Islands() 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 ...
located in
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
,
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 ...
. This ancient unit of land division is in turn divided into five
civil parishes
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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...
.
Etymology
The name refers to the many islands of the
Fergus estuary, such as
Canon Island
Canon Island (''Inis na Canánach'' in Irish) is an island situated in the River Shannon, about east of the village of Kildysart, County Clare in Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in ...
,
Deer Island,
Inishloe
Inishloe or ''Low Island'' (Gaeilge: ''Inis Lua'') is an uninhabited island in the River Fergus and townland in the Kildysart parish of County Clare, Ireland.
Geography
The island's surface area is 52.68 hectares (130 acres).
Demographics ...
,
Feenish and
Trummer: the
Anglo-Normans
The Anglo-Normans ( nrf, Anglo-Normaunds, ang, Engel-Norðmandisca) were the medieval ruling class in England, composed mainly of a combination of ethnic Normans, French, Anglo-Saxons, Flemings and Bretons, following the Norman conquest. A sm ...
approaching from
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
along these waters perceived the County Clare region as an
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
and named it "the
cantred
A cantred was a subdivision of a county in the Anglo-Norman Lordship of Ireland between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, analogous to the cantref of Wales or the hundred of England. In County Dublin the equivalent unit was termed a serjeant ...
of the isles of
Thomond
Thomond (Classical Irish: ; Modern Irish: ), also known as the kingdom of Limerick, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Clare and County Limerick, as well as parts of County Tipperary around Nenag ...
", a name still preserved in that of the barony.
Legal context
Baronies were created after the
Norman invasion of Ireland
The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...
as divisions of
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
and were used the administration of justice and the raising of revenue. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they have been
administratively obsolete since 1898. However, they continue to be used in land registration and in specification, such as in planning permissions. In many cases, a barony corresponds to an earlier
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
túath which had submitted to the Crown.
Location
The barony is bounded by the barony of
(to the north), by
Bunratty Upper
Bunratty Upper is a barony in County Clare, Ireland. This ancient geographical division of land is in turn divided into six civil parishes.
Legal context
Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as divisions of counties and we ...
(to the east), by
Clonderalaw
Clonderalaw is an historical barony in County Clare, Ireland. Baronies are geographical divisions of land that are in turn is divided into civil parishes.
Legal context
Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as administrat ...
(to the south) and by
(to the west). It covers of which are tideway of the
River Fergus and are water. The river and estuary of the Fergus form the eastern boundary of the barony, which slopes down to the water. The western part is mainly peaty uplands, while the east includes some of the rich pasturage known as "Corcasses".
Parishes and settlements
The barony contains the
civil parishes
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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...
of
Clare-Abbey,
Clondagad,
Dromcliffe,
Killone
Killone ( ga, Cill Eoin) is a civil parish of County Clare, Ireland, to the southwest of Ennis. It is known for the ruins of Killone Abbey.
Location
Killone is in the Barony of Islands, southwest of Ennis on the road to Kildysart.
It is so ...
, and
Kilmaly.
The main settlements are
Ennis
Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...
and
Clare.
References
Citations
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Islands, Barony of
Baronies of County Clare