Bunratty Lower () 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 Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

, Ireland. This ancient unit of land division is in turn divided into fourteen

civil parishes In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishe ...

Legal context

Baronies were created after the

Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land in Ireland over which the monarchs of England then claimed sovereignty. The Anglo-Normans ...

as divisions of

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

and were used the administration of justice and the raising of revenue. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they have been administratively obsolete since 1898. They are still used in land registration and specification for planning permissions. In many cases, a barony corresponds to an earlier

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

túath which had submitted to the Crown.

Landscape

Bunratty Lower is a division of the former barony of Bunratty. This belonged to the Macnamara family, and was called Dangan-i-vigin. It is bounded by the barony of

Bunratty Upper Bunratty Upper () is a barony in County Clare, Ireland. This ancient geographical division of land is in turn divided into six civil parishes. Legal context Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as divisions of counties and ...

(to the north) and by the barony of

Tulla Lower Tulla Lower (or Tullagh Lower) is a barony in County Clare, Ireland. This ancient geographical division of land is in turn divided into eight civil parishes. Legal context Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as divisions ...

(to the east). To the south, 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 ...

separates it from

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

. To the west, the

River Fergus The River Fergus () is a river within the Shannon River Basin which flows in County Clare, Ireland. The river begins at Lough Fergus in north Clare and flows into the Shannon Estuary. The source is at Lough Fergus in the townland of Kilmore N ...

separates it from the baronies of

Clonderalaw Clonderalaw () is an historical Barony (Ireland), barony in County Clare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Baronies are geographical divisions of land that are in turn is divided into civil parishes in Ireland, civil parishes. Legal context Baro ...

and

Islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water, and by other classifications. For rank-order lists, see the #Other lists of islands, other lists of islands below. Lists of islands by count ...

. The barony covers an area of , of which are tideway. The land is rocky and supports many sheep. File:Baronies of Clare.jpg, Baronies of Clare. Bunratty Lower is in the southeast. File:Bunratty Castle - geograph.org.uk - 223349.jpg, Bunratty Castle

Parishes and settlements

Bunratty Lower contains the parishes of

Bunratty Bunratty (, meaning "mouth of the Raite") is a village in County Clare, Ireland, near Bunratty Castle. It is connected by the N18 road to Limerick and Galway. The Raite river defines the parish's eastern boundary and flows into the Shannon E ...

, Clonloghan,

Drumline Marching percussion instruments are percussion instruments (usually drums, such as snare, bass, and tenor drums) specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier ...

, Feenagh,

Kilconry Kilconry () is a civil parish of County Clare, Ireland, located about northwest of Limerick, west of Shannon on the estuary of the River Shannon. The main village in the area is Ballycalla/Ballcally and it contains the Shannon Golf Club and ...

, Kilfinaghta,

Kilfintinan Kilfintinan () is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is part of the Catholic parish of Cratloe. Name The name ''Cill Fintinan'' would mean "Church of Fintinan", but there is no known Irish Saint Fintinan. The name is therefore thought t ...

Kilmaleery Kilmaleery () is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is part of the Catholic parish of Newmarket-on-Fergus. Location The parish lies on the western border of the barony of Bunratty Lower. It is southwest of Newmarket, County Clare. ...

, Kilmurry,

Kilnasoolagh Kilnasoolagh () is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland, and a townland within that parish. Church records mention the parish in 1256. Location In 1845 the parish lay on the west border of the barony of Lower Bunratty. It is west of Newma ...

and

Tomfinlough Tomfinlough () is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. A Christian establishment was first made here around 540 AD. The parish lands were often raided by Irish, Viking, Norman and English forces in the years that followed. The church was all ...

, as well as part of the parishes of

Killeely Killeely () is a civil parish that lies partly in County Clare and partly in County Limerick in Ireland. Location Part of the parish lies within the north liberties of the city of Limerick, but most lies in the barony of Bunratty Lower of Cou ...

, St. Munchin's and St. Patrick’s. The main towns are

Newmarket-on-Fergus Newmarket-on-Fergus, historically known as Corracatlin (), is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It is from Ennis, from Shannon Airport, and from Limerick. History The English rendering of the name 'Newmarket-on-Fergus' probably owes its ori ...

and

Sixmilebridge Sixmilebridge () is a large village in County Clare, Ireland. Located midway between Ennis and Limerick city, the village is a short distance away from the main N18 road (Ireland), N18 roads in Ireland, road. Locally, it is commonly called 'the ...

Facilities and attractions

Shannon Airport Shannon Airport () is an international airport located in County Clare in Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. With almost 2 million passengers in 2023, the airport is the third busiest ...

* Bunratty Castle

References

Citations Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunratty Lower, Barony of Baronies of County Clare