Ballycowan or Ballycowen () 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 Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...

(formerly King's County),

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Etymology

Ballycowan derives its name from Ballycowan Castle (near

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midlands Reg ...

) and the townland of Ballycowan (Irish ''Baile Mhic Comhainn'', "settlement of Mac Comhainn").

Location

Ballycowan is located in north

, around the valleys of the Clodiagh River and Silver River.

History

Ballycowan was part of the territory of the Ó Maolmhuaidh (O'Molloy) sept of the

Southern Uí Néill The Southern Uí Néill (, ) were a branch of the Uí Néill dynasty that invaded and settled in the Kingdom of Mide and its associated kingdoms. Two sons of Niall Noigiallach, Lóegaire () and Coirpre (), initially led the dynasty. As did th ...

. The Uí Shuanaig (Fox?) sept is cited here near Rathan.Ireland's History in Maps: The Baronies of Ireland
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List of settlements

Below is a list of settlements in Ballycowan: * Durrow * Rahan * Screggan *

References

Baronies of County Offaly {{Offaly-geo-stub