There are four provinces of Ireland:
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
,
Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
,
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
and
Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
. The
Irish word for this territorial division, , meaning "fifth part", suggests that there were once five, and at times
Meath has been considered to be the fifth province. In the medieval period, however, there were often more than five. The number of provinces and their delimitation fluctuated until 1610, when they were permanently set by the English administration of
James I. The provinces of Ireland no longer serve administrative or political purposes but function as historical and cultural entities.
Etymology
In modern
Irish, the word for province is (pl. ). The modern Irish term derives from the
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...
(pl. ) which literally meant "a fifth".
This term appears in 8th-century law texts such as and in the legendary tales of the
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle (), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Do ...
where it refers to the five kingdoms of the "Pentarchy".
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. 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. The kings of Tara and Dinn Riogh were said to derive from the same lineage, which ruled all the Laigin. In the 12th century (Book of Rights), the term means province, seemingly having lost its fractional meaning with seven listed.
Similarly this seems to be the case in regards to titles with the
Annals of Ulster
The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luin� ...
using the term (king of the fifth/province) for certain overkings.
History

The origins of the provinces of Ireland can be traced to the medieval (literally "fifths") or "over-kingdoms" of Ireland. There were theoretically five such over-kingdoms; however, in reality during the historical period there were always more.
At the start of the 9th century the following are listed:
Airgíalla,
Connachta
The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasty, dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King of Ireland, High King Conn of the Hundred Battles, Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles). The modern western Provinces of ...
,
Laigin
The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinste ...
,
Northern Uí Néill
The Northern Uí Néill was any of several dynasties in north-western medieval Ireland that claimed descent from a common ancestor, Niall of the Nine Hostages. Other dynasties in central and eastern Ireland who also claimed descent from Niall ar ...
(
Ailech),
Southern Uí Néill (
Mide),
Mumu, and
Ulaid
(Old Irish, ) or (Irish language, Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic Provinces of Ireland, over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include , which ...
.
These seven over-kingdoms are again listed in the 12th-century .
Structure
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.
In theory in the early medieval period:
*A province was ruled by a "king of over-kings", known as a . This was the highest rank allowed for in Irish law tracts despite claims by some dynasties to the symbolic title of (king of Tara), also known as the (
High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland ( ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...
);
The term was replaced at a later date by the term , "king of a fifth".
*Each province was made up of several petty-kingdoms that corresponded roughly to the size of modern
Irish counties or dioceses, and were ruled by an overking known as a ;
*Each of these petty-kingdoms was further subdivided into smaller petty-kingdoms known as a (a group of people), equating at their largest to the size of an
Irish barony.
These túath were ruled by a king, or , and were also known as a , or "king of the people".
By the 10th century the rulers of a were no longer assumed to be kings but became referred to as (a lord) or (a leader) instead.
This pyramid structure, however, by the later medieval period, had little validity.
Paul MacCotter proposes the following structure of lordship in the 12th century: High-king of Ireland; semi-provincial king, such as Connacht, Ulaid,
Desmumu
The Kingdom of Desmond () was a historic kingdom in southwestern Ireland. It was founded in 1118 by Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh, King of Munster when the Cormac Mac Cárthaigh#The Treaty of Glanmire, Treaty of Glanmire formally divided the Kingdom o ...
; regional king, such as
Dál Fiatach
Dál Fiatach was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic dynastic-grouping and the name of their territory in the north-east of Ireland, which lasted throughout the Middle Ages until their demise in the 13th century at the hands of Normans in Ireland, Normans ...
and
Uí Fhiachrach Aidni; local king or king of a , such as
Leth Cathail
Lecale (, ) is a peninsula in the east of County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies between Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay.
In the Middle Ages it was a district or '' túath'' in the Gaelic Irish kingdom of Ulaid, then became a county in the ...
or Cenél Guaire; and at the bottom.
Early medieval period

The kingdom of
Osraige
Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of ...
, 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
The Corcu Loígde (Corcu Lóegde, Corco Luigde, Corca Laoighdhe, Laidhe), meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centred in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of M ...
dynasty.
