Kilmacrenan (), sometimes spelled Kilmacrennan, 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 Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

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 ...

. Baronies were mainly

cadastral A cadastre or cadaster ( ) is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes and bounds, metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref> Often it is represente ...

rather than administrative units, which acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by higher units under the

Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 ( 61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that established a system of local government in Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots diale ...

. Kilmacrenan is the largest barony in Ireland by land area.

Etymology

Kilmacrenan takes its name from Kilmacrenan village, in Irish ''Cill Mhic Réanáin'' or 'Cill Mhic nÉanáin'', "church of the sons of Eanan."

Geography

Kilmacrenan is located in the north of

, to the west and north of

Lough Swilly Lough Swilly () in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glacial fjords ...

and the River Swilly. With an area of 312,410

acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

s, it is the largest barony in Ireland.

History

Kilmacrenan was the ancient territory of the O'Donnell kings of Tyrconnell, O'Breislein (O'Breslin), Mac Sweeneys, O'Begley, O'Friel, O'Kernaghan of Clondavaddog, McCoyle of Mevagh, O'Toner of Tullyfern and O'Laherty (Laverty). Clann Chinnfhaelaidh is in the eastern portion of the barony. The barony of Kilmacrenan was founded by 1672.

List of settlements

Below is a list of settlements in Kilmacrenan barony: *

Bunbeg ''An Bun Beag'' (anglicised as Bunbeg), meaning "the small river mouth", is a small Gaeltacht village and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. It is officially the smallest townland in ''Gaoth Dobhair'' (Gweedore), but today the name Bunbeg is ...

* Carrowkeel *

Creeslough Creeslough ( , locally ; ) is a village in County Donegal, Ireland, south of Dunfanaghy on the N56 road (Ireland), N56 road. It overlooks an arm of Sheephaven Bay, with the population of the surrounding area engaged mainly in agriculture, mo ...

* Derrybeg * Dunfanaghy *

Falcarragh ''An Fál Carrach'' (anglicised as Falcarragh), sometimes called ('the Crossroads'), is a small ''Gaeltacht'' town and townland in the north-west of County Donegal, Ireland. The settlement is in the district and old parish of Cloughaneely. Ir ...

* Gortahork * Kilmacrenan *

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...

* Meenlaragh * Milford *

Rathmelton Ramelton (; ), also Rathmelton, is a town and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. As of 2022, its population was 1,288. History Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km south of Mil ...

Rathmullan Rathmullan () is a seaside village and townland on the Fanad Peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated on the western shore of Lough Swilly, north-east of Ramelton and east of Milford. Rathmullan was the point of departure duri ...

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory, is an island 14.5 kilometres (7+3⁄4 nautical miles) off the north-west coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. It is officially known by its Iris ...

References

{{County Donegal Baronies of County Donegal