Loughrea (, occasionally spelled ''Loughreagh'') is a historical barony in northern

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, Ireland. 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. They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the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 ...

History

Loughrea barony, along with Leitrim barony, formed the kingdom of

Conmhaícne Mheáin Maigh The Conmhaícne Mheáin Maigh or Conmaicne Mhein or ''Conmaicne Máenmaige'' or ''Conmaicne Críche Meic Erca'' (the Conmaicne of the central plain) were an early people of Ireland, their tuath comprising the barony of Loughrea, in County Galwa ...

( Conmaic's people of the middle plain; Maenmoy), ruled by the O'Naughton and O'Mullaly until the 13th century. Part of Loughrea barony was ruled by

Uí Fiachrach Aidhne Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne (also known as Hy Fiachrach) was a kingdom located in what is now the south of County Galway. Legendary origins and geography Originally known as Aidhne, it was said to have been settled by the mythical Fir Bolg. Dubhalta ...

. Loughrea barony was created before 1574.

Geography

Loughrea barony is in southern County Galway, running from Loughrea town and its lake south to the

Slieve Aughty Mountains The Slieve Aughty () are a mountain range in the western part of Ireland spread over both County Galway and County Clare. The highest peak in the Slieve Aughty Mountains is Maghera in Clare which rises to 400 m (1,314 ft). The mountai ...

. The toponym 'Loughrea' is from Irish meaning "speckled lake."

List of settlements

Settlements within the historical barony of Loughrea include: *

Ardrahan Ardrahan () is a village and civil parish in County Galway, Ireland. History Richard de Burgo conquered Galway in 1236, and granted the land to Maurice Fitzgerald who built the castle whose ruins still stand today. The churchyard wall cont ...

Derrybrien Derrybrien () is a tiny village in County Galway, Ireland. It lies along the R353 road in the Slieve Aughty Mountains. The village church is dedicated to Saint Patrick and is part of the Roman Catholic Parish of Ballinakill and Derrybrien. ...

Killeenadeema Killeenadeema () is a civil parish in County Galway, Ireland. It contains most of the Derrybrien mountains, which hold the Derrybrien Wind Farm. Name The name in Irish is , where means "little church". Thus, it means "Chapel of Díoma". Locat ...

Loughrea Loughrea ( ; ), is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies to the north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains and Lough Rea, the lake from which it takes its name. The town's cathedral, St Brendan's, dominates the urban sk ...

References

{{County Galway Baronies of County Galway