Stradbally () 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 Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

(formerly called ''Queen's County'' or ''County Leix''),

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 ...

Etymology

Stradbally barony is named after the town of

Stradbally Stradbally () is a town in County Laois, Ireland. Overview It is located in the midlands of Ireland along the N80 road, about from Portlaoise and from Dublin. It is a townland, a civil parish, and historic barony. It is known for its annu ...

(literally meaning "one-street town").

Geography

Stradbally is located in eastern County Laois, bounded to the south by Luggacurren, to the east by the

River Barrow The Barrow () is a river in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters (Ireland), The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers and, at 192 km (12 ...

and to the west by Dunamase.

History

Stradbally barony was anciently known as ''Magh Druchtain'' ("plain of sweetness") and was ruled by a sept of the Ó Ceallaigh. It was also called Farran-O'Kelly ("men of O'Kelly"). According to the

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

, in 1394,

James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond (c. 1359 – 7 September 1405), was a noble in the Peerage of Ireland. He acceded to the title in 1382, and built Gowran Castle three years later in 1385 close to the centre of Gowran, making it his usual reside ...

"mustered a force, and marched into

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

to spoil it; and he burned and spoiled Gailine, and the territory of O'Kelly of Magh Druchtain, and then returned home." It is referred to in the topographical poem '' Tuilleadh feasa ar Éirinn óigh'' ( Giolla na Naomh Ó hUidhrín, d. 1420): ''Ós Muigh Drúchtain an dúin ghil'' ''Ó Ceallaigh an chláir éignigh'' ''as samhail mín an mhuighe'' ''re Tír ttaraidh tTarrnguire.'' ("Over Magh-Druchtain of the fair fortress is Ó Ceallaigh of the

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

-full river, Similar is the smooth surface of the plain to the fruitful land of promise.") Ballyduff was the seat of the Cenél Crimthann, a branch of the Ó hIndreadhain (O'Hourihan). After the Laois-Offaly Plantation, Stradbally came to

Francis Cosby Francis Cosby (1510–1580) was an English soldier and settler in Ireland. He has been implicated in the Massacre of Mullaghmast. Life He was the second son of John Cosby of Great Leake, Nottingham. He settled in Ireland in the reign of Henry VIII ...

and was for centuries owned by the Cosby family, including

William Cosby Brigadier-General William Cosby (1690 – 10 March 1736) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New York from 1732 to 1736. During his short tenure as governor, Cosby was portrayed as one of the mos ...

and

Dudley Cosby, 1st Baron Sydney Dudley Alexander Sydney Cosby, 1st Baron Sydney ( – 22 January 1774) was an Anglo-Irish politician and diplomat. Background Cosby was the son of Pole Cosby, of Stradbally, Queen's County, and Mary, daughter of Henry Dodwell. Dudley Cosb ...

List of settlements

Below is a list of settlements in Stradbally barony: *

References

{{County Laois Baronies of County Laois