Corkaree () 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 north

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

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 ...

. It was formed by 1672.Corkaree
''townlands.ie'' Retrieved 21 May 2015 It is bordered by three other baronies: Fore (to the north),

Moyashel and Magheradernon Moyashel and Magheradernon () is a barony in the centre of County Westmeath, in Ireland, formed by 1672. It is bordered by eight other baronies: Corkaree and Fore (to the north), Delvin and Farbill (to the east), Fartullagh and Moycashel (to t ...

(to the south) and

Moygoish Moygoish () is a barony in north County Westmeath, in Ireland, formed by 1672.Moygoish
'townlands.ie'' Retri ...

(to the west).

Early history

In the Medieval period the area of Corcaree formed part of the lands held by the

Ó Dálaigh The Ó Dálaigh () were a learned Irish Bardic poetry, bardic family who first came to prominence early in the 12th century, when Cú Connacht Ó Dálaigh was described as "The first ''Ollamh'' of poetry in all Ireland" (''ollamh'' is the title g ...

(Daly) bardic family.

Máel Íosa Ua Dálaigh Máel Íosa Ua Dálaigh was an Irish poet. He died in 1185. Biography Máel Íosa (meaning "Follower of Jesus") was a member of the Ó Dálaigh family of bards, of whom some forty are attested in Ireland and Scotland between the 12th and 17th ...

, died 1185, was described as "Chief poet of Ireland and Scotland," he was also lord (''ard taoiseach'') of the 'minor midland kingdom' of Corca Raidhe (Corcaree). The annals state that in 1185, Maelisa O'Daly, ollave (chief poet) of Ireland and Scotland, Lord of Corcaree and Corca-Adain, a man illustrious for his poetry, hospitality, and nobility, died while on a pilgrimage at Clonard.

Geography

Corkaree has an area of . The barony contains two large lakes;

Lough Derravaragh Lough Derravaragh () is a lake in County Westmeath, Ireland, north of Mullingar between Castlepollard, Crookedwood and Multyfarnham. Lough Derravaragh sits on the River Inny which flows from Lough Sheelin on its way to the River Shannon. ...

, shared with the barony of Fore, and home to the Irish legend of the

Children of Lir The ''Children of Lir'' () is a legend from Irish mythology. It is a tale from the post-Christianisation period that mixes magical elements such as druidic wands and spells with a Christian message of Christian faith bringing freedom from su ...

and

Lough Owel Lough Owel () is a mesotrophic lough in the Midlands of Ireland, situated north of Mullingar, the county town of Westmeath. It has a maximum depth of . Water from Lough Owel feeds the Royal Canal, a canal crossing Ireland from Dublin to the ...

an internationally recognised Ramsar waterfowl habitat. In addition

Lough Iron Lough Iron () is a small lake on the River Inny, in County Westmeath, Ireland. Description A long and narrow lake, about 4 kilometers in length, it lies downstream from Lough Derravaragh, close to Lough Owel Lough Owel () is a mesotroph ...

, a small lake, lies on the River Inny and is shared with the barony of Moygoish. The lake is not easily accessible as there is no road close to the lake or public access. The River Inny, flows into Lough Derravaragh, then near the village of Ballinalack. The

River Brosna The River Brosna () is a river within the Shannon River Basin in Ireland, flowing through County Westmeath and County Offaly. The river rises in Lough Owel north of Mullingar and is a tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon at Sha ...

, rises in Lough Owel and, like the Inny, is a tributary of 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 ...

. The N4, a

national primary road A national primary road () is a road classification in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of road has the pr ...

passes to the north of Lough Owel, connecting

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

with the north–west of Ireland and the coastal town of

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

. A railway line carrying the national rail company

Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann, () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national Rail transport in Ireland, railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal I ...

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of ...

commuter service and

intercity service also passes through the barony.

Civil parishes of the barony

This table lists an historical geographical sub-division of the barony known as the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

(not to be confused with an

Ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

).Civil parishes of the barony of Corkaree.
''The Placenames Database of Ireland'' 7 June 2015

Towns, villages and townlands

* Ballinalack, a village on the N4 close to the River Inny. *Bunbrosna, a village on the N4 road. *

Crookedwood Crookedwood () is a small village in County Westmeath on the R394 regional road. Historically it was called ''Taghmon'' (), after the townland it occupies. Geography Overlooked by the dominating hill of Knockeyon to the north, the village re ...

, a small village on the R394 *

Knockdrin Knockdrin () is a townland and electoral division that is 5.6 kilometers northeast of Mullingar, in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is the home of the Westmeath Hunt, and its most notable building is Knockdrin Castle. The R394 regional road, th ...

, an area north of

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midland Region, with a population of 22,667 in the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census. The Counties of M ...

on the R394 road. *Monilea, Taghmon *

Multyfarnham Multyfarnham or Multyfarnam () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 460 people. History First founded in 1268, the Franciscan monastery at Multyfarnham is still home to a community of fria ...

, a village on the River Gaine. *Taughmon, a small village on the R394 road, not to be confused with Taghmon townland. There are 77 townlands in the barony of Corkaree.

Places of interest

* Knockdrin Castle, mainly an early 19th-century

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

structure. *

Multyfarnham Friary Multyfarnham Friary is a Franciscan friary located in Multyfarnham, County Westmeath, Ireland. It dates to the 15th century. During the early 17th century, the friary served as a refuge for elderly and infirm friars and priests who were fle ...

, a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

founded in the 15th century. *

Wilson's Hospital School Wilson's Hospital School is a Church of Ireland, co-educational boarding school located in a protected Georgian building in Multyfarnham, County Westmeath, Ireland, outside of Mullingar. Founded in 1761, it is "Westmeath's oldest school". A p ...

, founded in 1761 by Andrew Wilson as a school for young Protestant boys and also as a hospital for old men, some of whom were retired soldiers; now a co-educational

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

References

External links

Map of Corkaree
at openstreetmap.org
Barony of Corkaree, County Westmeath
at Townlands.ie {{County Westmeath Baronies of County Westmeath