Carbery West
Encyclopedia
Carbery West is a barony
in County Cork
in Ireland
. It has been split since the nineteenth century into East and West Divisions (an Roinn Thoir/Thiar).Carbery West (W.D.)
as subdivisions of counties
and were used for administration. Baronies continue to be regarded as officially defined units, but they are no longer used for many administrative purposes. While they have been administratively obsolete since 1898, they continue to be used in land registration and specification such as in planning permissions. In many cases, a barony corresponds to an earlier Gaelic
túath which had submitted to the Crown.
with Carbery East
. This was essentially a small, semi-independent kingdom, ruled over by the MacCarthy Reagh
dynasty from the 13th through 16th centuries, that broke away from the larger Kingdom of Desmond. Patrick Weston Joyce
said the name Carbery comes from Uí Chairpre Áebda, of which a sept, the O'Donovan
s under Cathal Ua Donnubáin, migrated to the area c.1300 after being driven from County Limerick
by the Fitzgeralds. Canon John O'Mahony disagreed, and offered three alternatives: Cairpre founder of Dál Riata
; or Cairbre of Uibh Laoghaire
; or the Ui Carbre of Corcu Loígde
, from whom Rosscarbery
in the barony of Carbery East
is named. However, supporting the first theory is that the O'Donovans, such as Crom Ua Donnabáin, are closely associated with earliest MacCarthys in the area, and soon became their chief vassals, holding approximately 100000 acres (404.7 km²) right in the middle of the medieval barony.
to the east and Bantry
to the north.
To the south and west is a long indented coastline; the Celtic Sea
as far west as Mizen Head
, and thence around Dunmanus Bay
to Bantry Bay
.
Baltimore
,
Bredagh Cross,Carbery West (E.D.): population centres
Castletownshend
,Carbery West (E.D.): towns
Drimoleague
,
Drinagh
,
Leap,
Skibbereen
,Carbery West (E.D.): features
and Union Hall.
Other features include Clear Island
Carbery West (E.D.): islands and archipelagoes and Sherkin Island
.
Ballydehob
,
Goleen
,Carbery West (W.D.): population centres
Schull
,Carbery West (W.D.): towns
and Templemartin.
Other features include Sheep's Head
.Carbery West (W.D.): promontories
Barony (Ireland)
In Ireland, a barony is a historical subdivision of a county. They were created, like the counties, in the centuries after the Norman invasion, and were analogous to the hundreds into which the counties of England were divided. In early use they were also called cantreds...
in County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It has been split since the nineteenth century into East and West Divisions (an Roinn Thoir/Thiar).Carbery West (W.D.)
Legal context
Baronies were created after the Norman invasionNorman Invasion of Ireland
The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...
as subdivisions of counties
Counties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions used for the purposes of geographic demarcation and local government. Closely related to the county is the County corporate which covered towns or cities which were deemed to be important enough to be independent from their counties. A county...
and were used for administration. Baronies continue to be regarded as officially defined units, but they are no longer used for many administrative purposes. While they have been administratively obsolete since 1898, they continue to be used in land registration and specification such as in planning permissions. In many cases, a barony corresponds to an earlier Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
túath which had submitted to the Crown.
History
Originally Carbery West formed a single Barony of CarberyBarony of Carbery
Carbery, or the Barony of Carbery, was once the largest barony in Ireland, and essentially a small, semi-independent kingdom on the southwestern coast of Munster, in what is now County Cork, from its founding in the 1230s by Donal Gott MacCarthy to its gradual decline in the late 16th and early...
with Carbery East
Carbery East
Carbery East ]) is a barony in County Cork in Ireland. It has been split since the nineteenth century into East and West Divisions .- Legal context :...
. This was essentially a small, semi-independent kingdom, ruled over by the MacCarthy Reagh
MacCarthy Reagh
The MacCarthy Reagh dynasty are a branch of the great MacCarthy dynasty, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the ancient Eóganachta, of the central Eóganacht Chaisil sept. The MacCarthys Reagh seated themselves as Princes of Carbery in what is now southwestern County Cork in the 13th century...
dynasty from the 13th through 16th centuries, that broke away from the larger Kingdom of Desmond. Patrick Weston Joyce
Patrick Weston Joyce
Patrick Weston Joyce was an Irish historian, writer and music collector, known particularly for his research in local place names of Ireland.-Biography:...
said the name Carbery comes from Uí Chairpre Áebda, of which a sept, the O'Donovan
O'Donovan
O'Donovan or Donovan is an Irish surname, as well as a hereditary Gaelic title. It is also written Dhonnabháin in certain grammatical contexts, and Donndubháin, being originally composed of the elements donn, meaning lord or dark brown, dubh, meaning dark or black, and the diminutive suffix án...
s under Cathal Ua Donnubáin, migrated to the area c.1300 after being driven from County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
by the Fitzgeralds. Canon John O'Mahony disagreed, and offered three alternatives: Cairpre founder of Dál Riata
Dál Riata
Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland...
; or Cairbre of Uibh Laoghaire
O'Leary
O'Leary is an Irish name, an anglicized version of the original Gaelic patronym Ó Laoghaire or Ó Laoire.The Uí Laoghaire clan, today associated with the Uibh Laoghaire parish in County Cork, is considered by scholars to have originated on the south-west coast, in the area of Ros Ó gCairbre , of...
