Castlerahan (Irish: Caisleán Raithin[1]) is a barony in County Cavan, Ireland.[2] 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 They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898.[3][4]

Castlerahan
Caisleán Raithin (Irish)
View of Lough Ramor
View of Lough Ramor
Barony map of County Cavan, 1900; Castlerahan is in the southeast, coloured peach.
Barony map of County Cavan, 1900; Castlerahan is in the southeast, coloured peach.
Sovereign stateIreland
ProvinceUlster
CountyCavan
Area
 • Total280.36 km2 (108.25 sq mi)

Etymology

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Castlerahan barony takes its name from Castlerahan townland, from Castlera[c]han, an ancient hillfort located at 53°49′26″N 7°11′17″W / 53.824°N 7.188°W / 53.824; -7.188. The name is derived from Irish Caisleán Raithín, "stone fort of the little ringfort," although other writers link it with raithean, "bracken", or with a Norse Gael leader named Raithin.[5][6]

Geography

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Castlerahan is located in the southeast of County Cavan, the area surrounding Lough Ramor.[7]

History

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Map of Breifne in AD 700; Castlerahan is seen near to the "Luigne" tribe.

The Luigni tribe lived in the area since the 8th century. It contains the parish of Munterconnaught, named for Cu Connaght Ua Raghallaigh (O'Reilly).[8] The barony of Castlerahan was created by 1609 in the Plantation of Ulster, and was archaically spelled Castlerachan.[9]

The barony gives its name to Castlerahan GAA, based in Ballyjamesduff.[10]

List of settlements

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Below is a list of settlements in Castlerahan:

References

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  1. ^ "Caisleán Raithin/Castlerahan". Logainm.ie.
  2. ^ General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns, Parishes, and Baronies of Ireland: Based on the Census of Ireland for the Year 1851. Genealogical Publishing Com. 22 February 1984. ISBN 9780806310527 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Sharp, James A. (22 February 1852). "A new gazetteer; or topographical dictionary of the British islands and narrow seas". LONGMAN, BROWN – via Google Books.
  4. ^ General Register Office of Ireland (1904). "Alphabetical index to the baronies of Ireland". Census of Ireland 1901: General topographical index. Command papers. Vol. Cd. 2071. HMSO. pp. 966–978.
  5. ^ "Caisleán Raithin/Castlerahan". Logainm.ie.
  6. ^ "CASTLERAHAN, a parish - Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837)". www.libraryireland.com.
  7. ^ O'Connell, Philip (22 February 1920). "Historical notes on Virginia and Lough Ramor". sources.nli.ie.
  8. ^ "The Baronies of Ireland - History". sites.rootsweb.com.
  9. ^ MacNevin, Thomas (22 February 1846). "The confiscation of Ulster ... commonly called the Ulster plantation". J. Duffy – via Google Books.
  10. ^ ""Everyone told us we were too old and that the best was gone from this team"". SportsJOE.ie.