Lecale Upper is a barony in County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. To its south lies the Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

, and it is bordered by three baronies; Lecale Lower

Lecale Lower

Lecale Lower is a barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies to the east of the county with Strangford Lough to its north and the Irish Sea to its right...

 and Kinelarty to the north; and Iveagh Upper, Lower Half to the west.

The Mac Duinnshéibhe (MacDunleavy, Dunleavy) sept where a royal family of Ulidia

Ulidia

Ulidia is a genus of ulidiid or picture-winged fly in the family Ulidiidae.-Species:*Ulidia albidipennis Loew, 1845*Ulidia apicalis Meigen, 1826*Ulidia atrata Loew, 1868*Ulidia erythrophthalma Meigen, 1826...

 and are noted in this area. John de Courcy

John de Courcy

John de Courcy was a Anglo-Norman knight who arrived in Ireland in 1176. From then until his expulsion in 1204, he conquered a considerable territory, endowed religious establishments, built abbeys for both the Benedictines and the Cistercians and built strongholds at Dundrum Castle in County...

 in the 12th century would drive them out of Ulidia from where they fled to County Donegal

County Donegal

County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...

.

The Russells of Downpatrick can trace their Norman heritage back to the 12th century having been recorded in the area since Osberto Russell accompanied John de Courcy in 1177 into Ulster.

The barony of Lecale Upper was created in 1851 when the barony of Lecale was split into two, the other part being Lecale Lower.

List of civil parishes

Below is a list of civil parishes in Lecale Upper:

• Ballykinler
• Bright
• Down
• Kilmegan (split with the baronies of Iveagh Upper, Lower Half and Kinelarty)
• Rathmullan (split with the barony of Lecale Lower)
• Tyrella