1,500 years
The O'Conor family
The O'Conor Don are descendants of Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht. Their genealogy extends back nearly 1,500 years and is one of the oldest documented lineages in Europe. The family held the throne of the Kingdom of Connacht until 1475. At the height of their power in the twelfth century, two family members achieved the undisputed High Kingship of Ireland: Turlough Mór O'Conor (1088–1156) and Rory O'Conor (1116–1198). The estate at Clonalis has been in continuous possession of the family throughout this entire period — an unbroken chain of ownership spanning fifteen centuries. In the modern era, the family still regards themselves as the last remnant of the ancient Kingdom of Connacht.
Built 1878
Clonalis House
Charles Owen O'Conor Don built the present house in 1878 to replace a ruined seventeenth-century house on the estate. The house was designed to be a statement of continuity — a new building on the same land, housing the same archive, stewarding the same history. The O'Conor Archive contains over 100,000 manuscripts, many in Irish, dating back to the sixteenth century. Among the collections are an important series of family portraits and the harp of O'Carolan, the last of the wandering Irish bards. The library contains more than 7,000 books.
Suck and Francis
The rivers
Castlerea is built at the confluence of the River Suck and the River Francis, both tributaries of the River Shannon. The rivers shaped settlement, powered mills, and define the landscape. The Suck flows south and west from Lough Allen, through Carrick-on-Shannon, and joins the Shannon at Castlerea. The Francis comes from the northwest. The confluence is marked by the town.