THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF MAYO, TO THE CLOSE OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. By Hubert Thomas Knox. 451 pages, indexed. Originally published in 1908 at Dublin, Ireland.

This monumental work covers the early history of County Mayo in great detail, and is an essential reference for those whose roots go back to this Irish county. The first four chapters cover the earliest legends up through Celtic dominance and conversion to Christianity. Chapter five introduces the Norman Invasion, and in the next dozen chapters we see how the invaders became "more Irish than the Irish," as well as sketches of the lands appearance and geography. Then comes the introduction of English Law into this remote part of Ireland, and the decline of the traditional system of septs or clans among the native Irish. Ships of the Spanish Armada were wrecked along the Mayo coast, and the county was in almost continuous turmoil in the 16th century as the English fought to subdue the Gaels in their last stronghold. Another ten chapters are devoted to individual histories of each barony in the county, with particular reference to the leading septs. After 39 chapters and over 300 pages of history, there follows ten appendices, the most interesting of which to the genealogist will be the last two, which give over fifty pages of genealogical tables for all of the leading Anglo-Norman and Irish families.

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