Rathdown (County Dublin barony) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rathdown
Ráth an Dúin (Irish)
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Barony
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Two Rock mountain
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Baronies of County Dublin. Rathdown is in the southeast.
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| Sovereign state | Ireland |
| County | Dublin |
| Area | |
| • Total | 121.3 km2 (46.83 sq mi) |
Rathdown (Irish: Ráth an Dúin) is a special historical area in the southeast of County Dublin, Ireland. It is known as a "barony," which is a traditional way of dividing land. Rathdown is so important that it even gives its name to the modern county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown.
Contents
What is a Barony?
A barony is like an old-fashioned district or region. It was used for things like counting people or collecting taxes a long time ago. Rathdown is one of these historical areas. Its name, Ráth an Dúin, means "fort of the stronghold" in Irish.
Rathdown's Origins
Rathdown got its name from a medieval settlement. This settlement grew up around a place called Rathdown Castle. Today, the original castle site is no longer in County Dublin. It is now in County Wicklow, near Greystones.
Before the year 1606, Rathdown was much larger. It stretched further south into what is now County Wicklow. When County Wicklow was officially formed, some of Rathdown's land moved into the new county. This part became known as the Wicklow barony of Rathdown.
Towns and Areas in Rathdown
Over time, the boundaries of Rathdown changed a bit. This happened to make the areas easier to manage. Many towns and areas you might know are part of Rathdown.
Important Towns and Parishes
After the late 1800s, Rathdown was divided into smaller areas for local government. These included parts of Blackrock, Dalkey, Killiney and Ballybrack, and Kingstown. Kingstown was later renamed Dún Laoghaire.
Some of the civil parishes, which are old church districts, that are fully or partly in Rathdown include:
- Booterstown
- Dalkey
- Donnybrook
- Kilgobbin
- Kill
- Killiney
- Kilmacud
- Kiltiernan
- Monkstown
- Oldconnaught
- Rathfarnham
- Rathmichael
- Stillorgan
- Taney
- Tully
- Whitechurch
Other well-known places in the barony include Dundrum. A small part of Bray, called "Little Bray," used to be in Rathdown, County Dublin. But it was moved to Rathdown, County Wicklow, after 1898.
