About the O’Rourkes of Leitrim Project

The story of the O’Rourke dynasty is an integral part of the story of Leitrim. The family bore witness, and played a key role, at pivotal moments during the history of the island of Ireland. In 2024, Leitrim County Council, through the Leitrim Heritage Office, wanted to discover more about the family and their legacy. So they commissioned a series of projects to look more closely at the historical O’Rourkes.

In 2024, Leitrim County Council commissioned Abarta Heritage to undertake a Heritage Audit and Interpretation Plan to help to establish an informative framework to reference for all future projects. This Heritage Audit and Interpretation Plan formed the first part of a multi-phased project to explore and uncover the story of the family. It created a solid foundation to build interpretive and collaborative projects to help people explore the county and the history, archaeology and folklore of this ancient dynasty. By interpreting the historical records from earliest times to the Cromwellian era, and combining archaeological and landscape studies to identify O’Rourke strongholds throughout the county, a suite of recommendations were presented as part of the plan to bring the story of the family to life. An interactive Memory Map was also created in 2024 which provided the opportunity for people to share their own O’Rourke’s stories.

In 2025, Leitrim County Council commissioned a number of projects to deliver some of the recommendations outlined in the report. A series of videos were created focusing on key members of the family. An illustrated brochure was designed to lead people through the O’Rourke strongholds in the Leitrim landscape. A booklet detailing the stories of the family and an education pack for schools were also created. A lively panel discussion about the historical O’Rourke’s took place during Heritage Week and well over 100 people attended. You can delve into all of those outputs in our Resources Section.

As part of these developments, this website was constructed to serve as a hub for all of the resources that have been developed and to share the story of the O’Rourkes of Leitrim. We hope you enjoy browsing through the videos, stories, booklets and other resources on the site. If you have any questions or comments please do get in touch through the contact page here.