Joyce Country highlighted in green, and Connemara highlighted in red
Joyce Country (Irish: Dúiche Sheoighe) is a cultural region in counties Galway and Mayo in Ireland. It is sometimes called Partry, after the former tribal territory of the Partraige, which it largely matches.[1] Part of it falls within the Connacht Gaeltacht. Joyce Country lies on the shores of Lough Mask and Lough Corrib, and includes the Partry Mountains. It is a rural area that includes small settlements such as Clonbur, Cong, Cornamona and Toormakeady. It borders Connemara, to its south and west.
Joyce family
One of the first of the family ("Seoige" in Gaelic) recorded in Connacht was Thomas Joy, who established a minor Hiberno-Norman lordship in northern Iar Connacht. His territory was the barony of Ross, contiguous to Killery Bay and extending from Cong river to the river. The Joyce family became completely Gaelicised, ruled over their followers like the Chiefs of an Irish clan, and assimilated into the local Gaelic culture.
