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Tyrconnell Tír Chonaill (Irish) | |||||||||
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| 5th century–1607 | |||||||||
.svg) Coat of arms
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 Tyrconnell in the early 16th century | |||||||||
| Status | Túatha of Ailech (until 1185) | ||||||||
| Capital | Kilmacrennan (royal inaugurations) and Donegal Castle (later seat of O'Donnell dynasty) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Irish | ||||||||
| Government | Elective monarchy | ||||||||
| King / Chief | |||||||||
• d. 464 | Conall Gulban (first) | ||||||||
• 1602–1607 | Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell (last) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 5th century | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1607 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Ireland | ||||||||
Tyrconnell (Irish: Tír Chonaill, meaning 'Land of Conall'), also spelled Tirconnell and Tirconaill, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland. It is associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which was officially named County Tirconaill between 1922 and 1927. At times it also included parts of County Fermanagh, County Sligo, County Leitrim, County Tyrone and County Londonderry at its greatest extent. The kingdom represented the core homeland of the Cenél Conaill people of the Northern Uí Néill and although they ruled, there were smaller groups of other Gaels in the area.
From the 5th century founding of Cenél Conaill, the tuatha was a sub-unit of the larger kingdom of Ailech, along with their Cenél nEógain cousins, fellow descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages.[1] Their initial ascent had coincided with the decline of the Ulaid, whose kingdom of Ulster receded to the north-east coast. In the 12th century the kingdom of Ailech split into two sovereign territories and Cenél Conaill became Tír Chonaill under the Ó Domhnaill (O'Donnell) clan. It was the location of fighting during the Nine Years' War (Ireland) at the end of the 16th century. It continued to exist until the 17th century when it was incorporated into the English-ruled Kingdom of Ireland following the Flight of the Earls.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 549.