Misplaced Pages

#926073

89-552: County Coleraine , called the County of Colerain in the earliest documents, was one of the counties of Ireland from 1585 to 1613. It was named after its intended county town , Coleraine . It was later subsumed into County Londonderry along with a big part of the once larger County Tyrone and small territories from County Donegal and County Antrim . Sir John Perrot , the Lord Deputy of Ireland , established County Coleraine between

178-505: A county borough. County Dublin was abolished as an administrative county in 1994 and divided into three administrative counties: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown , Fingal , and South Dublin . County Offaly County Offaly ( / ˈ ɒ f ə l i / ; Irish : Contae Uíbh Fhailí ) is a county in Ireland . It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster . It

267-675: A flat landscape and is known for its extensive bog and peatlands. There are many large bogs in Offaly including the Bog of Allen , Clara bog , Boora bog , and Raheenmore Bog which are spread out across the county with the Bog of Allen extending into four other counties. The county consists of approximately 420 square kilometres (160 sq mi) of peatland which is 21% of Offaly's total land area. Offaly contains approximately 90 km (35 sq mi) of forest and woodland area, which only amounts to 4.5% of

356-661: A sporting context, as Ireland's four professional rugby teams play under the names of the provinces, and the Gaelic Athletic Association has separate Provincial councils and Provincial championships . With the arrival of Cambro-Norman knights in 1169, the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland commenced. This was followed in 1172 by the invasion of King Henry II of England , commencing English royal involvement. After his intervention in Ireland, Henry II effectively divided

445-416: A thousand civil parishes , there are around sixty thousand townlands that range in size from one to several thousand hectares. Townlands were often traditionally divided into smaller units called quarters , but these subdivisions are not legally defined. The following towns/cities had charters specifically granting them the status of a county corporate : The only entirely new counties created in 1898 were

534-467: Is Arderin ( Irish : Ard Éireann ) in the Slieve Blooms at 527 metres (1,729 feet). The Slieve Bloom Mountains contain the county's highest points including Stillbrook Hill and Wolftrap Mountain which are the county's second and third highest peaks. Croghan Hill rises from the Bog of Allen and is located in northern Offaly. Although only 234 m (768 ft) high, it is known for its view over

623-419: Is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe . It was formerly known as King's County , in honour of Philip II of Spain . Offaly County Council is the local authority for the county. The county population was 82,668 at the 2022 census. Offaly is the 18th largest of Ireland's 32 counties by area and the 24th largest in terms of population. It is the fifth largest of Leinster's 12 counties by size and

712-493: Is thought that these counties did not have the administrative purpose later attached to them until late in the reign of King John and that no new counties were created until the Tudor dynasty. The most important office in those that were palatine was that of seneschal . In those liberties that came under Crown control this office was held by a sheriff . The sovereign could and did appoint sheriffs in palatines; however, their power

801-465: Is used, as in "Co. Roscommon". The counties in Dublin created in 1994 often drop the word county entirely, or use it after the name; thus, for example, internet search engines show many more uses (on Irish sites) of " Fingal " than of either "County Fingal" or "Fingal County". Although official guidance does not use the term county as part of its name, the local council uses all three forms. In informal use,

890-531: The County Laois border and is in a catchment area for the southeast of the county. Portarlington railway station is on the main Dublin-Cork railway line with regular commuter services to Heuston Station , Dublin and intercity services to Cork , Limerick , Killarney & Tralee . The southern and western baronies of Garrycastle, Ballyboy, Eglish, Ballybritt, and Clonlisk have no train stations. The majority of

979-639: The Flight of the Earls , their lands became escheated to the Crown and the county divisions designed by Perrot were used as the basis for the grants of the subsequent Plantation of Ulster effected by King James I , which officially started in 1609. Around 1600 near the end of Elizabeth's reign, Clare was made an entirely distinct presidency of its own under the Earls of Thomond and would not return to being part of Munster until after

SECTION 10

#1732849082927

1068-484: The Grand Jury (Ireland) Act 1836 . The traditional county of Tipperary was split into two judicial counties (or ridings ) following the establishment of assize courts in 1838. Also in that year, local poor law boards, with a mix of magistrates and elected "guardians" took over the health and social welfare functions of the grand juries. Sixty years later, a more radical reorganisation of local government took place with

