Connell (), also called Great Connell, is a barony in County Kildare,

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 Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

Etymology

Connell derives its name from Old Connell (Irish ''Seancongbhail''/''Seanchonail'', "old settlement"), a site in modern Newbridge where Saint Conleth lived as a hermit until his consecration in AD 490. Later it was the site of Connell Ford, a crossing point on the Liffey, and

Great Connell Priory Great Connell Priory () is a former house of Augustinian canons dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint David, situated on the eastern side of the River Liffey, in the Barony of Connell just to the south-east of the town of Newbridge, County Kilda ...

was built on the east bank in 1202.

Location

Connell barony is found in central County Kildare, from the bend of the Liffey to the

Hill of Allen The Hill of Allen (''Cnoc Alúine'' in Modern Irish, earlier ''Cnoc Almaine''; also Hill of Almu ) is a volcanic hill situated in the west of County Kildare, Ireland, beside the village of Allen. According to Irish Mythology it was the seat of ...

History

Connell barony was part of the ancient territory of the Uí Fáeláin sept of the

Uí Dúnlainge The Uí Dúnlainge, from the Old Irish "grandsons (or descendants) of Dúnlaing", were an Irish dynasty of Leinster kings who traced their descent from Dúnlaing mac Énda Niada. He was said to be a cousin of Énnae Cennsalach, eponymous ances ...

branch of the

Laigin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinster ...

sept, and ancestral home of the Uí Broin before the arrival of the

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

. The Uí Thuathail (O'Tooles), allies of the O'Byrnes, were also here.

List of settlements

Below is a list of settlements in Connell barony: * Allenwood *

Athgarvan Athgarvan () is a village southwest of Newbridge, County Kildare, Newbridge in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The population of the village was 1,176 in the census of 2016. Location Athgarvan lies on the R416 road (Ireland), R41 ...

Kilmeage Kilmeague ( ga, Cill Maodhóg) is a village in west County Kildare, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-weste ...

* Newbridge * Robertstown

References

{{County Kildare Baronies of County Kildare