Province (pop., 2002 prelim.: 1,101,266), southern Ireland.
It has an area of 9,315 sq mi (24,127 sq km). The region was ruled by a southern clan, which gradually extended its power over Munster by с AD 400. In the 10th century Vikings invaded and eventually settled in Waterford and Limerick. After the 12th-century Anglo-Norman invasion, it was ruled by the feudal families of Fitzgerald and Butler. It now comprises the counties of Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary (North Riding and South Riding), and Waterford.