By the 7th century Osraige had lost their dependence on the Corcu Loígde,
with the restoration of the local
Dál Birn dynasty. Osraige remained part of Mumu until 859 when
Máel Sechnaill I, king of the
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill (; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties that claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who is believed to have died around c. 405. They are generally divided ...
, forced Mumu to surrender it to his overlordship.
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.
It was during the 9th century that Osraige, ruled by
Cerball mac Dúnlainge, became a major political player.
Airgíalla had come under the dominance of the Ulaid;
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.
Later medieval period
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. 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.
In 1118, the king of Connacht,
Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair
Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair (old spelling: Tairrdelbach Mór Ua Conchobair; 1088 – 1156) anglicised Turlough Mór O'Conor, was King of Connacht (1106–1156) and High King of Ireland (ca. 1120–1156).
Family background and early life
...
, aided the
Mac Cárthaigh of south Munster in a rebellion against the ruling
Uí Briain dynasty.
This resulted in the division of Mumu into two: (
Thomond, meaning "north Munster") to the north under the Uí Briain; and (
Desmond, meaning "south Munster") to the south under the Mac Cárthaigh.
Ua Conchobair would then conquer the heartland of the Uí Briain situated around modern
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
and make it part of Connacht.
This was to force them to accept
Cormac Mac Carthaig, king of Desmumu, as the king of Mumu.
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.
The following decades would see Mumu united and repartitioned several times as the Uí Briain and Mac Cárthaigh vied for complete control.
In 1168, the king of Connacht,
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
Ruaidrí mac Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (Modern Irish: Ruairí Ó Conchúir; anglicised as Rory O'Conor) ( – 2 December 1198) was King of Connacht from 1156 to 1186, and High King of Ireland from 1166 to 1198. He was the last High King of Ire ...
, ensured Mumu remained divided.
After
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
,
king of England
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...
, landed in Ireland in 1171, the Mac Cárthaigh submitted to him to prevent an Uí Briain invasion.
The Uí Briain eventually followed suit in submitting to Henry II.
The eagerness of these submissions encouraged Henry II to revive the papal grant,
Laudabiliter
was a papal bull, bull issued in 1155 by Pope Adrian IV, the only Englishman to have served in that office. Existence of the bull has been disputed by scholars over the centuries; no copy is extant but scholars cite the many references to it a ...
, for Ireland.
Norman Ireland
Osraige would be amongst the first Irish kingdoms to fall following the
Norman invasion of Ireland
The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land in Ireland over which the monarchs of England then claimed sovereignty. The Anglo-Normans ...
in 1170, and was soon afterwards split from Leinster and made part of the royal demesne lands of Waterford.
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.
These liberties were later subdivided into smaller ones that became the basis for the counties of 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.
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,
with the last king of Airgíalla being
Hugh Roe McMahon, who reigned from 1589 until his execution in September/October 1590.
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. After this they claimed for the first time the title of , "king of Ulster", amalgamating their territory into one united province. This reduced the number of provinces to five—Connact, Leinster, Meath, Munster, and Ulster.
Tudor period

During the reign of
Mary I
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous a ...
(1553–1558), the
Lord Deputy of Ireland,
Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, sought to divide Ireland into six parts—Connacht, Leinster, Meath, Nether Munster, Ulster, and Upper Munster.
His administrative reign in Ireland, however, was cut short; and even with his reappointment by
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
(1558–1603) this plan was never implemented.
Sir
Henry Sidney
Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586) was an English soldier, politician and Lord Deputy of Ireland.
Background
He was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst (1482 – 11 February 1553) and Anne Pakenham (1511 – 22 Oc ...
during his three tenures as Lord Deputy created two presidencies headed by a Lord President to administer
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
and
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
.
In an attempt to reduce the importance of the province of Munster, Sydney, using the
River Shannon
The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...
as a natural boundary took Thomond and made it into the
county of Clare as part of the presidency of Connaught in 1569.
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.
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:
*County Clare upon its creation in 1569 was transferred from Munster to Connacht, and was only restored to Munster after 1660.
*
County Longford
County Longford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the Local government in the Republic ...
upon its creation in 1583 was transferred from Leinster to Connacht.
*
County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...
was created in 1584 and transferred from Connacht to Ulster.
*
County Louth
County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...
, which had long been part of
The Pale, was transferred from Ulster to Leinster.