1157-593: The Irish Free State in 1922, there were 27 administrative counties (with County Tipperary divided into the administrative counties of North Tipperary and South Tipperary ) and 4 county boroughs, Dublin , Cork , Limerick and Waterford . Rural districts were abolished by the Local Government Act 1925 and the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1930 amidst widespread allegations of corruption. Under

1246-571: The Kingdom of Munster . These petty kingdoms were swept aside by the Tudor plantations . The Settlement of Laois and Offaly 1556 , an Act of the Parliament of Ireland , created "King's County", named after Philip , the then king of Ireland . This replaced the old Kingdoms with Baronies and the present-day County System. Although the county is named Offaly in the Local Government Act 2001 , no legislation

1335-538: The Mesolithic era . Excavations here provide evidence of a temporary settlement as no structures were found at the site. Stone axes, arrowheads and blades were discovered which date to between 6,800 – 6,000 BCE. The Dowris Hoard dating from the Late Bronze Age was found in a bog at Dowris, Whigsborough near Birr. It is the largest collection of Bronze Age objects ever found in Ireland. After Christianisation ,

1424-1116: The North West Liberties of Londonderry (in County Donegal), and the North East Liberties of Coleraine (in County Antrim). Throughout the Elizabethan era and the reign of her successor James I, the exact boundaries of the provinces and the counties they consisted of remained uncertain. In 1598 Meath is considered a province in Hayne's Description of Ireland , and included the counties of Cavan, East Meath, Longford, and Westmeath. This contrasts to George Carew 's 1602 survey where there were only four provinces with Longford part of Connaught and Cavan not mentioned at all with only three counties mentioned for Ulster. During Perrot's tenure as Lord President of Munster before he became Lord Deputy, Munster contained as many as eight counties rather than

1513-599: The O'Farrells of Annaly , however, which was in Westmeath, in 1583 was formed into the county of Longford and transferred to Connaught. The Desmond rebellion (1579–83) that was taking place in Munster stopped Sydney's work and by the time it had been defeated Sir John Perrot was now Lord Deputy, being appointed in 1584. Perrot would be most remembered for shiring the only province of Ireland that remained effectively outside of English control, that of Ulster. Prior to his tenancy

1602-577: The Pale (a region around Dublin and the mid-east of Ireland that remained loyal to the English Crown following the Norman Conquest ). The older kingdoms of Leix and Uí Failghe are not coterminous with the present-day counties that were formed. The Kingdom of Uí Failghe , from which the name Offaly is derived, was ruled by the Ó Conchobhair Failghe (anglicised as O'Conor Faly) whose territory extended from

1691-541: The Republic of Ireland , some counties have been split resulting in the creation of new counties: there are currently 26 counties, 3 cities and 2 cities and counties that demarcate areas of local government in the Republic . The word "county" has come to be used in different senses for different purposes. In common usage, it can mean the 32 counties that existed prior to 1838 – the so-called traditional counties, 26 of which are in

1780-601: The Republic of Ireland . However, the Local Government Acts define counties to include separate counties within the traditional county of Dublin. In Ireland, the word county nearly always precedes the county name; thus " County Roscommon " in Ireland as opposed to " Roscommon County " in Michigan , United States. The former "King's County" and "Queen's County" were exceptions; however, these are now County Offaly and County Laois , respectively. The abbreviation Co.

1869-576: The Restoration in 1660. It was not until the subjugation of the Byrnes and O'Tooles by Lord Deputy Sir Arthur Chichester that in 1606 Wicklow was finally shired. This county was one of the last to be created, yet was the closest to the centre of English power in Ireland. County Londonderry was incorporated in 1613 by the merger of County Coleraine with the barony of Loughinsholin (in County Tyrone),

SECTION 20

#1732849082927

1958-553: The Rivers Bann and Foyle in 1585 during the reign of Elizabeth I . Sir John intended administering the new county from the town of Coleraine . In the event, the English authorities built the courthouse and jail for the new establishment at Desertmartin in the adjacent county of Tyrone . Sir Thomas Phillips was appointed Governor of the County of Coleraine in 1611. English control of

