Magheraboy () 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 Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. To its east lies

Lower Lough Erne Lough Erne ( , ) is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Ern ...

, and it is bordered by three other baronies in Northern Ireland:

Lurg Lurg () is a barony situated in the north of County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. To its south lies Lower Lough Erne, and it is bordered by four other baronies in Northern Ireland: Magheraboy to the south; Tirkennedy to the south-east; Omagh W ...

to the north;

Tirkennedy Tirkennedy () is a barony in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. To its west lies Lower Lough Erne and south Upper Lough Erne, and it is bordered by seven other baronies: Clanawley and Magheraboy to the west; Lurg and Omagh East to the nort ...

to the east; and

Clanawley Clanawley () is a barony in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. To its east lies Upper Lough Erne, and it is bordered by three other baronies: Magheraboy to the north; Tirkennedy and Knockninny to the east. It also borders three baronies in t ...

to the south It also borders two baronies in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

Tirhugh Tirhugh (; ) is a barony in County Donegal, Ireland. Baronies were mainly cadastral rather than administrative units. They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the Local Government ...

to the north; and

Rosclogher Rosclogher () is a barony in County Leitrim, Ireland. Etymology Rosclogher barony takes its name from the townland of Rosclogher (, "stony wooded height"), which gives its name to Rosclogher Castle. Location Rosclogher is found in north Co ...

to the south. The westernmost point (near the Irish farm Mangern) of Magheraboy is also the westernmost point of Northern Ireland. (8° 10' 38" west of Greenwich).

History

The name Magheraboy doesn't receive a mention until 1585, when it is described in the ''Composition Book of Connacht'' as "the halfe Toe (tuatha) of Magheraboy". It was the

Composition of Connacht The Composition of Connacht, or Composition of Connaught and Thomond, was a 1585 agreement between, on the one hand, the Gaelic and Gaelicised chiefs of Connacht and Thomond and, on the other hand, the English Dublin Castle administration of the ...

in 1585, during the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

, that most of the modern baronies and

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 ...

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

would first be created. The barony's boundaries, however, coincide with those of an ancient territory known as ''Tuath Ratha'' (people/tribe of the fort), the principal family of which was the O'Flanagans (), the ruling family of the ''Cenél Cairbre Tuath Ratha''. The O'Flanagans were an important medieval family based at Ballyflanagan (present day townland of

Aghamore Aghamore () is a townland in County Leitrim, Ireland, located on the main N4 national primary road between Dublin and Sligo. See also *List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland This is a link page for cities, towns and villages i ...

) in Magheraboy, and they once controlled the entire western side of Lower Lough Erne from Belleek to

Belmore Mountain Belmore Mountain () is a hill in the townland of Gortgall, western County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. With a summit roughly above sea level, it is the second highest point in Fermanagh, the highest being at Cuilcagh on the Northern Ireland& ...

. The O'Flanagans were related to the ruling family of the ''

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties that claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who is believed to have died around c. 405. They are generally divided ...

'' kingdom of '' Cairbre Droma Cliabh''. Another small sept of the ''

'', the ''Cenél Láegaire'', settled in Magheraboy in the early Christian period.

List of main settlements

* Belleek (south of the

River Erne The River Erne ( , or ''An Éirne'') in the northwest of the island of Ireland, is the second-longest river in Ulster, flowing through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and forming part of their border. Course The Erne rises on ...

) *

Derrygonnelly Derrygonnelly () is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Near Lower Lough Erne, the village was home to 680 people at the 2011 census This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th ...

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...

(west of the River Erne)

List of civil parishes

Below is a list of civil parishes in Magheraboy: *Boho (split with barony of Clanawley) *Cleenish (split with the baronies of Clanawley and Tirkennedy) * Devenish *Inishmacsaint *Rossorry (split with barony of Clanawley)

References

{{coord missing, County Fermanagh