Fassadinin

Barony in County Kilkenny, Ireland

Barony in Leinster, Ireland

Fassadinin Fásach an Deighnín (Irish)^[1]^[2] Barony of Fassadinin
Barony
Foulksrath Castle aerial view.
Etymology: Wilderness along the Dinin river
Map of Fassadinin
52°48′00″N 7°13′00″W / 52.8°N 7.216667°W / 52.8; -7.216667
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Kilkenny
Cantred of Odoth	1358
Fasaghdenyn and Idoghe	1587
Civil parishes	List Attanagh Odagh Castlecomer Kilmenan Kilmacar Kilmademoge Kilmadum Coolcraheen Dysart Donaghmore Dunmore Grangemaccomb Muckalee Mayne Abbeyleix Mothell Rathbeagh Rathaspick Rosconnell
Government ^[3]
• Type	County Council
• Body	Kilkenny County Council
Area ^[4]
• Total	276.2 km² (106.6 sq mi)

Fassadinin (Irish: Fásach an Deighnín, meaning 'Wilderness along the River Dinin'^[1]^[5]), sometimes written Fassadining, is a barony in the north of County Kilkenny, Ireland.^[2]^[6] It is one of 12 baronies in County Kilkenny.^[2] The size of the barony is 276.2 square kilometres (106.6 sq mi).^[4] There are 19 civil parishes in Fassadinin.^[1] The chief town today is Castlecomer. The N78 Kilkenny/Athy road bisects the barony. Fassadinin is currently administered by Kilkenny County Council.^[3]

Fassadinin lies at the north of the county, with the baronies of Galmoy and Crannagh to the west (whose chief towns are Galmoy and Freshford), and the baronies of the Kilkenny and Gowran to the south (whose chief towns are Kilkenny and Gowran). It is surrounded on two sides by counties Laois to the north and Carlow to the east.

Foulksrath Castle and Kells Priory are located in Fassadinin.^[7]^[8]^[9]

History

The barony was part of in the historic kingdom of Osraige (Ossory) and was the territory of the Uí Duach (Idough) clan.^[7]^[8] The name of Fassadinin, in Irish "Fásach an Deighnín", meaning "Wilderness along the Dinan". From Old Irish, "fásach", meaning "uninhabited place, waste, wilderness", of the Dinin River.^[5] According to O'Heerin's Topographical Poem (1420)^[8] at the time of the Norman invasion the area was the territory of the clan called the Ua Braonáin (O'Brennan) of Uí Duach.^[7]^[8] Uí Duach was made into the medieval cantred of Odogh or Idogh.^[7] In 1358 this Barony was known by its ancient name the "Cantred of Odoth".^[5] Ui Duach was also called the cantred of the Comar (from Comar now Castlecomer) which comprised the whole of the president barony of Fassadinin, and a considerable part of Galmoy. The earliest reference to the barony as Fassadinin was in 1587 where it was described as the barony of "Fasaghdenyn and Idoghe".^[5]

"Ui-Duach of Ossory of the warm soil,
The fair, wide plane of the Feoir,
Not easily passable is the wood of the plain,
Its protecting chieftain is O'Broenain."

Ó hUidhrín Topographical Poem Triallam timcheall na Fodla ("Let us wander around Ireland") (1420).^[8]^[5]

In Edmund Ignatius Hogan's "Description of Ireland, in anno 1598" it was described as the barony of "Fasagh, Denny, and Idogh"^[10] and the constables were of the barony of "Fasagh de Myn and Odoghe" or "Fasaghdenya and Odoghe". Fassadining was recorded in the Down Survey (1656),^[11] the 1840 Ordnance Survey Map^[12] and on Griffith's Valuation (1864).^[13]

In 1247, Geoffrey de Fraxino (de la Freyne) held a quarter Knight's fee at Kilmenan in the barony of Fassadinin held previously by a Walter Purcell.^[14] The 1608 constables were Robnett Purcell of Foulksrath and William O'Brena of Ballyhomyn (Ballyhimmin).^[5] The early families recorded included O'Brena of Rathcally, Purcell of Esker, Purcell of Lysmayne, O'Brena of Uskertye, Farr McDonnogh of Croghtoncle, and Duffe of Crint.^[10] The Brennans ruled in this region with remarkable independence and persistence, it was not until 1635 the town and remaining Brennan lands were handed over to Sir Christopher Wandesforde.^[7] The Wandesfords were based in Fassadining.^[7]