2047-448: The counties corporate that existed in some of the larger towns and cities, although linked to the county at large for other purposes. From 1898 to 2001, areas with county councils were known as administrative counties , while the counties corporate were designated as county boroughs . From 2001, local government areas were divided between counties and cities. From 2014, they were divided into counties, cities, and cities and counties. In

2136-415: The 10th largest by population. Tullamore is the county town and largest town in Offaly and is the 30th largest in Ireland. Offaly borders seven counties: Galway , Roscommon , Tipperary , Laois , Westmeath , Kildare , and Meath . The Slieve Bloom Mountains are in the southern part of the county on the border with County Laois. Offaly has the 24th highest county peak in Ireland. The highest point

2225-592: The Bruce invasion as well as the renouncing of the Connaught Burkes of their allegiance to the crown. The Earls of Ulster divided their territory up into counties; however, these are not considered part of the Crown's shiring of Ireland. In 1333, the Earldom of Ulster is recorded as consisting of seven counties: Antrim , Blathewyc , Cragferus , Coulrath , del Art , Dun (also known as Ladcathel ), and Twescard . Of

2314-509: The Dáil. It was abolished in 2020 Laois–Offaly became a 5-seat constituency again for the 2020 general election . The Constituency Review Report 2023 proposed the establishment of a 3-seat Offaly constituency comprising solely the county of Offaly. This change will come into effect for the 34th Dáil. One of the earliest known settlements in County Offaly is at Boora Bog which dates back to

2403-411: The English colony into liberties also known as lordships. These were effectively palatine counties and differed from ordinary counties in that they were disjoined from the crown and that whoever they were granted to essentially had the same authority as the king and that the king's writ had no effect except a writ of error. This covered all land within the county that was not church land. The reason for

2492-507: The Irish Parliament passed "An Act for turning of Countries that be not yet Shire Grounds into Shire Grounds". A commission headed by Perrot and others in 1571 declared that the territory of Desmond in Munster was to be made a county of itself, and it had its own sheriff appointed, however in 1606 it was merged with the county of Kerry. In 1575 Sydney made an expedition to Ulster to plan its shiring. However, nothing came to bear. In 1578

2581-580: The Kingdom of Ireland in 1610 showed that there was still a vagueness over what counties constituted the provinces, however, Meath was no longer reckoned a province. By 1616 when the Attorney General for Ireland Sir John Davies departed Ireland, almost all counties had been delimited. The only exception was the county of Tipperary, which still belonged to the palatinate of Ormond. Tipperary would remain an anomaly being in effect two counties, one palatine,

2670-603: The Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation Act 1976, part of the urban area of Drogheda , which lay in County Meath, was transferred to County Louth on 1 January 1977. This resulted in the land area of County Louth increasing slightly at the expense of County Meath. The possibility of a similar action with regard to Waterford City has been raised in recent years, though opposition from Kilkenny has been strong. In 1985, Galway became

2759-565: The Norman period, the historic fifths of Leinster and Meath gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale , which straddled both, thereby forming the present-day province of Leinster. The use of provinces as divisions of political power was supplanted by the system of counties after the Norman invasion. In modern times clusters of counties have been attributed to certain provinces but these clusters have no legal status. They are today seen mainly in

County Coleraine - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-408: The Republic of Ireland, the traditional counties are, in general, the basis for local government, planning and community development purposes and are still generally respected for other purposes. They are governed by county councils . Administrative borders have been altered to allocate various towns exclusively into one county having been originally split between two counties. At the establishment of

2937-545: The Shannon at Shannon Harbour . Traditionally this was an important route for transport, communication and trade between Dublin, Limerick and the midlands of Ireland. The route fell into decline as road transport became more popular. Much of the route is now used for boating and leisure activities. Midlands 103 (originally Midlands Radio 3) which broadcasts to Laois, Offaly and Westmeath is based in Tullamore and has studios across

3026-402: The baronies of Eglish and Ballybritt have a more than 25 minute drive to the nearest train station, be it Clara, Tullamore, or Ballybrophy in neighbouring Laois. The Limerick-Ballybrophy railway line travels through the south of the county, which has no railway stations. The nearest are at Cloughjordan and Roscrea , both just outside the county boundary. A railway line from Birr connected to

