Clarmallagh () is a barony in County Laois (formerly called Queen's County or County Leix), Ireland.
Etymology
Clarmallagh means "Flat land of Maigh Locha ''lake", referring to
Grantstown Lake.
Geography
Clarmallagh is located in south County Laois, to the south of the
River Gully, and to the north of the
County Kilkenny border. It contains the lower part of the
Erkina River where it drains into the
River Nore.
History
Clarmallagh barony was anciently the northernmost part of the Kingdom of Osraige (Ossory).
In the early 12th century, Finn Ua Caellaide ruled Magh Locha (Clarmallagh) separately from the rest of Ossory.
It was ruled by the Ó Faoláin (Phelan).
It is referred to in the topographical poem Tuilleadh feasa ar Éirinn óigh (Giolla na Naomh Ó hUidhrín, d. 1420):
I Muiġ Laċa na learg te
Ó Faoláin, fearḋa an fíne
Mór an dúthaiġ as díol dáiḃ
Do lín futha Ó Faoláin
("In Magh Lacha of the warm hill slopes is Ó Faolain of manly tribe; Extensive is the district due to them, which the Ó Faolains have filled.")
Clarmallagh was formerly a part of the Upper Ossory barony, established by 1657; in 1842 it was divided into three : Upper Woods, Clandonagh and Clarmallagh.
List of settlements
Below is a list of settlements in Clarmallagh barony:
