Shillelogher

The barony of Shillelogher is a barony in the west of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The barony is 36,684 acres in size. It is one of 12 baronies in County Kilkenny. There are 19 civil parishes in Shillelogher, made up of 109 townlands. The chief town is Bennettsbridge. Shillelogher lies at the centre of the county, with the baronies of Crannagh and Kilkenny to the north (whose chief towns are Freshford and Kilkenny, and the barony of Gowran to the east (whose chief towns is Gowran). It is borders County Tipperary to the west. The N76 road bisects the barony. The river Nore flows through the barony. Danesfort Church is located in Shillelogher.

Shillelogher was an early medieval cantred within the shire of Kilkenny, and part of the historic kingdom of Osraige (Ossory). Today it is part of the Roman Catholic Church diocese of Ossory and the Church of Ireland diocese of Cashel and Ossory. Shillelogher is currently administered by Kilkenny County Council.

Etymology
There have been many variations of the name, but all are anglicized variations form the old Irish name, 'Síol Fhaolchair', which means – territory of the Descendants of Fáelchar. The 'f' would be silent and 'l' easily commuted with 'r'. So the name appears under many forms in ancient records, such as 'Stilyker' (1333), 'Sillr', Silelogher, Shillekyr, Shyllekyr, Sylerekyll (1450), Sylerker (1480), in the Red Book of Ossory, Sillelogher (1303), 'Sileyrthir', 'shillegher' or 'shilleligher' in 1587, 'Shillekyr' and 'Shillecher' in 1608; 'Shelogher' in 1657; and 'Sleewloger', 'Shellelogher' and 'Shilliliger'.

History


Named as, Descendants of Fáelchar territory. Fáelchar ua Máele Ódrain was a king of Osraige, descended from Óengus Osrithe. The Norman family of Wall was based there.

In 1358 it appears as the 'cantred of Silyrthir' and perhaps included the barony of Crannagh as well as the barony of Shillelogher. Shillelogher was recorded in the Down Survey (1656), the 1842 Ordnance Survey map, and on Griffith's Valuation (1864).

It was established by 1672 and depicted in Hiberniae Delineatio, "Perry's Atlas", engraved in 1671-2 by William Petty from the data of the Down Survey.

Geography


The river Nore flows through the barony. Shillelogher contains the towns of Bennettsbridge and the settlements of Stonyford, Danesfort, and Grange. Danesfort Church is in Shillelogher.

There are 19 civil parishes in Shillelogher. These include; Ballybur, Burnchurch, Castleinch, Danesfort, Earlstown, Ennisnag, Grange, Grangekilree, Kells, Kilferagh, Killaloe, Outrath, St. Canice, St. John's, St. Patrick's, Stonecarthy, Treadingstown, Tullaghanbrogue, and Tullamaine. Parts of the barony were in the Poor law unions of Callan, Kilkenny, and Thomastown.