Connello Lower
Barony in County Limerick, Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Connello Lower (Irish: Conallaigh Íochtaracha; sometimes Lower Connello,[1] and occasionally spelled Conello)[2] is a historical barony in northwest County Limerick, Ireland.[3][4][5]
Connello Lower
Conallaigh Íochtaracha (Irish) | |
|---|---|
The River Deel near Rathkeale | |
 Barony map of County Limerick, 1900; Connello Lower is in the northwest, coloured yellow. | |
  Connello Lower | |
| Coordinates: 52°32′N 8°58′W | |
| Sovereign state | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | Limerick |
| Area | |
• Total | 193.6 km2 (74.7 sq mi) |
Baronies were mainly cadastral rather than administrative units.[6] They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898.[7][8]
History
Originally western Limerick was a single vast barony known as Connello.[9][10] It was divided into Lower (northern) and Upper (southern) halves some time before 1821, and 1841 the western part of Connello Lower was made a separate barony, Shanid, while the western half of Connello Upper became the barony of Glenquin.[11]
The Connello Lower region was the anciently the possession of the Uí Chonaill Gabra, part of the Uí Fidgeinti; the name refers to an ancestor, Conall Gabra, "Conall of the White Horse."[12] The Connalla was the name of the Eóganachta cantred. The Ó Coileáin (Collins or Cullane) were lords of Connello until they moved to County Cork in the 13th century.[13]
Geography
Connello Lower is in the northwest of the county, south of the Shannon Estuary and incorporating the lower part of the River Deel's basin.[14]