Country Ireland Province Munster | County Clare | |
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Bunratty Lower is a barony located in County Clare, Ireland. This ancient unit of land division is in turn divided into fourteen civil parishes.
Contents
Legal context
Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as divisions of counties 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 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 (to the north) and by the barony of Tulla Lower (to the east). To the south, the River Shannon separates it from County Limerick. To the west, the River Fergus separates it from the baronies of Clonderalaw and Islands. The barony covers an area of 69,083 acres (27,957 ha), of which 11,623 acres (4,704 ha) are tideway. The land is rocky, but able to support large numbers of sheep.
Parishes and settlements
Lower Bunratty contains the parishes of Bunratty, Clonloghan, Drumline, Feenagh, Kilconry, Kilfinaghta, Kilfintinan, Kilmaleery, Kilmurry, Kilnasoolagh and Tomfinlough, as well as part of the parishes of Killeely, St. Munchin's and St. Patrick’s. The main towns are Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge. More recently, Shannon has become an important town.