Munster (Cúige Mumhan) is South/South-West of Ireland, with counties Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. Leinster (Cúige Laighean) is Ireland’s Eastern province, including counties of Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow. Often described as the West of Ireland, next stop America! County Meath is still referred to as the ‘Royal Country’.Ĭonnacht (Cúige Chonnacht) consists of counties Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. After the Normans took control of Ireland in the twelfth century they replaced the divided system with counties and over time Mide became Counties Meath and Westmeath, which were absorbed into the province of Leinster.
At that time Ireland was ruled by many local Chieftains, the High King was the Overlord of all these, and took his seat at the Hill of Tara. Mide, the former fifth province of Ireland, meaning 'middle' in Irish, named for being bordered by the other four provinces. Thus leaving Ireland with the four provinces we know today. After the Normans took control of Ireland in the 12 th century, Mide gradually became County Meath and County Westmeath and eventually merged into the province of Leinster, primarily due to the development and importance of 'The Pale' an area of c.1,500 km square around Dublin being the centre of Anglo-Norman commercial activity and tight rule. The 'cúige' were subsequently referred to as provinces. Mide * Ulster * Munster * Leinster * Connacht When the Tuatha system of rule was replaced by Gaelic rule the areas of Ireland were known as 'cúige', which in Irish means 'portion' or 'fifth', indicating the original division of the five areas:
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