Boyle () 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 ...

in the far north of

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

in Ireland.

Etymology

Boyle barony is named after Boyle town, itself named after

Boyle Abbey Boyle Abbey () is a ruined Cistercian friary located in Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland. It was founded by Saint Malachy in the year 1161 but not consecrated until 1218 (work was interrupted by the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and it wa ...

, which is named after the Boyle River.

Geography

Boyle barony is located in the far north of County Roscommon, separated from

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

Lough Gara Lough Gara () is a lake in Counties Sligo and Roscommon, Ireland. It is an Important Bird Area protecting 1,788 ha of which most (1,742 ha) is designated as a Ramsar Site (a wetland having international importance under the Ramsar Convention). ...

, the

Curlew Mountains The Curlew Mountains () are a range of low-lying hills situated between Boyle and Castlebaldwin in northeastern Connacht. Toponymy The assignation of the name ''Curlew'' to the mountains may not relate the Curlew bird, but rather to the whic ...

and

Lough Arrow Lough Arrow () is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. This large, scenic lake covers an area of and lies mostly in County Sligo with a smaller part in County Roscommon. It is a popular trout fishing lake. Geography Lough Arrow lies ...

, and separated from

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

Lough Allen Lough Allen () is a lake on the River Shannon in northeastern Connacht, Ireland. Most of the lake is in County Leitrim, with a smaller part in County Roscommon. The lake lies to the south of the River Shannon's source, near the Iron Mountains ...

and the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and 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 I ...

. It contains

Lough Key Lough Key () is a lake in Ireland. It is in the northwest of County Roscommon, northeast of the town of Boyle. The lough is believed to be named after a mythical figure named Cé. Name The name ''Lough Key'' comes from the Irish ''Loch Cé''. ...

History

Boyle barony loosely corresponds to the ancient Gaelic kingdom of Magh Luirg an Dagda (Moylurg), the "plain of the tracks of

Dagda The Dagda ( , ) is considered the great god of Irish mythology. He is the chief god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, with the Dagda portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia''. ABC-CLIO ...

." In the 1585

Composition of Connacht The Composition of Connacht, or Composition of Connaught and Thomond, was a 1585 agreement between, on the one hand, the Gaelic and Gaelicised chiefs of Connacht and Thomond and, on the other hand, the English Dublin Castle administration of the ...

, Boyle barony was confirmed as the possession of the

Mac Diarmada Mac Diarmada (anglicised as McDermott or MacDermot), also spelled Mac Diarmata, is an Irish surname, and the surname of the ruling dynasty of Moylurg, a kingdom that existed in Connacht from the 10th to 16th centuries. The last ruling king was ...

, except for those parts which belonged to the Queen (then

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

) or the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

List of settlements

Below is a list of settlements in Boyle barony: *

Arigna Arigna (, formerly ''Carn an Ailt'') is a village in the far north of County Roscommon in the west of Ireland. It is near Lough Allen (on the River Shannon), on a designated scenic route between Keadue and Sliabh an Iarainn. Arigna is situated ...

* Ballyfarnon * Boyle *

Cortober Cortober () is a village and townland in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located across the bridge from the town of Carrick-on-Shannon on the right bank of the River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the isla ...

* Cootehall * Croghan *

Keadue Keadue, officially Keadew (), is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is on the R284 and R285 regional roads close to the borders of County Leitrim and County Sligo. Keadue is the burial place of the great Irish harper, Turlough O'Ca ...

Knockvicar Knockvicar () is a village in County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the R285 road, R285 Regional road (Ireland), regional road, between Boyle, County Roscommon, Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon near Lough Key Forest Park ...

References

{{County Roscommon Baronies of County Roscommon