Burke or de Burgh / de Burca - Anglo Norman origins originally from Tonburg in Normandy and descended from William Fitz Adelhm from Burgh in Suffolk who arrived in 1171 AD after the Anglo - Norman Invasion succeeding Strongbow as the English appointed Chief Governor in Ireland and was granted the Ulster Province by Henry 11 the Norman English King and much of the Connacht Province, with some of the family becoming Gaelic very quickly. They were English Earls and Viscounts who had their Estates in Co. Galway, Co. Mayo and Co. Sligo in the north - west of Connacht, Co. Kildare in Central Southern Leinster and Co. Tipperary and Co. Limerick in Northern Munster. English Barons, English Viscounts, English Earls and Lords in Co. Limerick and Co. Galway. Many Gaelicized sub - branches were formed, including Mac David Burke in Co. Galway, Mac Hugo, Mac Gibbon, Jennings, Mac Redmond, Mac Qualter, etc. The de Burghs who had their Estates in the Connacht Province also took up the names, Mac William and Mac Phillip and in 1230 AD Rickarde de Burg, the son of William de Burg, controlled Galway City situated on Loch Corrib, and he continued to extend his Estates by building the Dun Lure Castle on the north coast of Co. Antrim in the north - east of Ulster. In 1244 AD Walter de Burg who was then the appointed English Earl of Ulster, founded a friary at Newtownards in Co. Down in the south - east of Ulster. After 1333 AD the great grandson of the original William Fitz Adelhm de Burgh, William Liath de Burgh became the direct male line ancestor of the two most influential families, Mac William Uachtar in Co. Galway and Mac William Lochtar in Co. Mayo. Others were Mac Philbin (Descended from a son of Philip de Burgh,) and Jennings / Mheic Sheoinin descended from John de Burgh who had their Estates in Co. Mayo, and Mac Gibbon / Mheic Giobhuin  descended from a son of Gilbert de Burgh.) In 1300 AD Richard de Burg who was then the Earl of Ulster built a Castle at Ballymote in Co. Sligo in the north - west of Connacht and in 1305 AD he also founded the Carlingford Catholic Priory in Co. Louth in the north - east of Northern Leinster. In 1314 AD Walter de Burgh who was then the English Earl of Ulster, was also the son - in - law of Robert 1st - the Bruce the Norman Gaelic King of Scotland. In 1324 AD William de Burgh built a Catholic Church at Athenry in Co. Galway in Southern Connacht, which eventually became the main burial place for the English Earls of Ulster and for the other main Gaelic Irish Families in the west of Ireland. Later on during Oliver Cromwell’s Invasion his soldiers destroyed all the monuments there. In 1333 AD the English de Burgh who was then the Earl of Ulster died, and the male line died with him, as there was only a daughter left, who married Edward 111’s the Anglo - Norman English King's second son, Lionel the Duke of Clarence. The remaining de Burghs then changed their names to Burke and Mac William to hold onto their Estates separately in Ireland, including their Estates in Co. Limerick and Co. Clare in the north - west of Thomond / Northern Munster. In 1342 AD the Clan Uilliam / Mac William were the English Earls of Clan Rickarde in Co. Mayo and Co. Galway. 1368 AD known as the Uilliamaig na hBurkes  if Clan William On their Estates in Southern Leinster they were also known as the Mac Mylers and Mac Davids. In 1466 AD Uilliam was the English Barons of Clanwilliam in Co. Tipperary and Co. Limerick. In 1536 AD Grace O Malley was the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Dal Cuinn Ui Briuin Pirate Queen, who was the daughter of O Malley the Gaelic Irish Lord of the Isles, who had her stronghold on Clare Island in Co. Mayo in the mid - west of Connacht, and she married Sir Richard Bourke who was her second husband and produced Toby Burke who began the line of the English Earls of Mayo at Carrigahooly Castle / Rock Fleet on the sea at Newport in the south of Co. Mayo, which had been built by the Burkes, and this passed to Grace O Malley who put in her followers during her year of marriage to Richard Burke. In 1542 AD after the confiscation of all the Irish Catholic Institutions Richard Burke / de Burgh, who was known as the Red Earl of Ulster, was given the Claregalway Franciscan friary in Co. Galway where he was interred. The Earl of Clan Rickarde had his Portumna Castle also in Co. Galway and the ruins are still there to see, as later on it passed to the English Earl of Harewood / Burkes at Claregalway in Co. Galway. Burke Castle there is also in ruins.

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