3115-426: The boards of guardians and appointed the dispensary doctors, regulated the diet of paupers, inflicted fines and administered the law at petty sessions. The counties were initially used for judicial purposes, but began to take on some governmental functions in the 17th century, notably with grand juries. In 1836, the use of counties as local government units was further developed, with grand-jury powers extended under

3204-401: The continuing depletion of the bogs, a number of power stations have closed down in recent years. The ESB power station at Lumcloon, Ferbane was a major employer in the midlands but closed in 2001. Rhode power station closed down soon afterwards. These were major landmarks in Offaly with large cooling towers that were visible for miles around Offaly and beyond, but were demolished soon after

3293-520: The counties of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo. In 1565 the territory of the O'Rourkes within Roscommon was made into the county of Leitrim. In an attempt to reduce the importance of the province of Munster, Sydney, using the River Shannon as a natural boundary took the former kingdom of Thomond (North Munster) and made it into the county of Clare as part of the presidency of Connaught in 1569. In 1569

3382-528: The counties that surrounded them. These towns and cities had the status of a county corporate , often granted by royal charter, which had all the judicial, administrative and revenue-raising powers of the regular counties. The political geography of Ireland can be traced with some accuracy from the 6th century. At that time Ireland was divided into a patchwork of petty kingdoms with a fluid political hierarchy which, in general, had three traditional grades of king. The lowest level of political control existed at

3471-512: The county boroughs of Londonderry and Belfast. Carrickfergus, Drogheda and Kilkenny were abolished; Galway was also abolished, but recreated in 1986. Regional presidencies of Connacht and Munster remained in existence until 1672, with special powers over their subsidiary counties. Tipperary remained a county palatine until the passing of the County Palatine of Tipperary Act 1715 , with different officials and procedures from other counties. At

3560-444: The county with regular bus services to Limerick and Waterford from Athlone bus station. Other private bus coach services provide direct bus services from Birr to Dublin such as Kearns bus service which run several services daily. Slieve Bloom Coaches run services from Tullamore and Portarlington to Dublin. The Grand Canal connecting Dublin to the river Shannon was constructed through the towns of Edenderry and Tullamore and joins

3649-540: The county's land area. This includes woodlands within the Slieve Blooms and the Lough Boora Parklands. Roughly 75% of Offaly's forested area is Conifer High Forest . The following are the historical baronies of County Offaly: Offaly County Council is the local authority for the county. The council is responsible for local services such as housing policy, social and cultural services, economic development and planning, motor taxation and infrastructural policy in

County Coleraine - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-536: The county. Under the Local Government Reform Act 2014 the number of councillors was reduced to 19 from 21. The reforms also reduced the number of electoral areas to three: Tullamore (7 members), Birr (6 members) and Edenderry (6 members). Until the 2011 general election Offaly was part of the Laois–Offaly constituency which elected five TDs to the Dáil. Between 1921 and 2011 this consisted of

3827-605: The county. Birr is generally considered a hurling stronghold with Birr GAA winning four All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championships . County teams have also had national success in both hurling and football, winning the Liam MacCarthy Cup four times and the Sam Maguire Cup three times. The football team is perhaps best known for the Seamus Darby goal in the dying minutes of the 1982 football final when Offaly took

3916-453: The creation of such powerful entities in Ireland was due to the lack of authority the English crown had there. The same process occurred after the Norman conquest of England where despite there being a strong central government, county palatines were needed in border areas with Wales and Scotland. In Ireland this meant that the land was divided and granted to Richard de Clare and his followers who became lords (and sometimes called earls), with

4005-550: The crown with land divided into districts, which were eventually amalgamated into the modern counties. County boundaries were still ill-defined; however, in 1543 Meath was split into Meath and Westmeath . Around 1545, the Byrnes and O'Tooles , both native septs who had constantly been a pain for the English administration of the Pale, petitioned the Lord Deputy of Ireland to turn their district into its own county, Wicklow. However, this

