Harristown (civil parish)

53.0930°N 6.9619°W / 53.0930; -6.9619^[1]

Harristown (Irish: Baile Hanraí^[3]) is a civil parish and electoral division (ED) in County Kildare in Ireland,^[3] about 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of Kildare town.^[4]

Until 1842 the parish was part of an exclave of the barony of Upper Philipstown in King's County (now County Offaly).^[4][5][6]

In the Church of Ireland until the Irish Church Act 1869 the parish benefice was a rectory and vicarage in the diocese of Kildare, forming the corps of the prebend of Harristown in Kildare Cathedral, in the patronage of the bishop.^[4][7] The civil parish of Harristown contains the following 16 townlands:^[3] Bawn, Boghall, Boherbaun Lower, Boherbaun Upper or Monapheeby, Cherrymills, Clarey, Cloneybeg, Coolagh, Eskerhill, Harristown (Lower and Upper), Lenagorra, Mylerstown, Pullagh, and Rickardstown (Lower and Upper).^[3]

In 1841 Harristown civil parish was added to the existing Ballybrackan ED of the poor law union of Athy.^[8] By 1851 a separate Harristown ED had been created, with an area of 5,142.5 acres (2,081.1 ha),^[9] comprising 18 townlands: all 16 in Harristown civil parish plus Gorteen Upper and Lower from the civil parish of Fontstown.^[10] From 1899 the ED was in Athy No.1 rural district.^[9] In elections to Kildare County Council, Harristown ED has been in local electoral areas centred on either Athy (1991 and since 2009) or Kildare (1955–1985, 1999–2004).^[11]