collas then pursued the Ulaid east of the "Glen Righe" (the valley of the Newry River in eastern County Armagh), before returning to loot and burn the Ulaid capital, Emain Macha, after which it never again had a king. Dublin was set as the capital of the Irish Free State, and in 1937 a new constitution renamed the nation Éire, or Ireland. The Republic of Ireland endured a hard-fought birth. Early historical and genealogical records note the existence of major groups such as the Cruthin, Corcu Loígde, Dál Riata, Dáirine, Deirgtine, Delbhna, Érainn, Laigin, Ulaid. Ireland has been used as the battleground between catholic and protestant factions in Britain time and … [24], MacNeill claims that this division of Ireland into five is pre-historic and pre-Gaelic, describing the Pentarchy as "the oldest certain fact in the political history of Ireland". Ireland was divided into four different provinces, or territorial divisions. For the island in Japan, see, Historic territorial divisions of the island of Ireland, The Three Collas and the founding of Airgíalla, List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Ireland, List of Anglican dioceses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "2016 Mid Year Population Estimates for Northern Ireland", Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Provinces_of_Ireland&oldid=1012200983, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, A province was ruled by a "king of over-kings", known as a, Each province was made up of several petty-kingdoms that corresponded roughly to the size of modern, Each of these petty-kingdoms was further subdivided into smaller petty-kingdoms known as a. [15] After Henry II, king of England, landed in Ireland in 1171, the Mac Cárthaigh submitted to him to prevent an Uí Briain invasion. In the Republic of Ireland… [21][22] The Táin is set during the reign of Conchobar Mac Nessa, king of Ulster, and is believed to have happened in the 1st century. cóiceda) which literally meant "a fifth". The country of Ireland is divided into twenty-six counties. [21] The notion of Ireland being divided into five permeated itself throughout Irish literature over the centuries despite what the cuigeadh representing no longer existing by the time of Saint Patrick in the 5th century. In modern Irish the word for province is cúige (pl. Ireland’s situation changed dramatically at the beginning of the 20th century. Six of the nine Ulster counties form modern-day Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. The Four Provinces. [2] In the 12th century Lebor na Cert (Book of Rights), the term means province, seemingly having lost its fractional meaning with seven cúigeadh listed. 26 of these counties make up the Republic of Ireland, while 6 counties in Ulster remained within the United Kingdom after the 1916-22 independence struggle to form Northern Ireland. Carlow. [21] Another reason given by MacNeill was a problem made by Keating himself. Northern Ireland The partition of the island of Ireland took place in 1921, after Ireland won its war of independence Britain, at that time, the majority in Northern Ireland were British settlers who wished to remain part of the U.K. A year later, the South became the Irish Free State comprised of 26 counties, an entity independent from the United Kingdom. The Provinces of Ireland were the main divisions of Ireland prior to 1922 when it was partitioned as a result of the majority of it becoming independent. [16] Around 1600 near the end of Elizabeth's reign, Clare was made an entirely distinct presidency of its own under the Earls of Thomond and would not return to being part of Munster until after the Restoration in 1660.[16]. Ireland is divided into four provinces, Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht which are made up of 32 counties ... Two of Ireland’s largest counties are found in Munster: Cork and Kerry. Carlow has an area of 897 square kilometers and has a population of … [3][4] At the start of the 9th century the following are listed: Airgíalla, Connachta, Laigin, Northern Uí Néill (Ailech), Southern Uí Néill (Mide), Mumu, and Ulaid. [15] This was to force them to accept Cormac Mac Carthaig, king of Desmumu, as the king of Mumu. Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”? Munster, the southwestern province of Ireland, comprising the counties of Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford. Each province is today represented by its own unique arms and flag. The South would become the Republic of Ireland, the North part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Osraige remained part of Mumu until 859 when Máel Sechnaill I, king of the Uí Néill, forced Mumu to surrender it to his overlordship. He also divided Connaught into six counties:—Galway, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim, and Clare (but Clare was subsequently annexed to Munster, to which it had anciently belonged). [27] Population for other provinces is all 2016 census results. From the late middle ages it was a kingdom, under the same monarch as England, but a separate country. There were theoretically five such over-kingdoms, however in reality during the historical period there were always more. Each over-kingdom was divided into smaller territorial units, the definition of which, whilst not consistent in Irish law tracts, followed a pattern of different grades. Ireland is divided into four provinces: Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht. Ulster in the north is the seat of battle valour, of haughtiness, strife, boasting; the men of Ulster are the fiercest warriors of all Ireland, and the queens and goddesses of Ulster are associated with battle and death. [1] Similarly this seems to be the case in regards to titles with the Annals of Ulster using the term rex in Chóicid (king of the fifth/province) for certain overkings. Today, when Irish talk about the provinces of Ireland, they mean Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connaught. But the Protestants who lived in the northern part of the island wanted to stay with Great Britain. [8], Airgíalla had come under the dominance of the Ulaid,[9] however Niall Caille, the son of Áed Oirdnide, brought it under the hegemony of the Northern Uí Néill after defeating the combined forces of the Airgíalla and Ulaid at the battle of Leth Cam in 827. These counties are Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick. According to Keating, when the province of Míde was being founded, it was created from portions of each province which all met at the hill of Uisnech. After this they claimed for the first time the title of rí Ulad, "king of Ulster", amalgamating their territory into one united province. Since the early 17th century, there have been four Provinces of Ireland: Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster. Ireland is traditionally divided into four provinces, Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht/Connaught: the "-ster" suffix coming from the Irish word "Stair" meaning province. They are today