Owney and Arra (Irish: Uaithne agus Ara) is a barony in County Tipperary, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town is Newport. The barony lies between Ormond Lower to the north (whose chief town is Nenagh), Kilnamanagh Upper to the south (whose chief town is Borrisoleigh) and Ormond Upper to the east (whose chief town is Toomevara). To the west lies the River Shannon which separates it from County Limerick. The territory is currently administered by Tipperary County Council.
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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.
Modern times
When County Tipperary was split into North and South Ridings in 1836, Owney and Arra was allocated to the north riding. However, the neighbouring barony of Kilnamanagh was split into Upper and Lower half-baronies, being allocated to the north and south ridings respectively.
Towns, villages and townlands of the barony
Newtown, Newport, Portroe, Rearcross.
Civil parishes of the barony
This table lists an historical geographical sub-division of the barony known as the civil parish (not to be confused with an Ecclesiastical parish).
Note: Three townlands of the civil parish of Monsea lie in the barony with the bulk of the civil parish lying in the barony of Ormond Lower.