Bunratty Lower 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 118,81 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

.Placenames Database of Ireland
- Barony of Bunratty Lower This ancient unit of land division is in turn divided into fourteen civil parishes.

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 san ...

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. They are still used in land registration and specification for 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, an ...

túath which had submitted to the Crown.

Landscape

Bunratty Lower is a division of the former barony of Bunratty. This belonged to the Macnamara family, and was called Dangan-i-vigin. It is bounded by the barony of

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 w ...

(to the north) and by the barony of

Tulla Lower Tulla Lower (or Tullagh Lower) is a barony in County Clare, Ireland. This ancient geographical division of land is in turn divided into eight civil parishes. Legal context Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as divisions ...

(to the east). To the south, the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), 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 the island of Ireland. The Sha ...

separates it from

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Ireland, Province , subd ...

. To the west, the

River Fergus The River Fergus ( ga, An Forghas) is a river within the Shannon River Basin which flows in County Clare, Ireland. The river begins at Lough Fergus in north Clare and flows into the Shannon Estuary. The source is at Lough Fergus in the townlan ...

separates it from the baronies of

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 administr ...

and

Islands An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

. The barony covers an area of , of which are tideway. The land is rocky and supports many sheep. File:Baronies of Clare.jpg, Baronies of Clare. Bunratty Lower is in the southeast. File:Bunratty Castle - geograph.org.uk - 223349.jpg,

Bunratty Castle Bunratty Castle (, meaning "castle at the mouth of the Ratty") is a large 15th-century tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in the centre of Bunratty village ( ga, Bun Ráite), by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Sha ...

Parishes and settlements

Lower Bunratty contains the parishes of

Bunratty Bunratty (, meaning "end of the Raite") is a village in County Clare, Ireland, near Bunratty Castle. It is connected by the N18 road to Limerick and Galway. The Raite river defines the parish's eastern boundary and flows into the Shannon Estu ...

Clonloghan Clonloghan ( ga, Cluain Lócháin) is a civil parish of County Clare, Ireland, located by road northwest of Limerick, just north of Shannon. Geography The civil parish of Clonloghan lies in the barony of Bunratty Lower. It is in the souther ...

Drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

, Feenagh, Kilconry,

Kilfinaghta Kilfinaghta ( ga, Cill Fhionnachta) is a civil parish of County Clare, Ireland, located to the east of Sixmilebridge and northeast of Shannon. Geography The civil parish of Kilfinaghta lies in the barony of Bunratty Lower. It is in the southe ...

Kilfintinan Kilfintinan ( ga, Cill Fhiontanáin) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is part of the Catholic parish of Cratloe. Name The name ''Cill Fintinan'' would mean "Church of Fintinan", but there is no known Irish Saint Fintinan. The name ...

, Kilmaleery, Kilmurry, Kilnasoolagh and

Tomfinlough Tomfinlough ( ga, Tuaim Fhionnlocha) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. A Christian establishment was first made here around 540 AD. The parish lands were often raided by Irish, Viking, Norman and English forces in the years that follow ...

, as well as part of the parishes of Killeely, St. Munchin's and St. Patrick’s. The main towns are

Newmarket-on-Fergus Newmarket-on-Fergus, historically known as Corracatlin (), is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It is 13 kilometres from Ennis, 8 kilometres from Shannon Airport, and 24 kilometres from Limerick. History The English rendering of the name 'Newm ...

and

Sixmilebridge Sixmilebridge (), is a large village in County Clare, Ireland. Located midway between Ennis and Limerick city, the village is a short distance away from the main N18 road. Sixmilebridge partly serves as a dormitory village for workers in the ...

Facilities and attractions

Shannon Airport Shannon Airport ( ga, Aerfort na Sionainne) is an international airport located in County Clare in the Republic of Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. The airport is the third busiest ai ...

References

Citations Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burren, Barony of Baronies of County Clare