Old Map of Connacht, Western Ireland

Historical Background

Joan Blaeu’s Connachtia vulgo Connaughty presents western Ireland through coloured county divisions, a deeply indented Atlantic coast and its inland lakes and rivers. The map appeared in Blaeu’s seventeenth-century atlases, including the Scotland and Ireland volume issued in 1654, and continued into later editions. The exact atlas issue of the reproduced impression cannot be established from the front of the sheet alone.

Map Details

• Original title: Connachtia vulgo Connaughty
• Mapmaker and publisher: Joan Blaeu
• Publication place: Amsterdam
• Publication period: Seventeenth century; included in Blaeu’s 1654 atlas and later editions
• Area shown: Connacht, including Clare as represented on this map, with adjoining parts of Ulster, Leinster and Munster
• Counties shown: Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Clare
• Orientation: North at the top
• Format: Engraved atlas map with colour applied separately to the original impression
• Decorative features: Sailing ships, royal arms, a crowned Irish harp and a cartouche with figures and animals

Clare Within Connacht

One of the most interesting features is the southern extension into Clare, labelled Clare and Tomond. Modern Connacht has five counties and Clare belongs to Munster, but Blaeu’s coloured geography preserves a different provincial arrangement. The sheet is therefore particularly rewarding for readers interested in Ireland’s changing territorial divisions.

Historic spellings run throughout the engraving. Mayo appears as Maio, Galway as Galwy, and Roscommon as Roscomen. County names share space with smaller districts and family names, giving the map several layers of information beyond the principal boundaries.

The Atlantic Coast and Inland Waters

The ocean occupies much of the left-hand side, labelled Oceanus Occidentalis. Offshore islands and the broken coastline contrast with the more continuous inland edge of the province. Galway Bay and the islands off the western coast help make this an immediately recognisable map of western Ireland.

Lough Corrib stretches through Galway, while the Shannon and its lakes give the eastern side of the map a strong geographical structure. Small hill symbols and groups of trees describe the landscape; settlements appear as miniature buildings rather than modern map symbols.

Ships and the Irish Harp

Several sailing vessels fill the Atlantic, including a pair near the lower-left corner. Royal arms appear at the upper right, while a crowned Irish harp stands above the title cartouche below. Figures, animals and decorative foliage surround the lettering, with distance scales beneath it.

These details make the engraving enjoyable at close range as well as from across a room. Reproduced as a fine art print, it brings together a historical view of Connacht’s counties and waterways with the decorative craft of Blaeu’s Amsterdam atlas workshop.