Frenchpark () 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 Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Etymology

Frenchpark barony is named after

Frenchpark Frenchpark, historically known as Dungar (), is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland on the N5 national primary road. It was the home of Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland. The nearby French Park Estate was until 1952 the ancestra ...

town, which takes its name from the French (ffrench) family, powerful in the area from the 17th century onward, after Dominick French was granted in the area in 1666. The town was previously called ''Dún Gar'', "

hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

of favour."

Geography

Frenchpark barony is located in the northwest of County Roscommon, south of

Lough Gara Lough Gara () is a lake in Counties Sligo and Roscommon, Ireland. It is an Important Bird Area protecting 1,788 ha of which most (1,742 ha) is covered by a Ramsar Site. History Lough Gara was known in ancient times as Loch Techet, but the O’ ...

History

This region was originally disputed between

Magh Luirg {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Magh Luirg or Magh Luirg an Dagda, Anglicised as Moylurg, was the name of a medieval Irish kingdom located in modern-day County Roscommon, Ireland. It was a sub-kingdom of the kingdom of Connacht from c. 956–1585. ...

and Airtech. A sept of the

Cíarraige The Ciarraige were a population-group recorded in the early historic era in Ireland. Origins The word Ciarraige means ''the people of Ciar''. Ciar was the illegitimate son of Fergus, the King of Ulster. After being banished from the Court of ...

were early lords of Airteach, which was later taken by the

McDonagh The surname McDonagh, also spelled MacDonagh is from the Irish language Mac Dhonnchadha, and is now one of the rarer surnames of Ireland. Mac Dhonnchadha, Mac Donnchadha, Mac Donnacha or Mac Donnchaidh is the original form of McDonagh These sur ...

s. The

O'Flanagan O'Flanagan is an Irish surname. Notable people with the name include: * Kevin O'Flanagan (1919–2006), Irish former sportsman, physician and sports administrator * Michael O'Flanagan (1876–1942), Irish Republican and Roman Catholic priest * Mic ...

s here were hereditary stewards to the

Kings of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being named ...

. Frenchpark barony was originally part of the Boyle barony; it was divided off, then lost two

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

s to Roscommon barony and gained six from

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

in the Boundary Survey (Ireland) Act 1859. The Frenches later became

Barons de Freyne Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

List of settlements

Below is a list of settlements in Frenchpark barony: *

* Lisacul *

Loughglinn Loughglinn or Loughglynn ( ; ) is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is named after the lake to the north of the village. History Loughglinn House was the main residence of the Dillon family, built circa 1715, extended in the 1820s an ...

References

{{County Roscommon Baronies of County Roscommon