Joyce Country

Joyce Country (Irish: Dúiche Sheoighe) is a cultural region in counties Galway and Mayo in Ireland. It is sometimes called Partry, after the former tribal territory of the Partraige, which it largely matches.^[1] Part of it falls within the Connacht Gaeltacht. Joyce Country lies on the shores of Lough Mask and Lough Corrib, and includes the Partry Mountains. It is a rural area that includes small settlements such as Clonbur, Cong, Cornamona and Toormakeady. It borders Connemara, to its south and west.

Joyce Country highlighted in green, and Connemara highlighted in red

Joyce family

One of the first of the family ("Seoige" in Gaelic) recorded in Connacht was Thomas Joy, who established a minor Hiberno-Norman lordship in northern Iar Connacht. His territory was the barony of Ross, contiguous to Killery Bay and extending from Cong river to the river. The Joyce family became completely Gaelicised, ruled over their followers like the Chiefs of an Irish clan, and assimilated into the local Gaelic culture.

Statistics

Area	Population	Daily Irish Speakers [2]
An Fhairche	890	19% (175)
Conga	493	40% (201)
An Chorr	158	30% (48)
Leitir Breacáin	31	12% (4)
An Ros	105	60% (64)
An Uilinn	91	31% (29)
Mairíos	128	12% (16)
Binn an Choire	116	14% (17)
TOTAL	2,012	554

See also

County Galway

• Galway City Gaeltacht
• Gaeltacht Cois Fharraige
• Conamara Theas
• Aran Islands

County Donegal

• Gaoith Dhobhair
• Na Rosa
• Cloch Cheann Fhaola
• Gaeltacht an Láir

County Kerry

• Gaeltacht Corca Dhuibhne

County Mayo

• Gaeltacht Iorrais agus Acaill

County Sligo

• Referred to as Yeats Country

Books

• Hardiman, James, History of Galway, 1820
• Gillespie and Moran, eds., Galway: History and Society, Geography Publications, 1996. ISBN 0-906602-75-0
• Martyn, Adrian, The Tribes of Galway:1124–1642, Galway, 2016. ISBN 978-0-9955025-0-5

References

1. Hamilton, Chuck (29 November 2013). "Notes from the Ninth Circle: The Early Irish Church and Iar Connacht". Notes from the Ninth Circle. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
2. Ó Giollagáin, Conchúr; Mac Donnacha, Seosamh; Ní Chualáin, Fiona; Ní Shéaghdha, Aoife; O’Brien, Mary (2007). Staidéar Cuimsitheach Teangeolaíoch ar Úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht: Príomhthátal agus Moltaí (Achoimre) [A Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Use of Irish in the Gaeltacht: Principal Conclusion and Recommendations (Summary)] (PDF) (in Irish). Baile Átha Cliath: Oifig an tSoláthair, Rialtas na hÉireann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2015.