Richard Mór (the Great) de Burgh Lord of Connacht [10410] ²⁴

   Other names for Richard were Burke (Bourke, de Burgh), and Richard Mór de Burgh 1st Lord of Connaught.

  General Notes:

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
http://www.hull.ac.uk/php/cssbct/cgi-bin/gedlkup.php/n=royal?royal08759

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_M%C3%B3r_de_Burgh,_1st_Baron_of_Connaught

See the Tribes of Galwaay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribes_of_Galway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway
http://www.galway-ireland.ie/galway-tribes.htm

Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe ("Fort at the Mouth (bottom) of the Gaillimh") was constructed in 1124, by the King of Connacht, Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (1088-1156). Eventually, a small settlement grew up around this fort. During the Norman invasion of Connacht in the 1230s, Galway fort was captured by Richard Mor de Burgh , who had led the invasion. As the de Burghs eventually became gaelicised, the merchants of the town, the Tribes of Galway, pushed for greater control over the walled city .

This led to their gaining complete control over the city and to the granting of mayoral status by the English crown in December 1484. Galway endured difficult relations with its Irish neighbours. A notice over the west gate of the city, completed in 1562 by Mayor Thomas Óge Martyn , stated "From the Ferocious O'Flahertys may God protect us". A by-law forbade the native Irish (as opposed to Galway's Hiberno-Norman citizens) unrestricted access into Galway, saying "neither O' nor Mac shall strutte nor swagger through the streets of Galway" without permission. During the Middle Ages, Galway was ruled by an oligarchy of fourteen [5] merchant families (12 of Norman origin and 2 of Irish origin). These were the "tribes" of Galway. The city thrived on international trade, and in the Middle Ages , it was the principal Irish port for trade with Spain and France. The most famous reminder of those days is ceann an bhalla ("the head of the wall"), now known as the Spanish Arch , constructed during the mayoralty of Wylliam Martin (1519-20). In 1477 Christopher Columbus visited Galway, possibly stopping off on a voyage to Iceland or the Faroe Islands . Seven or eight years later, he noted in the margin of his copy of Imago Mundi:

Men of Cathay have come from the west. [Of this] we have seen many signs. And especially in Galway in Ireland, a man and a woman, of extraordinary appearance, have come to land on two tree trunks [or timbers? or a boat made of such?]
The most likely explanation for these bodies is that they were Inuit swept eastward by the North Atlantic Current .



Richard was Justiciar (viceroy) of Ireland and Lord of Trim in County Meath. He built Galway Castle in 1232 and founded the city of Galway. Through his wife, he
gained the Earldom of Ulster.

  Death Notes:

Richard died on 17 February 1241/42 while on a royal expedition to Poitou .

  Noted events in his life were:

• Acceded: Lord of Connacht, 1227. CONNAUGHT, also spelled "Connacht," is one of the five ancient kingdoms or provinces of Ireland, lying in the western and northwestern areas of the island. Connaught is the poorest part of the Irish republic and comprises the modern counties of Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Galway, and Roscommon.

Richard married Egidia (Giles) de Lacy [10411] [MRIN: 4589], daughter of Walter de Lacy Lord of Meath [10392] and Margaret de Braose Lady of Trim [61367], on 21 Apr 1225 in Meath, Ireland. (Egidia (Giles) de Lacy [10411] was born about 1198 in Trim Castle, Meath, Ireland and died in 1243.)