Magheraboy () 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 Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

. To its east lies

Lower Lough Erne Lough Erne ( , ) is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne, ...

, and it is bordered by three other baronies in Northern Ireland:

Lurg Lurg () is a barony situated in the north of County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. To its south lies Lower Lough Erne, and it is bordered by four other baronies in Northern Ireland: Magheraboy to the south; Tirkennedy to the south-east; Omagh Wes ...

to the north; Tirkennedy to the east; and

Clanawley Clanawley () is a barony in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. To its east lies Upper Lough Erne, and it is bordered by three other baronies: Magheraboy to the north; Tirkennedy and Knockninny to the east. It also borders three baronies in th ...

to the south It also borders two baronies in the

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. ...

Tirhugh Tirhugh (; ) is a barony in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. Baronies were mainly cadastral rather than administrative units. They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the Loc ...

to the north; and Rosclogher to the south. The westernmost point (near the Irish farm Mangern) of Magheraboy is also the westernmost point of Northern Ireland. (8° 10' 38" west of Greenwich).

History

The name Magheraboy doesn't receive a mention until 1585, when it is described in the ''Composition Book of Connacht'' as "the halfe Toe (tuatha) of Magheraboy". It was the

Composition of Connacht The Composition of Connacht, or Composition of Connaught and Thomond, was a 1585 agreement between, on the one hand, the Gaelic and Gaelicised chiefs of Connacht and Thomond and, on the other hand, the English Dublin Castle administration of t ...

in 1585, during the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

, that most of the modern baronies and

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 ...

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

would first be created. The barony's boundaries, however, coincide with those of an ancient territory known as ''Tuath Ratha'' (people/tribe of the fort), the principal family of which was the O'Flanagans ( ga, Ó Flannagáin), the ruling family of the ''Cenél Cairbre Tuath Ratha''. The O'Flanagans were an important medieval family based at Ballyflanagan (present day townland of

Aghamore Aghamore () is a townland in County Leitrim, Ireland, located on the main N4 national primary road between Dublin and Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo ...

) in Magheraboy, and they once controlled the entire western side of Lower Lough Erne from Belleek to Belmore Mountain. The O'Flanagans were related to the ruling family of the ''

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into t ...

'' kingdom of '' Cairbre Droma Cliabh''. Another small sept of the ''

'', the ''Cenél Láegaire'', settled in Magheraboy in the early Christian period.

List of main settlements

* Belleek (south of the

River Erne The River Erne ( , ga, Abhainn na hÉirne or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster, flowing through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and forming part of their borde ...

) * Derrygonnelly *

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

(west of the River Erne)

List of civil parishes

Below is a list of civil parishes in Magheraboy: *Boho (split with barony of Clanawley) *Cleenish (split with the baronies of Clanawley and Tirkennedy) *Devenish *Inishmacsaint *Rossorry (split with barony of Clanawley)

References

{{coord missing, County Fermanagh