Munster

Munster (Irish: an Mhumhain [ə ˈwuːnʲ] or Cúige Mumhan [ˌkuːɟə ˈmˠuːnˠ]) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south 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" (Irish: rí ruirech). Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into counties for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has seen further sub-division of the historic counties.

Quick Facts An Mhumhain, State ...

Munster An Mhumhain[1]
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 52°15′N 9°00′W
State	Ireland
Counties	Clare Cork Kerry Limerick Tipperary Waterford
Government
• Teachtaí Dála	13 Fianna Fáil TDs 8 Independent TDs 8 Sinn Féin TDs 8 Fine Gael TDs 2 Labour Party TDs 2 Green Party TDs 1 Anti-Austerity Alliance TD 1 Social Democrat TD
• MEPs[a]	1 Fine Gael MEP 2 Fianna Fáil MEP 1 Sinn Fein MEP 1 Independent MEP
Area
• Total	24,684 km2 (9,527 sq mi)
• Rank	1st
Population  (2022)[2]
• Total	1,373,346
• Rank	3rd
• Density	56/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC±0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode routing keys	Beginning with E, H, P, T, V, X (primarily)
Telephone area codes	02x, 05x, 06x (primarily)
ISO 3166 code	IE-M
Patron Saint: Ailbe of Emly[3] a. ^ Munster is part of the South constituency; the six Munster counties contain 67.7% of the population of this constituency.[4]

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Munster has no official function for local government purposes. For the purposes of the ISO, the province is listed as one of the provincial sub-divisions of the State (ISO 3166-2:IE) and coded as "IE-M". Geographically, Munster covers a total area of 24,675 km² (9,527 sq mi) and has a population of 1,373,346,^[2] with the most populated city being Cork. Other significant urban centres in the province include Limerick and Waterford.

In the early centuries AD, Munster was the domain of the Iverni peoples and the Clanna Dedad familial line, led by Cú Roí and to whom the king Conaire Mór also belonged. In the 5th century, Saint Patrick spent several years in the area and founded Christian churches and ordained priests. During the Early Middle Ages, most of the area was part of the Kingdom of Munster, ruled by the Eóganachta dynasty. Prior to this, the area was ruled by the Dáirine and Corcu Loígde overlords. Later rulers from the Eóganachta included Cathal mac Finguine and Feidlimid mac Cremthanin. Notable regional kingdoms and lordships of Early Medieval Munster were Iarmuman (West Munster), Osraige (Ossory), Uí Liatháin, Uí Fidgenti, Éile, Múscraige, Ciarraige Luachra, Corcu Duibne, Corcu Baiscinn, and Déisi Muman.

By the 9th century, the Gaels had been joined by Norse Vikings who founded towns such as Cork, Waterford and Limerick, for the most part, incorporated into a maritime empire by the Dynasty of Ivar, who periodically would threaten Munster with conquest in the next century. Around this period Ossory broke away from Munster. The Eóganachta dominated Munster until the 10th century,^[5] which saw the rise of the Dalcassian clan, who had earlier annexed Thomond, north of the River Shannon to Munster. Their leaders were the ancestors of the O'Brien dynasty and spawned Brian Boru, perhaps the most noted High King of Ireland, and several of whose descendants were also high kings.

By 1118, Munster had fractured into the Kingdom of Thomond under the O'Briens, the Kingdom of Desmond under the MacCarthy dynasty (Eóganachta), and the short-lived Kingdom of Ormond under the O'Kennedys (another Dalcassian sept). The three crowns of the flag of Munster represent these three late kingdoms.

There was Norman influence from the 14th century, including by the FitzGerald, de Clare and Butler houses, two of whom carved out earldoms within the Lordship of Ireland, the Earls of Desmond eventually becoming independent potentates, while the Earls of Ormond remained closer to England. The O'Brien of Thomond and MacCarthy of Desmond surrendered and regranted sovereignty to the Tudors in 1543 and 1565, joining the Kingdom of Ireland. The impactful Desmond Rebellions, led by the FitzGeralds, soon followed.

The area of Munster was then colonized in the mid to late 16th century by the British plantations of Ireland during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, a group known as the West Country Men played a role in the colonization of Munster,^[6][7] attempts to settle a joint stock colony at Kerrycurrihy in 1568 was made and Richard Grenville also seized lands for colonization at Tracton, to the west of Cork harbour. The Munster plantation was the largest colonial venture of the English at the time.^[8][9]

By the mid-19th century much of the area was hit hard in the Great Famine, especially the west.^[10] The province was affected by events in the Irish War of Independence in the early 20th century, and there was a brief Munster Republic during the Irish Civil War.

The Irish leaders Michael Collins and earlier Daniel O'Connell came from families of the old Gaelic Munster gentry.

Noted for its traditions in Irish folk music, and with many ancient castles and monasteries in the province, Munster is a tourist destination. During the fifth century, St. Patrick spent seven years founding churches and ordaining priests in Munster, but a fifth-century bishop named Ailbe is the patron saint of Munster.

In Irish mythology, a number of ancient goddesses are associated with the province including Anann, Áine, Grian, Clíodhna, Aimend, Mór Muman, Bébinn, Aibell and Mongfind. The druid-god of Munster is Mug Ruith and Tlachtga is his daughter. Another legendary figure is Donn.