4094-422: The districts of Glenmaliry, Irry, Leix, Offaly, and Slewmargy from the O'Moores and O'Connors, and in 1556 a statute decreed that Offaly and part of Glenmaliry would be made into the county of King's County , whilst the rest of Glenmarliry along with Irry, Leix and Slewmargy was formed into Queen's County . Radclyffe brought forth legislation to shire all land as yet unshired throughout Ireland and sought to divide

4183-464: The east of the county are within an easy commuting distance to Dublin where many find employment. North Offaly is well served by rail transport. Railway stations are located at Tullamore and Clara . Both stations are on the main Dublin-Westport/Galway railway line with regular trains serving the area, especially for Dublin commuters. Portarlington railway station is located just over

4272-431: The east of the county into north Kildare. The Kingdom of Firceall ruled by the O'Molloy clan constituted much of the centre of the county. The Kingdom of Firceall was part of the Kingdom of Meath while Uí Failghe was part of the Kingdom of Leinster . Much of the south of the present-day county (as well as northern County Tipperary ) was ruled by Ó Cearbhaill of Éile (anglicised as O'Carroll Ely). Ely formed part of

4361-512: The full territory of both counties. For the 2011 general election, some electoral divisions in South Offaly were part of Tipperary North . The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013 established a new constituency called Offaly for the 2016 general election . The constituency incorporates all of Offaly from the previous Laois–Offaly constituency, and 24 electoral divisions from Tipperary North . This constituency elected 3 TDs to

4450-414: The go-ahead was given for turning the districts of the Byrnes and O'Tooles into the county of Wicklow. However, with the outbreak of war in Munster and then Ulster, they resumed their independence. Sydney also sought to split Wexford into two smaller counties, the northern half of which was to be called Ferns, but the matter was dropped as it was considered impossible to properly administer. The territory of

4539-621: The increase in population between 2002 and 2006 (7,205) comprised a natural increase of 2,026 people with the balance of 5,179 accounted for by net in-migration from within Ireland as well as abroad. The population increased by 11.3% between 2002 and 2006 which was a greater rate than the national average rate of 8.2%. This may be attributed to the county's proximity to the Greater Dublin Area , increased accessibility to Dublin ( M6 , M7 , and improved rail services) and lower house prices than in Dublin. The population of many towns rose during

SECTION 50

#1732849082927

4628-455: The island into six parts—Connaught, Leinster, Meath, Nether Munster, Ulster, and Upper Munster. However, his administrative reign in Ireland was cut short, and it was not until the reign of Mary's successor, Elizabeth, that this legislation was re-adopted. Under Elizabeth, Radclyffe was brought back to implement it. Sydney during his three tenures as Lord Deputy created two presidencies to administer Connaught and Munster. He shired Connaught into

4717-472: The lands that now comprise the modern-day counties of Offaly, Laois (Leix) and Wicklow (Arklow). Some attempts had also been made to extend the county system to Ulster. However the Bruce Invasion of Ireland in 1315 resulted in the collapse of effective English rule in Ireland, with the land controlled by the crown continually shrinking to encompass Dublin, and parts of Meath, Louth and Kildare. Throughout

4806-511: The level of the Irish : túath (pl. Irish : túatha ). A Irish : túath was an autonomous group of people of independent political jurisdiction under a rí túaithe, that is, a local petty king. About 150 such units of government existed. Each rí túaithe was in turn subject to a regional or "over-king" ( Irish : ruiri ). There may have been as many as 20 genuine ruiri in Ireland at any time. A "king of over-kings" (Irish: rí ruirech )

4895-571: The line at Roscrea until it was closed in the 1960s. A controversial railway line also connected Birr to Portumna between 1868 and 1878 and became something of a folk legend. Three main national secondary routes pass through the county. The N52 road passes from Kilbeggan to Tullamore and Birr which then continues to Nenagh where it intersects with the M7 . The N62 from Athlone passes through Ferbane and Birr and continues onto Roscrea and Thurles . The N80 route starts in Tullamore and continues to

4984-691: The line of partition. Southern Ireland shortly afterwards became the Irish Free State . This partition was entrenched in the Anglo-Irish Treaty , which was ratified in 1922, by which the Irish Free State left the United Kingdom with Northern Ireland making the decision to not separate two days later. Areas that were shired by 1607 and continued as counties until the local government reforms of 1836, 1898 and 2001 are sometimes referred to as "traditional" or "historic" counties. These were distinct from

