RHEA-L Archives

From: Mike Bates 598 Computer_Systems <>
Subject: Baronies and Parishes of County Donegal
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 97 10:49:21 -0500

During our trips to Ireland, we tried to track down some of the place
names we had seen in Rhea genealogies. In one case, we verified that
the name had been misread or corrupted. I have seen the birthplace of
Joseph Reagh listed as a parish called Laughoin, Laughlin, Tanghboine
and Langhorne. No such parishes exist in Cos. Donegal or Londonderry.
There is however a parish Taughboyne (sometimes spelled Taboin,
Taughboine or Taboyne), which the records of the Presbyterian Church
of Ireland list as his place of birth. It is not hard to imagine how
Taughboyne, in old-style handwriting, could have been misread as
Langhorne, if the reader had no knowledge of Donegal place-names.

For those who are unfamiliar with administrative divisions in Ireland:
Counties were divided into baronies, baronies into civil parishes, and
parishes into townlands. (A barony sometimes extended across a county
line, and a parish might be split between two baronies.)

Donegal is split into eight baronies:

Inishowen East (the northeast half of the Inishowen Peninsula)
Inishowen West (the southwest half)
Kilmacrenan (north-central)
Boylagh (west-central)
Banagh (south-west)
Tirhugh (south-central)
Raphoe North (just south of Inishowen West, bordering Co Derry)
Raphoe South (southwest of Raphoe North)

Inishowen West and Raphoe North are the most relevant to our
interests, as they lie in the "Laggan", the low-lying region of
Donegal most heavily settled by Scots. Inishowen is pronounced
"In-iss-SHOWN". I have seen this corrupted as "Nishawen".

Here are the parishes in each barony.

Inishowen East:

Clonca
Culdaff
Moville Lower
Moville Upper
Donagh
Clonmany

Inishowen West:

Desertegny
Minitiaghs or Barr of Inch
Fahan Lower
Fahan Upper
Muff
Inch
Burt

Raphoe North:

Killea
All Saints
Taughboyne
Raymoghy
Clonleigh
Raphoe
Leck

Raphoe South:

Urney
Donaghmore
Stranorlar
Kilteevoge
Convoy
Conwal (spilt with Barony Kilmacrenan)

Tirhugh:

Donegal
Drumhome
Templecarn
Inishmacsaint
Kilbarron

Banagh:

Killymard
Inver
Killaghtee
Killybegs Lower (split with Barony Boylagh)
Killybegs Upper
Kilcar
Inishkeel
Glencolumbkille

Boylagh:

Templecrone
Lettermacaward
Inishkeel
Killybegs Lower (split with Barony Banagh)

Kilmacrenan:

Tullaghobegley
Raymunterdoney
Gartan
Clondahorky
Kilmacrenan
Conwal (split with Barony Raphoe South)
Mevagh
Clondavaddog
Tullyfern
Aughnish
Killygarvan
Aghanunshin

Church of Ireland (Anglican) dioceses provided another set of
overlapping boundaries. The baronies of Inishowen East and West, plus
parishes Clonleigh, Donaghmore, and Urney were part of the Diocese of
Derry. Parishes Templecarn and Inishmacsaint in the far south were
part of Clogher Diocese. The rest of the county was in the Diocese of
Raphoe. Today, Derry and Raphoe are ruled by the same bishop, but
each has its own cathedral. Modern ecclestiastical parish names have
changed somewhat, but many are the same as the old civil parishes.
Taughboyne is still there.

The list of baronies and parishes comes from a recent book of maps
showing these old subdivisions for each Irish county. I neglected to
note the name of the book, but I believe we found it at the public
library in Letterkenny, or possibly at the library at the
Ulster-American Folk Park in Omagh. The maps only show the outlines
of each parish and barony, but don't show the location of modern towns
and roads, or even rivers. (The only map of Donegal I've seen showing
both parish boundaries and other physical and cultural features was an
enormous map -- maybe 6 feet by 6 feet, maybe bigger -- mounted high
on a wall in the restored schoolhouse at Glencolumbkille. I had to
use my field glasses to get a clear look at Inishowen at the top of
the map.)

I also have photocopies showing townlands of several parishes around
Londonderry in both Co. Donegal and Co. Derry. As with the parish
maps, these only show townland boundaries, but no other cultural
features. These townland maps are on microfiche at the public library
in Derry.

The Church of Ireland has a website (http://www.ireland.anglican.org)
which lists all the current dioceses and parishes, and might be useful
for corresponding old parish names to modern town names.

I will provide some information on parishes in County Londonderry in a
later message.

Michael Bates

This thread:

• Baronies and Parishes of County Donegal by Mike Bates 598 Computer_Systems <>