placenamesRathronan
Ráth Rónáin
Lewis records limited coal extraction alongside flagstone quarrying in the surrounding mountain range.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Ráth Rónáin · Irish · main form · validated name
- Rathronan · English · main form
Place & story
Worked seams and quarried stone
Samuel Lewis’s 1837 Rathronan account describes a mountain range running from Ardagh towards the Kerry boundary west of Athea. He identifies five coal strata across the range, while stating that only the two upper seams had been worked. Those worked seams were no more than sixteen inches thick, and he regarded the extraction as inefficient. He also records large flagstones being quarried in the mountains. These observations document mineral working in the wider hill district rather than locating individual pits within the parish. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Rathronan. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Rathronan, Limerick: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.