5073-459: The local payers of rates who historically held judicial functions, taking maintenance roles in regard to roads and bridges, and the collection of "county cess" taxes. They were usually composed of wealthy "country gentlemen" (i.e. landowners, farmers and merchants): A country gentleman as a member of a Grand Jury...levied the local taxes, appointed the nephews of his old friends to collect them, and spent them when they were gathered in. He controlled

5162-477: The mid-19th century under a series of Orders in Council. The Church of Ireland exercised functions at the level of a civil parish that would later be exercised by county authorities. Vestigial feudal power structures of major old estates remained well into the 18th century. Urban corporations operated individual royal charters. Management of counties came to be exercised by grand juries . Members of grand juries were

5251-456: The midlands. RTÉ's medium wave transmitter broadcasting RTÉ Radio 1 was also located in Tullamore but transmission stopped in 2008. A number of local newspapers are published in Offaly. The Offaly Independent and Tullamore Tribune are based in Tullamore. The Midland Tribune , based in Birr, covers local news in the west and south of the county as well as parts of northern Tipperary including

5340-634: The monastic complex of Clonmacnoise was erected at the River Shannon near Shannonbridge. It is today a significant tourist destination. The county itself was formed following the Tudor plantations of Laois and Offaly in an attempt by the Roman Catholic English Crown under Queen Mary to expand its sphere of influence in Ireland which had declined following the Norman Conquest of Ireland . Both Laois (Leix) and Offaly (Uí Failghe) were petty kingdoms in Gaelic Ireland located just outside

5429-420: The newly founded County Londonderry , although its county town was Coleraine. This article related to the geography of County Londonderry , Northern Ireland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Counties of Ireland The counties of Ireland ( Irish : Contaetha na hÉireann ) are historic administrative divisions of the island. They began as Norman structures, and as

SECTION 60

#1732849082927

5518-473: The northern parts of the county, that forms part of the Bog of Allen . Bord na Móna was founded in 1946 and provided employment to hundreds of people in Offaly by making peat briquettes (for home domestic use) and supplying peat to power stations operated by ESB . Peat briquettes were made at the Bord na Móna Derrinlough briquette factory near Birr. Power stations are operating at Shannonbridge and Edenderry. With

5607-530: The only land which the English crown had any direct control over being the sea-coast towns and territories immediately adjacent. Of Henry II's grants, at least three of them— Leinster to Richard de Clare; Meath to Walter de Lacy ; Ulster to John de Courcy —were equivalent to palatine counties in their bestowing of royal jurisdiction to the grantees. Other grants include the liberties of Connaught and Tipperary. These initial lordships were later subdivided into smaller "liberties", which appear to have enjoyed

5696-547: The only proper county in Ulster was Louth, which had been part of the Pale. There were two other long recognised entities north of Louth—Antrim and Down—that had at one time been "counties" of the Earldom of Ulster and were regarded as apart from the unreformed parts of the province. The date Antrim and Down became constituted is unknown. Perrot was recalled in 1588 and the shiring of Ulster would for two decades basically exist on paper as

5785-668: The original lordships or palatine counties: With the passing of liberties to the Crown, the number of Counties of the Cross declined, and only one, Tipperary, survived into the Stuart era; the others had ceased to exist by the reign of Henry VIII. It was not until the Tudors, specifically the reign of Henry VIII (1509–47), that crown control started to once again extend throughout Ireland. Having declared himself King of Ireland in 1541, Henry VIII went about converting Irish chiefs into feudal subjects of

5874-470: The other of the Cross until 1715 during the reign of King George I when an act abolished the "royalties and liberties of the County of Tipperary" and "that whatsoever hath been denominated or called Tipperary or Cross Tipperary, shall henceforth be and remain one county forever, under the name of the County of Tipperary." Between 1838 and 2014, County Tipperary was divided into two ridings /counties, North Tipperary and South Tipperary . To correspond with

