Fir Ol nEchmacht
Encyclopedia
Fir Ol nEchmacht was the name of a group or race of people living in pre-historic Ireland
. The name may be translated as Fir=men; Ol (possibly Dal?)=race, people; nEchmacht=the given name of the people.
Virtually all of Ireland west of the Shannon
was once named after them, being called Cóiced Ol nEchmacht
until the early historic era (c. 5th-7th centuries)
It was only with the rise of The Connachta dynasty that the term Fir Ol nEchmacht was dropped and the province was renamed Connacht
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The name may be translated as Fir=men; Ol (possibly Dal?)=race, people; nEchmacht=the given name of the people.
Virtually all of Ireland west of the Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
was once named after them, being called Cóiced Ol nEchmacht
Cóiced Ol nEchmacht
-Etymology and extent:Cóiced Ol nEchmacht may be translated as the portion/fifth/province of the Ol nEchmacht, also called the Fir Ol nEchmacht . They were divided up into three main tribes: the Fir Craibe, or Fir na Criabe; the Tuatha Taiden; the Gamanraige...
until the early historic era (c. 5th-7th centuries)
It was only with the rise of The Connachta dynasty that the term Fir Ol nEchmacht was dropped and the province was renamed Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
.
Sources
- Foras Feasa Eirann, Geoffrey KeatingGeoffrey KeatingSeathrún Céitinn, known in English as Geoffrey Keating, was a 17th century Irish Roman Catholic priest, poet and historian. He was born in County Tipperary c. 1569, and died c. 1644...
, 1636. - Leabhar Mor nGenealach, Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh, 1649-1666.
- Ogyia, Ruaidhri O FlaithbheartaighRuaidhri Ó FlaithbheartaighRuaidhri Ó Flaithbheartaigh, King of Iar Connacht and Chief of the Name, fl. 1244-1273.-Biography:Ruaidhri was a brother of the preceding chief, Morogh...
, 1684. - The History of Mayo, T.H.Knox, 1908.