placenamesArmagh
Ard Mhacha
The barony extends beyond the cathedral city into parishes whose mills, schools and water supplies shaped nineteenth-century life.
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
- Ard Mhacha · Irish · main form
- Armagh · English · main form
Place & story
Parishes crossing the barony boundaries
Armagh barony forms part of a historical geography in which parish and barony boundaries frequently diverged. The Placenames Database lists nine associated civil parishes, including Armagh, Eglish, Keady, Derrynoose and Tynan. Each of these extends into another barony. The city itself is linked with both Armagh and Oneilland West, making careful distinctions necessary when following records of land, institutions and local communities. [2]
Water and machinery around Keady
Keady parish lay chiefly in Armagh barony, with a portion in Tiranny. Lewis’s 1837 account traces local bleaching to the river’s falls and records the Sadlers of Leeds establishing linen manufacture at Dundrum in 1826. Spinning mills at New Holland and Darkley employed hundreds of workers, principally young women. Dams at Clay, Tullynavad and Aughnagurgan lakes maintained water supplies, linking industrial growth with alterations to the surrounding landscape. [3]
Several routes into schooling
Derrynoose parish, also shared with Tiranny but chiefly in Armagh barony, supported a varied network of schools. Lewis records parochial schools, establishments at Temple and Kilcreevy, and a girls’ school at Fargort built by Captain Singleton. Lord Charlemont built Derrynoose school, which received support from him, Colonel Close and Singleton. Alongside these patron-supported institutions were five private schools, indicating several different arrangements for local education. [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Armagh. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Armagh barony: civil-parish subunits · Placenames Branch; Gaois
- Keady, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland 1837 · Samuel Lewis
- Derrynoose, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland 1837 · Samuel Lewis
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-12-20. How this page was prepared.