At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the south Connacht lordships of Clanrickard and Hy Many lay beyond the effective control of the Tudor government. Clanrickard was ruled by the Burke dynasty, descendants of the thirteenth-century Anglo-Norman conquerors and colonists of Connacht, while Hy Many was governed by the indigenous Gaelic Irish O' Kelly lords. The author charts the episodic expansion of English rule into the lordships, while taking cognizance of major government initiatives such as the surrender and regrant programme of the early 1540s, the establishment of the Connacht presidency in 1569, and the composition of Connacht in 1585. The difficulties experienced by the historically hostile political communities of Clanrickard and Hy Many as they endeavoured to accommodate the expanding Tudor state are analysed and discussed, as are the consequent changes in the political, social and economic fabric of the province of Connacht.