M. Elanor Pereira

A land of wind, of rock and of water: Medieval settlement and environment in the landscape of Killary Fjord, Mweelrea Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean (M.Litt working title).

On the western coast of Ireland, on the modern Galway-Mayo border, Mweelrea Mountain, the tallest mountain in Connacht, towers over the deepwater fjord of Killary Harbour. These striking geographical features were important landmarks of the boundary between the early medieval kingdoms of Umall and Conmaicne Mara and the later medieval lordships of the O’Malleys of Owyls and the O’Flahertys of Iarchonnacht. The research will explore the reciprocity among the topographical features, the development of settlement and the meeting of two historic territories between circa 500 and 1500 CE.

M. Elenor Pereira
Supervisor: Professor Elizabeth FitzPatrick