Fore () 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 ...

in northern

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It was formed by 1672.

Geography

Fore has an area of 49,056 acres, making it the largest barony in Westmeath but placing it among the smaller baronies in Ireland.

Mullaghmeen Mullaghmeen (), at , is the county top for Westmeath in Ireland, and is the lowest county top in Ireland. Mullaghmeen is located in the Mullaghmeen Forest, known for having the largest planted beech forest in Europe. Geography Mullaghmeen ...

, the highest point in Westmeath is located in Fore and at 261 metres (856 ft) is the lowest county high point in Ireland. The barony contains three large lakes,

Lough Derravaragh Lough Derravaragh () is a lake in County Westmeath, Ireland, north of Mullingar between Castlepollard, Crookedwood and Multyfarnham. Lough Derravaragh sits on the River Inny which flows from Lough Sheelin on its way to the River Shannon. ...

Lough Sheelin Lough Sheelin (), in standard Irish language, Irish ''Loch Síleann'', is a limestone freshwater lough (lake) in central Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The lake is a part of the River Inny (Leinster), River Inny course, and ultimately of the Riv ...

and

Lough Lene Lough Lene (Irish language, Irish: ''Loch Léinn'') is a lake situated in north County Westmeath, Ireland, between the villages of Castlepollard, Collinstown and Fore Abbey, Fore. It has a rich and varied history, including several prehistor ...

and the River Inny flows through the barony before it connects to the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...

. The barony borders the counties of

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of ...

and

Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

Civil parishes of the barony

This tableCivil parishes of the barony of Fore.
''Placenames Database of Ireland'' Retrieved on 22 July 2015 lists an historical geographical sub-division of the barony known as the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

(not to be confused with an

Ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

Towns and villages

Castlepollard Castlepollard ( or ''Cionn Toirc'') is a village in north County Westmeath, Ireland. It lies west of Lough Lene and northeast of Lough Derravaragh and Mullingar. Name The name ''Castlepollard'' comes from the name of a castle or fortified m ...

Collinstown Collinstown () is a village in north County Westmeath, situated on the R395 regional road overlooking Lough Lene. It lies northeast of the county town of Mullingar and (as of the 2016 census) had a population of 356. Toponymy The Irish na ...

, Coole,

Crookedwood Crookedwood () is a small village in County Westmeath on the R394 regional road. Historically it was called ''Taghmon'' (), after the townland it occupies. Geography Overlooked by the dominating hill of Knockeyon to the north, the village re ...

Finnea Finnea () is a small village in County Westmeath on the border with County Cavan. It straddles the R394 road, in the northern portion of Ireland. Transport Bus Éireann route 447 provides a link to Castlepollard, Crookedwood and Mullingar on ...

, Fore

Places of interest

Fore Abbey Fore Abbey () is the ruins of a Benedictine and Early Gaelic 7th century Abbey with associated Mill, Anchorite's Cell, Holy Wells and a structure associated with St. Féichín, all situated to the north of Lough Lene in County Westmeath, adja ...

Benedictine Abbey The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they a ...

from 630 A.D *

, a scenic lough *

, a lough, shaped somewhat like

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, popular angling destination *

, a lough, largest lake in Westmeath *

, Highest point in Westmeath *

Ranaghan Ranaghan is a townland and archaeological site in County Westmeath, Ireland. Introduction It is south-west of Lough Lene on high ground where there are a multitude of ringforts. Randoon (Randún), possibly the most famous fort of the area, i ...

, ringfort location *

Tullynally Castle Tullynally Castle, also known as Pakenham Hall, is a country house situated some 2 km from Castlepollard on the Coole village road in County Westmeath, Ireland. The Gothic-style building has over 120 rooms and has been home to the Paken ...

, historic castle *

, largest urban area in Fore

References

External links

{{County Westmeath Baronies of County Westmeath, Fore