Cóiced Ol nEchmacht

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Cóiced Ol nEchmacht, ancient name for the province of Connacht, Ireland.

Cóiced Ol nEchmacht may be translated as the portion/fifth/province of the Ol nEchmacht, also called the Fir Ol nEchmacht ("Fir" means "men"). They were divided up into three main tribes: the Fir Craibe, or Fir na Criabe; the Tuatha Taiden; the Gamanraige. Each tribe ruled respective kingdoms within Ol nEchmacht.

• The kingdom of the Fir Craibe extended from Limerick to the Palace of Fidach, a place though to be located in north-eastern Aidhne. In later centuries the territory south of Aidhne, Thomond, would be annexed by Munster, which it is still counted as part of.

• The kingdom of Tuatha Taiden extended from Fidach eastwards to and across the Shannon towards Tara, and was probably co-extensive with Hy-Many at its greatest extent.

• The Gamanraige ruled the territory between the Gallimhe or Galway river, to the Duff and Drowes rivers in the north-east. Their capital was Rath Eochaidh, later called Cruachan.

This territory seems to have being Ol nEchmacht proper.

All three may be the kingdoms or peoples called, respectively, the Concani, Auteni and Nagnatae who are shown on Ptolemy's map of Ireland, dated to c.150 A.D. (Some are of the opinion that Ptolemy's map may be based on cartograpy carried out as much as five hundred years earlier). Nagnatae is generally agreed to be a corruption of nEchmacht.

It was only with the rise of The Connachta dynasty that the term Fir Ol nEchmacht was dropped and the province was renamed Connacht.

[edit] See also

• http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlkik/ihm/ire150.htm

[edit] Sources

• Foras Feasa Eirann, Geoffrey Keating, 1636.
• Leabhar Mor nGenealach, Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh, 1649-1666.
• Ogyia, Ruaidhri O Flaithbheartaigh, 1684.
• The History of Mayo, T.H.Knox, 1908.