Old Map of Connacht in 1611 by John Speed - Galway, Sligo, Castlebar
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Created by John Speed and engraved by the Amsterdam mapmaker Jodocus Hondius, this map of Connacht first appeared in Speed's landmark 1611 atlas, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine - the first atlas ever devoted entirely to the British Isles. It shows Ireland's westernmost province in fine hand-coloured style, taking in the counties of Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon as they were understood at the start of the seventeenth century. Speed never surveyed Ireland himself; instead he adapted earlier Elizabethan surveys, adding his own decorative borders, coats of arms and a lively cartouche, which makes this one of the most collectible early printed views of the region. Whether it is Galway city on the bay, or Sligo town beneath its hills, the map captures a landscape only recently drawn into English cartographic record.
The map is dominated by water and hill country in equal measure. The great sweep of Galway Bay and the wilder waters of Clew Bay and Sligo Bay indent the coastline, while inland the map traces Lough Corrib, Lough Mask and Lough Conn threading through Mayo and Galway. The unmistakable cone of Croagh Patrick rises above Clew Bay, and the rugged country of Connemara stretches west toward Achill Island. To the east, the River Shannon marks the traditional boundary of the province as it flows past Athlone, while towns such as Castlebar, Ballina, Roscommon and Tuam are marked as the principal settlements of their respective counties. It's a map that shows just how much of Connacht's character was, and still is, shaped by mountain, lough and coastline rather than town and road.
Reproduced as a striking wall art print, this map brings four centuries of Irish cartographic history into a modern home. For anyone with family roots in Galway, Mayo, Sligo or Leitrim, it makes a deeply personal Christmas or birthday gift, and it's just as fitting as a retirement present for someone finally planning that long-promised trip back to Connacht. It also works well as a Mother's Day gift for an Irish mother who has always wanted to see her home county celebrated, or as a thoughtful work leaving gift for a colleague heading off to start a new chapter in the west of Ireland.