5963-530: The passage of the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 . This Act established a county council for each of the thirty-three Irish administrative counties. Elected county councils took over the powers of the grand juries . The boundaries of the traditional counties changed on a number of occasions. The 1898 Act changed the boundaries of Counties Galway , Clare , Mayo , Roscommon , Sligo , Waterford , Kilkenny , Meath and Louth , and others. County Tipperary

6052-451: The period 1996 to 2006: Birr +21.5%, Tullamore +28.8% and Edenderry +53.9%. The population of Portarlington increased by 50.1% between 2002 and 2006. The population as of census 2016 was 77,961 people with 34.7% (27,085 people) under the age of 25 and 13.6% (10,951 people) over the age of 65. Traditionally, agriculture and industry have been the main driving force of the economy in the county. Offaly has extensive bogland, particularly in

6141-629: The powers exercised by the Cambro-Norman barons and the Old English nobility waned over time, new offices of political control came to be established at a county level. The number of counties varied depending on the time period, however thirty-two is the traditionally accepted and used number. Upon the partition of Ireland in 1921, six of the traditional counties became part of Northern Ireland . In Northern Ireland, counties ceased to be used for local government in 1973; districts are instead used. In

6230-454: The purposes of the Act, ... Northern Ireland shall consist of the parliamentary counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, and the parliamentary boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry, and Southern Ireland shall consist of so much of Ireland as is not comprised within the said parliamentary counties and boroughs. The county and county borough borders were thus used to determine

6319-413: The rest of Ireland, English rule was upheld by the earls of Desmond, Ormond, and Kildare (all created in the 14th-century), with the extension of the county system all but impossible. During the reign of Edward III (1327–77) all franchises, grants and liberties had been temporarily revoked with power passed to the king's sheriffs over the seneschals. This may have been due to the disorganisation caused by

6408-584: The same privileges as their predecessors. The division of Leinster and Munster into smaller counties is commonly attributed to King John, mostly due to a lack of prior documentary evidence, which has been destroyed. However, they may have had an earlier origin. These counties were: in Leinster: Carlow (also known as Catherlogh), Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth (also known as Uriel), Meath, Wexford, Waterford; in Munster: Cork, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary. It

6497-421: The same time, Dublin, until the 19th century, had ecclesiastical liberties with rules outside those applying to the rest of Dublin city and county. Exclaves of the county of Dublin existed in counties Kildare and Wicklow. At least eight other enclaves of one county inside another, or between two others, existed. The various enclaves and exclaves were merged into neighbouring and surrounding counties, primarily in

6586-410: The six it later consisted of. These eight counties were: the five English counties of Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary, and Waterford; and the three Irish counties of Desmond, Ormond, and Thomond. Perrot's divisions in Ulster were for the main confirmed by a series of inquisitions between 1606 and 1610 that settled the demarcation of the counties of Connaught and Ulster. John Speed 's Description of

6675-494: The south of the county before joining Brosna near the town of Ferbane . The Grand Canal also runs across the county from Edenderry on the north-east to Shannon Harbour before joining the Shannon . The county contains many small lakes from Lough Boora to Pallas Lake and it also contains 42 hectares (100 acres) of swamp land. There are a number of eskers in the county's landscape including Esker Riada . Offaly largely comprises

6764-481: The southeast passing through Portlaoise and Carlow . There are no main national primary routes in the county; the M6 skirts it to the north and the M7 to the south through Moneygall . Road infrastructure has improved with the completion of the Tullamore bypass in 2009 and improved access to regional cities following the completion of the intercity motorway network. Bus Éireann provide public transport services throughout

6853-713: The stations closed. Many bogs are now used as wildlife reserves or for tourism activities such as Lough Boora. The opening of the Grand Canal in the 18th century brought prosperity to towns such as Banagher and Tullamore . Both towns were important stops on the Dublin to Limerick navigation which supported a number of industries and brought cheap and efficient water transport to the county in that era. The Celtic Tiger also brought an increase in economic activity to Offaly with business enterprise and industrial parks opening in Birr, Edenderry and Tullamore . Many people particularly in

6942-518: The subdivisions of the English shires into honours or baronies , Irish counties were granted out to the Anglo-Norman noblemen in cantreds , later known as baronies , which in turn were subdivided, as in England, into parishes . Parishes were composed of townlands . However, in many cases, these divisions correspond to earlier, pre-Norman, divisions. While there are 331 baronies in Ireland, and more than