In the 18th century County Kilkenny consisted of the Liberties of Kilkenny and of Callan and the baronies of Galmoy, Lower Ossory, Fassadinig, Cranagh, Shellilogher, Gowran, Kells, Knocktopher, Ida, Igrin, Iverk and Ibercon.^[7] By the 19th century these were restructured into the baronies of Callan, Crannagh, Fassadinin, Galmoy, Gowran, Ida, Iverk, Kells, Knocktopher, and Shillelogher.^[7] Today, the county is subdivided into 12 baronies.^[15] These include Kilkenny in the centre of the county, and clockwise from north of the county, Fassadinin, Gowran, Ida, Kilculliheen, Iverk, Knocktopher, Kells, Callan, Shellilogher, Crannagh, Galmoy.^[15]

Geography

Fassadinin contains the towns of Ballyragget and Castlecomer, and the settlements of Odagh, Clogh, Jenkinstown, Coan, Coolcullen and Coolbaun.^[16] Fassadinin is made up of 19 civil parishes, including Attanagh, Odagh, Castlecomer, Kilmenan, Kilmacar, Kilmademoge, Kilmadum, Coolcraheen, Dysart, Donaghmore, Dunmore, Grangemaccomb, Muckalee, Mayne, Abbeyleix, Mothell, Rathbeagh, Rathaspick and Rosconnell.^[17] These civil parishes include 126 townlands (See List of townlands in County Kilkenny).

The River Dinin (Dinan) flows through Fassadinin.^[18] Fassadinin also contains Castlecomer Woods and Jenkinstown Wood,^[19] a well named 'Lady's Well' and Foulksrath Castle.^[9]^[20] Parts of the civil parish were in the poor law unions of Castlecomer, Kilkenny, and Urlingford.^[21] In the Gaelic Athletic Association in Kilkenny, St Martin's GAA club has a catchment area which is roughly comprehended by the barony.^{[citation needed]}

Today, Fassadinin is part of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ossory and the Church of Ireland diocese of Cashel and Ossory.^{[citation needed]}

References

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b ^c (Fiontar 2008, Fásach an Deighnín/Fassadinin)
^ ^a ^b ^c (Government 2003)
^ ^a ^b Kilkenny County County. "Website". kilkennycoco.ie.
^ ^a ^b "Barony of Fassadinin, Co. Kilkenny". townlands.ie.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f (Carrigan 1905, p. 23, Existing Civil Divisions or Baronies)
^ (Tighe 1802, p. 4, Baronies)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Walsh, Dennis. "Barony of Fassadinin". ancestry.com., Walsh, Dennis. "The Baronies of Ireland". ancestry.com. and Walsh, Dennis. "Barony Map of the Leinster Region". ancestry.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e (Ó hUidhrín & Ó Dubhagáin 1851, p. 7, PDF)
^ ^a ^b (Fiontar 2008, Foulksrath Castle)
^ ^a ^b (Hogan 1878, p. 255)
^ Down Survey Project. "Fassadining Map". downsurvey.tcd.ie. The Down Survey Project.
^ (OSI 2016, Maps – 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15)
^ (Griffith 1864, Fassadinin Search)
^ (Lewis 1837, Maps)
^ ^a ^b (Fiontar 2008, County Cill Chainnigh/Kilkenny)
^ (Fiontar 2008, Fassadinin Towns and Fiontar 2008, Fassadinin population centres)
^ (Fiontar 2008, Fassadinin Civil Parishes)
^ (Fiontar 2008, An Deighean/Dinin River)
^ (Fiontar 2008, Castlecomer Woods and Fiontar 2008, Jenkinstown Wood
^ (Fiontar 2008, Lady's Well)
^ (Parliament 1862, p. 962, Fassadining Barony)

Sources

Carrigan, William (1905). The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory. Middle Abbey Street, Dublin: Sealy, Bryers & Walker. ISBN 9785879206463.
Fiontar (2008). "Placenames Database of Ireland". logainm.ie. Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs of the Government of Ireland.
Griffith, Richard John (1864). "Griffith's Valuation". www.askaboutireland.ie.
Government (2003). Placenames (Co. Kilkenny) Order 2003 (PDF). Dublin: Government of Ireland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
Hogan, Edmund Ignatius (1878). The Description of Ireland, and the State thereof as it is at this Present, in anno 1598 (PDF) (1896 ed.). Dublin: M.H. Gill & Son.
Ó hUidhrín, Giolla na Naomh; Ó Dubhagáin, Seán Mór (1851). O'Donovan, John (ed.). The tribes and territories of ancient Ossory; comprising the portions of O'Heerin's and O'Dugan's topographical poems which relate to the families of that district. Dublin: J. O'Daly. ISBN 978-1143947490.
OSI, Ordnance Survey Ireland (2016). "Ordnance Survey". osi.ie.
Parliament (1862). General alphabetical index to townlands and towns, parishes and baronies of Ireland. Dublin: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
Lewis, Samuel (1837). A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. Lewis.
Tighe, William (1802). Statistical observations relative to the county of Kilkenny: made in the years 1800 & 1801. Printed by Graisberry and Campbell.