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Connacht (In Ireland pronounced though Oxford dictionaries give a British pronunciation ; in Irish: Connachta (), "(land of the) descendants of Conn", also known sometimes in English as Connaught, is the western province of Ireland, comprising the counties of Galway (Co. na Gaillimhe), Leitrim (Liatroim), Mayo (Co. Mhaigh Eo), Roscommon (Co. Ros Comáin), Sligo (Sligeach). In Irish the province is usually Cúige Chonnacht i.e. the province (literally, fifth) of Connacht. Its main urban centres are Galway in the south, and Sligo in the north. It has a population of 503,083, the smallest of the four Irish provinces. The Irish language is spoken in the Gaeltacht areas of west Mayo and west Galway, the largest being Connemara. The highest point of Connacht is Mweelrea (814 metres), in Mayo. Its largest island is Achill, the largest in Ireland. The biggest lake is Lough Corrib. Up to the early historic era, it was known as Cóiced Ol nEchmacht. The "Republic of Connaught" had a brief existence in 1798 with French military support. Connacht-Ulster was one of Ireland's four regional constituencies for elections to the European Parliament until it was superseded in 2004 by the new constituency of Ireland North West. The largest (and only) city in Connacht is Galway with a population of 71,983 (2006) in the city proper.
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