; or the Ui Carbre of Corcu Loígde
Corcu Loígde
The Corcu Loígde , meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centered in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of Munster, the Dáirine, of whom they were the principal royal sept...
, from whom Rosscarbery
Rosscarbery
Rosscarbery or Roscarbery is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The town is on a shallow estuary, which opens onto Rosscarbery Bay.-History:...
in the barony of Carbery East
Carbery East
Carbery East ]) is a barony in County Cork in Ireland. It has been split since the nineteenth century into East and West Divisions .- Legal context :...
is named. However, supporting the first theory is that the O'Donovans, such as Crom Ua Donnabáin, are closely associated with earliest MacCarthys in the area, and soon became their chief vassals, holding approximately 100000 acres (404.7 km²) right in the middle of the medieval barony.
Location and settlements
Carbery West is bordered by the baronies of Carbery EastCarbery East
Carbery East ]) is a barony in County Cork in Ireland. It has been split since the nineteenth century into East and West Divisions .- Legal context :...
to the east and Bantry
Barony of Bantry (County Cork)
Bantry is a barony in the west of County Cork in Ireland.Patrick Weston Joyce said the name Beanntraí means "descendants of Beann [Ban]", a son of Conchobar mac Nessa; similarly for the Wexford barony of Bantry....
to the north.
To the south and west is a long indented coastline; the Celtic Sea
Celtic Sea
The Celtic Sea is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the south coast of Ireland bounded to the east by Saint George's Channel; other limits include the Bristol Channel, the English Channel, and the Bay of Biscay, as well as adjacent portions of Wales, Cornwall, Devon, and Brittany...
as far west as Mizen Head
Mizen Head
Mizen Head , is located at the extremity of a peninsula in the district of Carbery in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of the extreme points of the island of Ireland and is a major tourist attraction, noted for its dramatic cliff scenery...
, and thence around Dunmanus Bay
Dunmanus Bay
Dunmanus Bay is a bay in County Cork, Ireland. The bay lies between Mizen Head to the south and Bantry Bay to the north with the small village of Durrus at the head of the bay. The bay is out of the main tidal flow with no significant rivers flowing into it and is little frequented by vessels. On...
to Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km wide at the head and wide at the entrance....
.
East Division settlements
Settlements in the division includeBaltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
,
Bredagh Cross,Carbery West (E.D.): population centres
Castletownshend
Castletownshend
Castletownshend on Ireland's southwest coast, is a village about eight km from Skibbereen, in County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. The village developed around a small 17th century castle built by Richard Townsend, whose descendents still reside there...
,Carbery West (E.D.): towns
Drimoleague
Drimoleague
Drimoleague is a village on the R586 regional road at its junction with the R593 in County Cork, Ireland. It lies roughly halfway between the towns of Dunmanway and Bantry...
,
Drinagh
Drinagh
Drinagh is a village in County Cork, in the southwest of Ireland. It lies on the R637 road between the towns of Dunmanway and Skibbereen.Drinagh is a small village between Dunmanway and Drimoleague its has a tennis court, post office, three pubs, a hardware store, and a small factory.There is also...
,
Leap,
Skibbereen
Skibbereen
Skibbereen , is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is the most southerly town in Ireland. It is located on the N71 national secondary road.The name "Skibbereen" means "little boat harbour." The River Ilen which runs through the town reaches the sea at Baltimore.-History:Prior to 1600 most of the...
,Carbery West (E.D.): features
and Union Hall.
Other features include Clear Island
Clear Island
Clear Island or Cape Clear Island lies south west of County Cork in Ireland. It is the southernmost inhabited part of Ireland and has a population of over 100 people. Officially it is a Gaeltacht and most inhabitants speak Irish and English...
Carbery West (E.D.): islands and archipelagoes and Sherkin Island
Sherkin Island
Sherkin Island, historically called Inisherkin , lies southwest of County Cork in Ireland alongside other islands of Roaringwater Bay. It had a population of 106 people at the time of the 2006 Census, measures 3 miles long by 1.5 miles wide...
.
West Division settlements
Settlements in the division includeBallydehob
Ballydehob
Ballydehob is a coastal village in the southwest of County Cork, Ireland, located on the N71 national secondary road.-History:Ballydehob is a microcosm of Irish local history, and legends and folklore abound in the locality. At the dawn of the Bronze Age , copper was mined on Mount Gabriel, just...
,
Goleen
Goleen
Goleen is a small rural village in County Cork on the south-western tip of Ireland. Farming and construction work are the main occupations of the local people. Many are involved with some aspect of the tourist business, looking after some of the many holiday homes which surround the village...
,Carbery West (W.D.): population centres
Schull
Schull
Schull or Skull is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The name derives from a medieval monastic school of which no trace remains. Located on the southwest coast, in West Cork, the village is situated in a scenic and remote location, dominated by Mount Gabriel . It has a sheltered harbour, used for...
,Carbery West (W.D.): towns
and Templemartin.
Other features include Sheep's Head
Sheep's Head
Sheep's Head, also known as Muntervary , is the headland at the end of the peninsula between Bantry Bay and Dunmanus Bay in County Cork, Ireland....
.Carbery West (W.D.): promontories