Stradbally (barony)

Stradbally (Irish: An Sráidbhaile[1]) is a barony in County Laois (formerly called Queen's County or County Leix), Ireland.[2][3]

Stradbally
An Sráidbhaile (Irish)
Barony
The ancient Magh Druchtain (plain of sweetness)
The ancient Magh Druchtain (plain of sweetness)
Barony map of Queen's County, 1900; Stradbally is orange, in the east.
Barony map of Queen's County, 1900; Stradbally is orange, in the east.
Sovereign stateIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyLaois
Area
 • Total112.89 km2 (43.56 sq mi)

Etymology

Stradbally barony is named after the town of Stradbally (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 and to the west by Dunamase.[4]

History

Stradbally barony was anciently known as Magh Druchtain ("plain of sweetness") and was ruled by a sept of the Ó Ceallaigh.[5] It was also called Farran-O'Kelly ("men of O'Kelly").[6] According to the Annals of the Four Masters, in 1394, James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond "mustered a force, and marched into Leinster to spoil it; and he burned and spoiled Gailine, and the territory of O'Kelly of Magh Druchtain, and then returned home."[7]

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-full river, Similar is the smooth surface of the plain to the fruitful land of promise.")[8][9]

Ballyduff was the seat of the Cenél Crimthann, a branch of the Ó hIndreadhain (O'Hourihan).[10]

After the Laois-Offaly Plantation, Stradbally came to Francis Cosby and was for centuries owned by the Cosby family, including William Cosby and Dudley Cosby, 1st Baron Sydney.

List of settlements

Below is a list of settlements in Stradbally barony:

References
  1. "An Sráidbhaile/Stradbally". Logainm.ie.
  2. Commission, Irish Manuscripts; Simington, Robert C. (8 July 1961). "The Civil Survey. A.D. 1654-1656: Miscellanea". Stationery Office – via Google Books.
  3. "The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland: Adapted to the New Poor-law, Franchise, Municipal and Ecclesiastical Arrangements, and Compiled with a Special Reference to the Lines of Railroad and Canal Communication, as Existing in 1814-45". A. Fullarton and Company. 8 July 2018 – via Google Books.
  4. "Queen's County (Laois)". www.libraryireland.com.
  5. Holdings: Tales from Magh Druchtain. 2007. ISBN 9780955792700. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  6. "Feranokelle - Google Search". www.google.ie.
  7. "Part 3 of Annals of the Four Masters". celt.ucc.ie.
  8. Woulfe, Patrick. "Ó Ceallaigh - Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com.
  9. "The Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla-na-naomh O'Huidhrin: Edited in the original Irish from MSS. in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, with translation, notes, and introductory dissertations, by John O'Donovan". A. Thom. 8 July 1862 – via Google Books.
  10. "Duan - Duglas". Celtic Heritage. Rainbowfarms Australia. 12 March 2021. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  11. Coote, Sir Charles (8 July 2018). "General View of the Agriculture and Manufactures of the Queen's County: With Observations on the Means of Their Improvement, Drawn Up in the Year 1801 : for the Consideration, and Under the Direction of the Dublin Society". Graisberry & Campbell – via Google Books.
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