seen mainly in a sporting context. [15] The Uí Briain eventually followed suit in submitting to Henry II. The partition of Ireland (Irish: críochdheighilt na hÉireann) was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland (now Republic of Ireland). [21] He also cites that the Táin makes mention of the four fifths of Ireland that waged war on Ulster, which made reference to only one Munster. [21][22], The five provinces that made up the Pentarchy where:[21][22][23], Historians Geoffrey Keating and T. F. O'Rahilly differ suggesting that it is Munster, not Leinster, that formed two of the fifths. The provinces of Ireland no longer serve administrative or political purposes but function as historical and cultural entities. [15] In 1168, the king of Connacht, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, ensured Mumu remained divided. Throughout the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century more and more Irish groups began fighting for their independence. In 1969 growing violence between the groups led to the installation of the British Army to maintain the peace, and three years later terrorist attacks in Ireland and Great Britain led to the direct rule of Northern Ireland by the U.K. parliament. [3] In theory in the early medieval period: This pyramid structure however by the later medieval period had little validity. Each region has a directly elected Council which is responsible for many of the issues of local government. There are coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents and 1 euro and 2 euros. The modern Irish term derives from the Old Irish cóiced (pl. This reduced the number of provinces to five—Connact, Leinster, Meath, Munster, and Ulster. Within these four provinces there are 32 counties. [26] It is after this last battle that the king of Ulaid, Fergus Foga, was killed and his army routed. [16], The earliest recorded mention of the major division of Ireland is in the Ulster Cycle of legends, such as the Táin Bó Cúailnge. [1] MacNeill enumerates the five earliest fifths mentioned, these comprising the kingdoms of Ulster, Connacht, Munster, Tara (North Leinster) and Dinn Riogh (South Leinster), located on the Barrow. It was historically one of the “Five Fifths” (ancient provinces, or kingdoms) of Ireland. The island of Ireland is divided into the Republic of Ireland in the south and Northern Ireland, which remains part of the United Kingdom. This page was last edited on 15 March 2021, at 04:00. The official division of the country of Ireland into two separate regions – Northern and Southern Ireland – took place in May 1921, through an act passed by the British Parliament. The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland joined the European Community on January 1, 1973, and were integrated into the European Union in 1993. The latter remains part of the United Kingdom. The boundaries given by Keating himself for the five provinces however meant that this would have been highly unlikely, with the boundary between his Munster fifths nowhere near this area. [15] Despite Ua Conchobair's aid, Mac Carthaig and the Uí Briain would form an alliance to campaign against Connacht's hegemony, and by 1138 ended the threat from that kingdom. Leinster, the eastern kingdom, is the seat of prosperity, hospitality, the importing of rich foreign wares like silk or wine; the men of Leinster are noble in speech and their women are exceptionally beautiful. The island of Ireland is divided into four provinces: Ulster, Connacht, Leinster and Munster. Aug 31, 2018 - Historically, Ireland has been divided into 32 counties—each with its own local government and cultural identity. It shows Ireland divided into administrative counties rather than traditional ones, as listed in a supplementary table below. Ireland . The Northern Uí Néill remained outside of Norman control, eventually absorbing the greater part of Airgíalla, which had by the end of the 12th century lost its eastern territory (afterwards known as "English Oriel" and later as Louth) to the Normans. Both have their own names they like to go by. [12] Airgíalla would eventually no longer be reckoned an over-kingdom however it survived in present-day County Monaghan for as long as the Gaelic order survived,[18] with the last king of Airgíalla being Hugh Roe McMahon, who reigned from 1589 until his execution in September/October 1590. It took place on 3 May 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. [14], In 1118, the king of Connacht, Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, aided the Mac Cárthaigh of south Munster in a rebellion against the ruling Uí Briain dynasty. His work has appeared in an eclectic array of publications, including. The earliest hero tales name the Boyne as the dividing boundary between Ulster and Leinster, indicating that no province representative of Meath or Brega was yet in existence. [10][11][12][13], After a period of dynastic infighting in the early 12th century, Osraige fragmented and after a heavy defeat at the hands of High-King Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn became part of Laigin. Munster in the south is the kingdom of music and the arts, of harpers, of skilled ficheall players and of skilled horsemen. Prior to 1922 the island of Ireland was one country. In 1985 an Anglo-Irish treaty gave the Republic of Ireland a consulting role in the governing of Northern Ireland. However, the republicans opposed the formula, and in 1922 the Irish Free State was formed. [6] It was during the 9th century that Osraige, ruled by Cerball mac Dúnlainge, became a major political player. Officially, Henry’s justification for invading Ireland was religious: the ‘reformation’ of the Irish church (although historians remain divided on whether Pope Adrian IV really issued the bull Laudabiliter authorising the annexation of Ireland). The exact boundaries of the provinces of Ireland during the Tudor period changed several times, usually as a result of the creation of new counties: It would not be until the reign of Elizabeth's successor, James I, that Meath by 1610 would cease to be considered a province and that the provincial borders would be permanently set. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. As a result of this, many republican groups historically made reference to the "26 Counties" (the Free State/Republic) and the "6 Counties" (Northern Ireland… Ruled from Great Britain since the 13th century, its citizens, many of them suppressed Catholics, struggled to remove themselves from British domination for the next several hundred years. [16], Sir Henry Sidney during his three tenures as Lord Deputy created two presidencies headed by a Lord President to administer Connaught and Munster. Southern Republicans felt they should control the whole island. Clive Carpenter informed me that there would be a change in Ireland's local government structure effective 2014-06. The island of Ireland is divided into two separate jurisdictions: the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.