The province has long had trading and cultural links with continental Europe. The Corcu Loígde had a trading fleet active along the French Atlantic coast, as far south as Gascony, importing wine to Munster. The Eóganachta had ecclesiastical ties with Germany, which show in the architecture of their ceremonial capital at the Rock of Cashel.

The majority of Irish ogham inscriptions are found in Munster, principally in areas occupied by the Iverni, especially the Corcu Duibne.^[11] Later, Europe's first linguistic dictionary in any non-Classical language, the Sanas Cormaic, was compiled by Munster scholars, traditionally thought to have been directed by the king-bishop Cormac mac Cuilennáin (d. 908).

The School of Ross in Munster was one of Europe's leading centres of learning in the Early Middle Ages.

Sport

Several sports in Munster are organised on a provincial basis, or operate competitions along provincial lines. This includes traditionally popular sports such as hurling, Gaelic football, rugby union and soccer, as well as cricket (Munster Cricket Union), hockey (Munster Hockey Union), and others.

Hurling and football

Further information: Munster GAA, Munster Senior Hurling Championship, and Munster Senior Football Championship

Munster is noted for its tradition of hurling. Three of the four most successful teams in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship are from Munster; Cork GAA, Tipperary GAA and Limerick GAA. The final of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship is one of the most important days in the Irish GAA calendar.^{[citation needed]} Munster is Ireland's only province whose every single county has won at least one All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

Traditionally, the dominant teams in Munster football are Kerry GAA and Cork GAA, although Tipperary GAA and Limerick GAA have also won All-Ireland Senior Football Championships. Kerry in particular are the most successful county in the history of football.^[12]

Rugby union

Main article: Munster Rugby

Rugby is a popular game in the cities of Limerick and Cork. Munster Rugby is an Irish Rugby Football Union representative side which competes in the United Rugby Championship competition, winning in 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2023 and in the Heineken Cup, winning in 2006 and 2008. Until 2016, the Munster side was the only Irish side to have defeated the New Zealand All Blacks.

Soccer

Main article: Munster Football Association

Association football is also a popular game in Munster, with the Munster Football Association governing a number of aspects of the game in the province. In 2024 five Munster clubs play in the League of Ireland: Waterford FC in the League of Ireland Premier Division;^[13] and Cobh Ramblers, Cork City F.C., Treaty United F.C. and Kerry F.C. in the First Division.^[14]

Cricket

In Cricket, the province is represented by the Munster Reds in the Inter-Provincial Cup one-day competition and the Inter-Provincial Trophy Twenty20 competition.^{[citation needed]} Munster does not currently participate in the first-class inter-provincial tournament, though Cricket Ireland does have plans to include Munster in the format.^{[citation needed]}

The province is divided into six traditional counties: Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. Munster is the largest of Ireland's four provinces by land area, and the third largest by population.

Urban areas

Munster has many large towns, including a number of growing satellite towns, and is the province with the most cities (three) in Ireland.^[18] The following is a list of urban areas in Munster in order of size (2022 census figures), with cities and county towns bolded:^[19]

See also: List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland

Urban areas over 10,000 inhabitants:

• Cork (222,526)
• Limerick (102,287)
• Waterford (60,079)
• Ennis (27,923)
• Tralee (26,079)
• Clonmel (18,369)^[A]
• Carrigaline (18,239)
• Killarney (14,412)
• Cobh (14,148)
• Midleton (13,906)
• Mallow (13,456)
• Tramore (11,277)
• Shannon (10,256)
• Dungarvan (10,081)

Urban areas with 5,000–10,000 inhabitants:

• Nenagh (9,895)^[A]
• Youghal (8,564)
• Bandon (8,196)
• Thurles (8,185)
• Newcastle West (7,209)
• Fermoy (6,720)
• Passage West-Monktown (6,051)
• Kinsale (5,991)
• Carrick on Suir (5,752)
• Carrigtwohill (5,568)
• Roscrea (5,542)
• Tipperary (5,387)
• Clonakilty (5,112)

2014 CSO figures indicated that GDP per capita in the province ranged from €28,094 in the South Tipperary/Waterford (South-East) region, to €50,544 in Cork and Kerry (South-West).^[20] Disposable income in the province was approximately €22,000 per person in 2008 - behind the Eastern and Dublin region (€25,000 per person) and ahead of the Border, Midland and Western regions (€20,000 per person).^[21]

A number of television companies and studios have (or had) a Munster-focus. These include RTÉ Cork (RTÉ's regional studio in Cork), South Coast TV and Channel South. The latter transmitted local programming to Cork, Limerick, and parts of Kerry, Waterford, Clare and Tipperary.

Apart from the local city or regional newspapers, a number of print outlets focus or market themselves on a provincial basis. These include the Avondhu (covering parts of Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Tipperary),^[25] the Nationalist & Munster Advertiser, the Munster Express,^[26] and others.

• Provinces of Ireland
• New Munster Province
• Wild Atlantic Way

^A County Tipperary, arising from the 2014 amalgamation of North Tipperary and South Tipperary councils, has two county towns