Ballyadams () is a

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

(formerly called ''Queen's County'' or ''County Leix''),

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

Etymology

Ballyadams barony is named after

Ballyadams Castle Ballyadams () is a barony in County Laois (formerly called ''Queen's County'' or ''County Leix''), Republic of Ireland. Etymology Ballyadams barony is named after Ballyadams Castle, a 15th-century fortified house near Ballylynan. Geography ...

, a 15th-century

fortified house A fortified house or fortified mansion is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, generally with significant fortifications added. United States In the United States, historically a fortified house was often calle ...

near

Ballylynan Ballylinan or Ballylynan () is a small town in County Laois, about from the border with County Kildare in Ireland. The name means "Lynan's town", though exactly who Lynan was is now forgotten. Transport A 12-mile railway line linking Ballylina ...

Geography

Ballyadams is located in the east of the county, north of the River Douglas and west of the

River Barrow The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...

(where it forms part of the border with

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

). It is a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

region, with some

anthracite Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the hig ...

coal being mined in the past.

History

Ancient chiefs in the area include the Uí Caollaidhe (Keely), who were chiefs of Críoch Uí mBuidhe. It is referred to in the topographical poem ''

Tuilleadh feasa ar Éirinn óigh Tuilleadh feasa ar Éirinn óigh ("More knowledge on the entirety of Ireland") is a medieval Gaelic-Irish topographical text, composed by Giolla na Naomh Ó hUidhrín (died 1420). Overview ''Tuilleadh feasa ...'' is both a supplement and a conti ...

'' (

Giolla na Naomh Ó hUidhrín Giolla na Naomh O hUidhrin, Irish historian and poet, died 1420. O hUidhrin is known as the author of ''Tuilleadh feasa ar Éirinn óigh'', a topographical poem of a kind with Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin's '' Triallam timcheall na Fodla'', of which ...

, d. 1420): ''Críoch Ó mBuidhe an fhóid fhinntigh'' ''ós Bearbha mbuig mbraoinlinntigh; ''d’Ó Chaolluidhe as caomh an chríoch,'' ''aoghoire nár fhaomh eissíoth'' ("Crioch O-mbuidhe of the fair sod, Along the Barrow of the bright pools, To O'Caollaidhe the territory is fair, A shepherd prepared to encounter enemies.") The Uí Caollaidhe were expelled during the

Laois-Offaly Plantation Plantations in 16th- and 17th-century Ireland involved the confiscation of Irish-owned land by the English Crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from Great Britain. The Crown saw the plantations as a means of controlling, angl ...

of the 16th century, and took land at Kylenabehy. Ballyadams went to the Bowen family, including Robert Bowen (

High Sheriff of Queen's County The High Sheriff of Queen's County was the British Crown's judicial representative in Queen's County, Ireland (now County Laois), Ireland from the 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the of ...

1579) and Lucy Bowen (wife of

William Southwell William Southwell (1669 – 23 January 1720) was an Irish politician and British Army officer. Background He was the third son of Richard Southwell of Castle Matrix, Co. Limerick, and his wife Lady Elizabeth O'Brien, daughter of Murrough O'Bri ...

List of settlements

Below is a list of settlements in Ballyadams barony: *

Ballylinan Ballylinan or Ballylynan () is a small town in County Laois, about from the border with County Kildare in Ireland. The name means "Lynan's town", though exactly who Lynan was is now forgotten. Transport A 12-mile railway line linking Ballylina ...

Barrowhouse, County Laois Barrowhouse () is a townland in southeast County Laois in Ireland. Barrowhouse is located close to the County Kildare border and the town of Athy. The Barrowhouse area holds the unusual distinction of being the only part of Laois in the Athy R ...

References

{{County Laois Baronies of County Laois