7031-460: The surrounding area and it stands out by itself. The floodplain of the River Shannon is in the north-western part of the county. The River Camcor , a Wild Trout Conservation Area, runs through the town of Birr where it joins the Little Brosna River . The River Brosna runs across the county from Lough Owel in Westmeath to Shannon Harbour . Silver River runs through several towns in

7120-472: The territory affected remained firmly outside of English control until the defeat of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone in the Nine Years' War . These counties were: Armagh, Cavan, Coleraine, Donegal, Fermanagh, Monaghan, and Tyrone. Cavan was formed from the territory of the O'Reilly 's of East Breifne in 1584 and had been transferred from Connaught to Ulster. After O'Neill and his allies fled Ireland in 1607 in

7209-546: The territory remained nominal until after the Nine Years' War . Following the Flight of the Earls (1607) and O'Doherty's Rebellion (1608), the lands the Irish aristocrats held were escheated to the Crown . In 1609 the territory was given to the City of London Corporation and its livery companies , who received instructions to undertake its plantation . The area for planting included: In 1613, this larger area became incorporated into

7298-484: The title by one point denying Kerry a historic five All-Ireland titles in a row. Traditionally, west Offaly has been the hurling stronghold with clubs like Birr , Coolderry , And Kilcormac/Killoughey enjoying success in the Leinster and All-Ireland Championships Tullamore Town F.C. play at Leah Victoria Park . Previously they played in the A Championship and League of Ireland B Division Other popular sports in

7387-457: The towns of Birr, Roscrea and Nenagh and surrounding areas. The Offaly Express was a former newspaper based in Tullamore. It closed down in July 2012 after 29 years in operation. It is now an online news platform for the county at www.offalyexpress.ie Gaelic games are popular in the county. Offaly GAA consists of some 44 clubs playing Gaelic football and hurling in communities throughout

7476-461: The word county is often dropped except where necessary to distinguish between county and town or city; thus "Offaly" rather than "County Offaly", but "County Antrim" to distinguish it from Antrim town. The synonym shire is not used for Irish counties, although the Marquessate of Downshire was named in 1789 after County Down . Parts of some towns and cities were exempt from the jurisdiction of

7565-491: Was confined to the church lands, and they became known as sheriffs of a County of the Cross, of which there seem to have been as many in Ireland as there were counties palatine. The exact boundaries of the liberties and shrievalties appear to have been in constant flux throughout the Plantagenet period, seemingly in line with the extent of English control. For example, in 1297 it is recorded that Kildare had extended to include

7654-480: Was divided into two regions: North Riding and South Riding . Areas of the cities of Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Derry and Waterford were carved from their surrounding counties to become county boroughs in their own right and given powers equivalent to those of administrative counties. Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 , the island was partitioned between Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland . For

7743-434: Was ever enacted after independence explicitly changing the name from King's County, the name formally established under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 , which continued to have legal effect. Legal transfers and assignments of land in the county still refer to it as "King's County". The 2006 population figure for County Offaly was the highest for the county since 1881. The Central Statistics Office estimates that

7832-442: Was ignored. During the reigns of the last two Tudor monarchs, Mary I (1553–58) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603), the majority of the work for the foundation of the modern counties was carried out under the auspices of three Lord Deputies : Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex , Sir Henry Sydney , and Sir John Perrot . Mary's reign saw the first addition of actual new counties since the reign of King John. Radclyffe had conquered

7921-616: Was often a provincial (Irish: rí cóicid ) or semi-provincial king to whom several ruiri were subordinate. No more than six genuine rí ruirech were ever contemporary. Usually, only five such "king of over-kings" existed contemporaneously and so are described in the Irish annals as fifths (Irish: cúigí ). The areas under the control of these kings were: Ulster (Irish: Ulaidh ), Leinster (Irish: Laighin ), Connacht (Irish: Connachta ), Munster (Irish: An Mhumhan ) and Mide (Irish: An Mhídhe ). Later record-makers dubbed them provinces , in imitation of Roman provinces . In

#926073