Location

Statistics Area: 24,607.52 Population (2006) 1,172,170 Munster (Irish: An Mhumhain, IPA: [?n'vu?n?], C?ige Mumhan or Mumha) is the southernmost of the four provinces of Ireland. It comprises the counties of: Clare (110,800) Cork (480,909) Kerry (139,616) Limerick(123/123/123 ) Tipperary (149,050) Waterford (107,942) The largest city in Munster is Cork. The name is derived from the Celtic goddess, Muma. The province was once divided into six regions: Tuadh Mhuman (North Munster), Deas Mhuman (South Munster), Urh Mumhan (East Munster), Iar mumhan (West Munster), Ernaibh Muman (the Ernai tribe's portion of Munster), and Deisi Muman (the Deisi tribe's portion of Munster). Ultimately, these were all subsumed into the kingdoms of Thomond (North Munster), Desmond (South Munster), and Ormond (East Munster), all of which were eventually subsumed by surrender and regrant as Earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland. The names exist only indirectly today, particularly in the case of Thomond. The three crowns represent these three kingdoms. This flag can easily be confused with the flag of Dublin which has three castles in a similar pattern on a blue background; it also resembles the lesser coat-of-arms of Sweden, the Three Crowns. Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond (d. 1356), was described as the "ruler of Munster" in his lifetime. In 1841 before the Great Famine, there were just under 3 million people living in the province of Munster, but the population had dropped devastatingly low due to mass emigration in the 1840s and continued emigration up until the 1980s. For 30 days during the Irish Civil War, the province of Munster broke away from the Irish Free State and established the Munster Republic in opposition to the acceptance of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The Munster Republic was short lived and subsequently crushed by heavily-armed Irish Free State forces. Munster is also an Irish Rugby Football Union representative side which competes in the Celtic League, winning in 2003, and for the Heineken Cup, winning in 2006.