Rathgarve ( meaning "rough ringfort"),Rathgarve civil parish
''The Placename Database of Ireland.'' Retrieved on 20 July 2015. is a

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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

, religious parish, and townland, in

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

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 ...

. It is located about north of

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeat ...

. It takes in parts of the modern town of Castlepollard (the townlands of Kinturk Desmesne and Townparks), and it forms part of the religious parish of St. Michael's Parish, Castlepollard. Historically it has been linked to the 8th century monk

Dicuil Dicuilus (or the more vernacular version of the name Dícuil) was an Irish monk and geographer, born during the second half of the 8th century. Background The exact dates of Dicuil's birth and death are unknown. Of his life nothing is known exce ...

, according to Monasticon Hibernicum. However, he is also associated with

Rathgar Rathgar (), is a suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It was originally a village which from 1862 was part of the township of Rathmines and Rathgar; it was absorbed by the growing city and became a suburb in 1930. It lies about three kilometres south of ...

( also in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Ráth Garbh'', again meaning "rough ringfort"), in Dublin, which may indicate a misassociation with one of these sites. It is thought that Rathgarve (along with Foyran) was established as a manor around 1211 or 1212 which is the attested date for the establishment of the nearby manor of Lickbla, at which time the grant of churches and lands was confirmed in 1206-1207 by M. Uí Dobailen, Bishop of Kells (later to become part of the Diocese of Meath). From the tithe allocations, Rathgarve attracted tithes of 100s. or £5 (parish and vicarage). Of this, the vicar received 33s./4d. or one third. The first complete list of parishes comes in the early fourteenth century, and Rathgarve is found in the deanery of Fore. Rathgarve is one of 8 civil parishes in the

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 ...

of Fore in the

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

. The civil parish covers . Rathgarve civil parish comprises the town of

Castlepollard Castlepollard ( or ''Cionn Toirc'') is a village in north County Westmeath, Republic of 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 fo ...

and 27 townlands: Ballycomoyle, Ballymanus,

Ballynagall Baile na nGall (Irish, meaning "town of the foreigners), unofficially anglicized as "Ballydavid", is a Gaeltacht village in the Ard na Caithne region of the Dingle Peninsula of County Kerry, Ireland. As the 2003 Official Languages Act revoked ...

, Caslanakirka,

Curraghboy Curraghboy () is a village in County Roscommon, 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 separ ...

, Deerpark,

Drumman Drumman, also known as Drummond is a townland in Milltownpass in County Westmeath, Ireland. The townland is in the civil parish of Pass of Kilbride and is on the border with County Offaly. The M6 Motorway cuts through the middle of the townland, a ...

, Freaghmore,

Glen A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

, Kinturk Demesne,

Knockroe Knockroe is a townland containing a little over 363 acres in Moycarky civil parish and in the ecclesiastical parish of Moycarkey, Littleton, Two-Mile-Borris, in County Tipperary, Ireland. Its population at the time of the 1891 census A census ...

, Loughanalla, Loughanstown, Millcastle, Mullanakill,

Raheen Beg Raheen may refer to: Places Australia * Raheen (estate), mansion in Kew, Melbourne, Australia Ireland * Raheen, County Clare, a townland in Tuamgraney * Raheen, the name of several townlands in County Kerry; see List of townlands of County Kerry ...

, Raheen More, (the townland of) Rathgarve, Robinstown Lower,

Robinstown Upper Robinstown may refer to the following places: * Robinstown (Levinge), a townland in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland * Robinstown (Tyrrell), a townland in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland * Robinstown, Carrick, a townland in County Westmeat ...

, Sheskernagh,

Slieveboy Slieveboy ( ga, Sliabh Buí) is a mountain located in north County Wexford, Ireland. Etymology It is never called 'Slieveboy' by locals, but always its Irish form Sliabh Buí, which is pronounced 'Shleeav Bwee'. Sliabh Buí means Yellow Moun ...

, Srunahella, Stonestown, Teevrevagh, Townparks and Tromra. The neighbouring civil parishes are: Foyran to the north, St. Feighin's to the east, Faughalstown to the south and Lickbla and Mayne to the west.Rathgarve civil parish
''The IreAtlas Townland Database.'' Retrieved on 20 July 2015 As with Foyran and Lickbla, the current extant remains are of an early medieval church set within a possible earlier early Christian enclosure, adjoined by a motte & bailey. Rathgarve, in addition is located near the ruins of a mill/castle complex at Millcastle which would have included a bridge over the River Glore (running from Lough Glore to the River Inney) as evidenced by Ordnance Survey maps of circa 1900. Rathgarve trackway

A medieval trackway (on private land) delineates the former route from the south heading towards the abbey of Lara (Abbeylara). The trackway did not evolve into the modern road once the local landlord constructed a metalled road with bridge to the east, bypassing Rathgarve church and settlement in the 18th century.

References

External links

Rathgarve civil parish
at the IreAtlas Townland Data Base
Rathgarve civil parish
at townlands.ie
Rathgarve civil parish
at The Placename Database of Ireland {{County Westmeath Civil parishes of County Westmeath