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.
Prehistory
The earliest recorded mention of the major division of Ireland is in the
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle (), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Do ...
of legends, such as the .
The is set during the reign of , king of
Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
, and is believed to have happened in the 1st century.
In this period Ireland is said to have been divided into five independent over-kingdoms, or whose (kings) were of equal rank, not subject to a central monarchy.
Pseudo-historians called this era , which has been translated as: "Time of the Pentarchs";
"Time of the Five Fifths";
and "Time of the provincial kings".
It was also described as "the Pentarchy".
The five provinces that made up the Pentarchy where:
*, with its royal seat at .
* (Ulster), with its royal seat at .
* (Munster), with its royal seat at .
* (North Leinster), with its royal seat at ''
Tara'' (before it became the seat of the High King).
* (South Leinster), with its royal seat at .
Historians
Geoffrey Keating
Geoffrey Keating (; – ) was an Irish historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became a Catholic priest and a poet.
Biography
It was generally believed unt ...
and
T. F. O'Rahilly differ suggesting that it is Munster, not Leinster, that formed two of the fifths.
These two fifths were called by Keating: (eastern Munster) and (western Munster),
both named after their respective king.
Eoin MacNeill
Eoin MacNeill (; born John McNeill; 15 May 1867 – 15 October 1945) was an Irish scholar, Irish language enthusiast, Gaelic revivalist, nationalist, and politician who served as Minister for Education from 1922 to 1925, Ceann Comhairle of D ...
discounts this suggestion citing the , which makes mention of as king of all Munster, with simply a "great Munster hero".
He also cites that the makes mention of the four fifths of Ireland that waged war on Ulster, which made reference to only one Munster.
Another reason given by MacNeill was a problem made by Keating himself. According to Keating, when the province of was being founded, it was created from portions of each province which all met at the hill of Uisnech. 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.
Pseudo-historians list 84 kings of Ireland prior to the formation of the Pentarchy. When this mythical kingship was interrupted is a matter of dispute. The Annals of Tigernach state that Ireland was divided into the five upon the slaying of
Conaire Mór
Conaire Mór (the great), son of Eterscél, was, according to mediaeval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland sometime during the 1st century BC or 1st century AD. His mother was Mess Búachalla, who was either the daugh ...
; however, it is suggested alternatively that it happened upon the death of Conaire's father,
Eterscél Mór
Eterscél Mór ("the great"), Son of Eogan MacAilella, grandson of Ailill Anglonnach MacIar, great grandson of Íar mac Dedad, a descendant of Óengus Tuirmech Temrach, of the Érainn of Munster was, according to mediaeval Irish legend and hist ...
, the 84th king of Ireland.
Keating, however, suggests it occurred in the reign of
Eochu Feidlech who was the 82nd king of Ireland.
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".
The notion of Ireland being divided into five permeated itself throughout Irish literature over the centuries despite what the representing no longer existing by the time of Saint Patrick in the 5th century.
By then, Ireland had become divided into seven over-kingdoms.
The Three Collas and the founding of Airgíalla
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.
The most oft quoted version of their story was written by Geoffrey Keating in the 17th century in his work the , also known as "The History of Ireland".
In it the Three Collas—Colla Menn, Colla Da Crioch, and Colla Uais—were the sons of Eocaidh Doimlén.
It is from them that the Airgíalla are said to descend, branching off from the rest of the Connachta.
The Northern and Southern Uí Néill dynasties are claimed to descend from Eocaidh's brother,
Fiacha Sraibhtine.
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
Cormac mac Airt, also known as Cormac ua Cuinn (grandson of Conn) or Cormac Ulfada (long beard), was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He is probably the most famous of the ancient High Kings ...
.
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.
The host from Connacht fought the first six battles, and the Collas fought the seventh.
It is after this last battle that the king of Ulaid,
Fergus Foga, was killed and his army routed.
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.
They then took possession of central Ulaid spanning the modern counties of Armagh, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Monaghan and Tyrone founding the over-kingdom of Airgíalla.
Usage
In modern times the provinces have become associated with groups of counties, although they have no
legal status
Legal status describes the legal rights, duties and obligations of a person or Legal person, entity, or a subset of those rights and obligations. (defining "status") The term may be used to describe a person's legal condition with respect to perso ...
