Lune () is a historical barony in north-central

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

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 They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the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

The barony takes its name from the Luigni tribe who were here in the 8th century AD; their name is derived from the god

Lugh Lugh or Lug (; ) is a figure in Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of supernatural beings, Lugh is portrayed as a warrior, a king, a master craftsman and a saviour.Olmsted, Garrett. ''The Gods of the Celts and the I ...

, who also named

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

. Some of the Luigni allied with others of

Brega Brega , also known as ''Mersa Brega'' or ''Marsa al-Brega'' ( , i.e. "Brega Seaport"), is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, the most southerly point of ...

and conquered much land in Connacht; the territory they settled was called

Luighne Connacht Luighne Connacht was a territory located in north-central Connacht, on the borders of what is now County Mayo and County Sligo, Ireland. The Tuatha of Luighne was co-extensive with the modern day boundary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Achon ...

and is the modern

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 ...

barony of

Leyny Leyny (), also Leyney, is a barony in County Sligo, Ireland. It corresponds to the ancient túath of Luíghne. Leyny consists of these civil parishes: Achonry, Ballysadare Ballysadare (), locally also Ballisodare, is a town in County Slig ...

. By the 12th century a

sept A sept () is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used both in Scotland and in Ireland, where it may be translated as Irish , meaning "progeny" or "seed", and may indicate the descendants of a person ...

of the Ua Braoin ( Breens) were in Lune, as well as Ó Cearnacháin (Kernaghans). After the

Norman conquest 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 ...

, it was granted by

Hugh de Lacy Hugh de Lacy or Hugh Lacy may refer to: *Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Lassy (c. 1020–1085), first recorded member of the Norman noble family de Lacy *Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath (died 1186), 4th Baron Lacy *Hugh de Lacy, Abbot of Shrewsbury (died c. 121 ...

to Robert Misset as an

Irish feudal barony In Ireland, a feudal barony is a customary title of gentry. The person who holds an Irish feudal barony is always referred to as a baron. However, unlike peers in the British House of Lords, they did not necessarily hold a hereditary peerage titl ...

in 1172.

Geography

Lune is in the west of the county, on the border with

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 ...

. The Stonyford River flows through it and it contains the

Hill of Ward The Hill of Ward (, formerly ''Tlachtgha'') is a hill in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Geography The hill lies between Athboy (to the west) and Ráth Chairn (to the east). During medieval times it was the site of great festival ...

List of settlements

Settlements within the historical barony of Lune include: *

Athboy Athboy () is a small agricultural town located in County Meath. The town is located on the ''Yellow Ford River'', in wooded country near the County Westmeath border. It is around 15 km west of Navan and 50 km north-west of Dublin. T ...

Ballivor Ballivor (Help:IPA/English, /'bælaɪvər/ Pronunciation respelling for English, BAL-eyevər; ) is a village in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It had a population of 1,809 at the 2016 census of Ireland, 2016 census. It is on the R15 ...

Kildalkey Kildalkey or Kildalky () is a village in County Meath, Ireland. It is in the townland and civil parish of Kildalkey, in the barony of Lune. The village is in the Catholic parish of Ballivor Kildalkey in the Diocese of Meath. Population The popu ...

Ráth Chairn Ráth Chairn () is a small village and Gaeltacht ( Irish-speaking area) in County Meath, Ireland. It is about 55 km northwest of Dublin. Ráth Chairn Gaeltacht was founded in 1935 when 27 families from Connemara, mostly from Ceantar na n ...

References

{{County Meath Baronies of County Meath