To Hell or Connaught
Preserved but no longer current.
This phrase, usually attributed to Cromwell, and common to the whole of Ireland, rose thus: during the Com- monwealth all the native Irish were dispossessed of their lands in the other three provinces and ordered to settle in Connaught, under pain of death.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “To Hell or Connaught” mean?
This phrase, usually attributed to Cromwell, and common to the whole of Ireland, rose thus: during the Com- monwealth all the native Irish were dispossessed of their lands in the other three provinces and ordered to settle in Connaught, under pain of death.
Is “To Hell or Connaught” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.