. They are today seen mainly in a sporting context. Ireland's four professional rugby teams in the
United Rugby Championship
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...
play under the names of the provinces. The
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...
(GAA) has separate
provincial councils and its
county teams contest
provincial championships.
Six of the nine Ulster counties form modern-day
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, which is part of the United Kingdom. Many of Northern Ireland's unionist political parties use "Ulster" in their names such as the
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it l ...
(UUP) and the
Ulster Democratic Party
The Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) was a small Ulster loyalism, loyalist political party in Northern Ireland. It was established in June 1981 as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), to replace the New Ulst ...
(UDP). The ITV regional service is known as
Ulster Television
UTV (formerly Ulster Television, branded on air as ITV1 since 2020) is the ITV (TV network), ITV region covering Northern Ireland, ITV subsidiary and the former on-air name of the free-to-air public broadcast television channel serving the ar ...
but generally abbreviated to UTV, while
BBC Radio Ulster is the main BBC radio station from
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcasting, public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
BBC Northern Ireland is one of the four BB ...
.
In education
Munster Technological University and
Ulster University
Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...
both use the provinces in which they are located in their name.
Many hotels also use the name of the province in which they are situated.
In media many local and regional newspapers use their province in their names such as ''
The Munster Express'' in Waterford, ''
Leinster Leader'' in Kildare, ''
Connacht Tribune
The ''Connacht Tribune'' (''An Curadh Connachtach'') is a newspaper circulating chiefly in County Galway, Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Ge ...
'' in Galway and ''
Ulster Herald'' in Fermanagh.
In modern times politically the four provinces were referred to in the proposal of ("New Ireland"), which was supported by the
Provisional IRA
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
and
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
during the 1970s and early 1980s for a
federal United Ireland
United Ireland (), also referred to as Irish reunification or a ''New Ireland'', is the proposition that all of Ireland should be a single sovereign state. At present, the island is divided politically: the sovereign state of Ireland (legally ...
. The proposal was particularly associated with the
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
-based leadership group centred on
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and
Dáithí Ó Conaill, who were the authors of the policy. 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.
The song
Ireland's Call is used as a national anthem for sports teams representing the entire island (e.g.
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team is the men's representative national team for the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland competes in the annual Six Nations Champio ...
and
Ireland cricket team). The first verse says "We have come to answer our country's call from the four proud provinces of Ireland".
Coats of arms
Each province is today represented by its own unique arms and flag. These are joined 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
The Ireland national rugby union team is the men's representative national team for the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland competes in the annual Six Nations Champio ...
and
Irish Amateur Boxing Association.
Demographics and politics
Poetic description

Ard Ruide
The poem named (Ruide Headland) poetically describes the five kingdoms of Ireland. Below is a translation from
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...
:
The Táin

The
epic poetry, epic poem, ''An
Táin Bó Cúailnge
(Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "the Irish ''Iliad''", although like most other earl ...
'' (the Cattle Raid of Cooley) describes a war between Connacht and Ulster, and is perhaps best known for
CúChulainn's single handed defence of Ulster against the champions of Connacht in turn, while his comrades were disabled by a spell.
See also
*
ISO 3166-2:IE
*
Counties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland (Irish language, Irish: ) are historic administrative divisions of the island. They began as Normans in Ireland, Norman structures, and as the powers exercised by the Cambro-Norman barons and the Old English (Ireland), ...
*
Kings of Ulster
*
Kings of Munster
The kings of Munster () ruled the Kingdom of Munster in Ireland from its establishment during the Irish Iron Age until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earli ...
*
Kings of Mide
*
Kings of Connacht
The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being name ...
*
Kings of Leinster
*
Kings of Airgíalla
*
Kings of Ailech
The Kings of Ailech were the over-kings of the medieval Irish province of Ailech in north-western Ireland. It encompassed the territories of the Cenél nEógain and Cenél Conaill. After the battle of Cloítech in 789 its kings were exclusi ...
Notes
References
Citations
General sources
*
*
*
*
*
* .
*
*
*
* .
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Provinces of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
Lists of subdivisions of Ireland
Subdivisions of Ireland