Mid-Connacht: The Ancient Territory of Sliabh Lugha by Máire McDonnell-Garvey

Mid-Connacht is a comprehensive account of the Slieve Lugha area of Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and Galway from earliest times to the break-up of the great estates in the early 20th century.

The author takes us into the world of the secret societies of the early 19th century, into the cabins of the poor in the years of famine and into the crude schoolhouses where teachers fought against the odds to provide an education for deprived children.

She vividly describes the smouldering fires of Fenianism and the heady days of the Land War, and pays due tribute to the great personalities of the Ballaghaderreen area, among them, Mrs Deane, Mother Arsenius, John Dillon, Edward Duffy and Fr. Denis O'Hara.

This is an important work of local history meticulously researched by a native of the area.

• Raparees and Wild Geese
• Penal Days
• Famine
• The Land War
• Fenians in Ballaghaderreen