The O’Rourkes of Leitrim
The story of Leitrim’s most famous family and their landscape of legacy
Throughout Ireland’s medieval history, the area that is today encompassed by the boundaries of County Leitrim, was associated with one family more than any other; the O’Rourkes. For centuries they held sway over the Kingdom and Lordship of Breifne, whose heartlands lay in the modern counties of Leitrim and Cavan, though at times their influenced stretched further beyond those borders into Sligo and Meath. This remarkably long-lasting dynasty influenced both regional and national history between the 10th to the 17th centuries.
This website brings together the results and outputs of the O’Rourkes Heritage Project, an initiative of Leitrim County Council. Dedicated pages explore the O’Rourkes origins and history, highlight some of the most famous family members, and provide details on the historic sites connected to the Lords of Bréifne. The site also serves as a portal to the multitude of resources created as part of the Heritage Project. These include links to lectures and discussions, downloadable education packs and booklets, and interactive and memory maps. Through them you can uncover and directly engage with this extraordinary Gaelic family, who for so long ruled supreme over Leitrim’s landscape.
This website was created as an output of Leitrim County Council’s O’Rourkes Heritage Project and is a recommendation of the 2024 O’Rourkes of Leitrim Heritage Audit & Interpretation Plan produced by Abarta Heritage for Leitrim County Council with funding from The Heritage Council.
