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Middle Third (Irish:An Trian Meánach; also spelledMiddlethird) is abarony inCounty Tipperary,Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town isCashel. The barony lies betweenEliogarty to the north (whose chief town isThurles),Iffa and Offa East to the south (whose chief town isClonmel),Clanwilliam to the west (whose chief town isTipperary) andSlievardagh to the east (whose chief town isMullinahone). It is currently administered byTipperary County Council.
Baronies were created after theNorman invasion of Ireland as divisions ofcounties and were used the administration of justice and the raising of revenue. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they have beenadministratively obsolete since 1898. However, they continue to be used in land registration and in specification, such as in planning permissions. In many cases, a barony corresponds to an earlierGaelictúath which had submitted tothe Crown.
The history of the barony is also the history of the Kingdom of Munster which had Cashel for its capital. Later, the kingdom would be divided into northern and southern statelets.
TheÉoganacht were a federation of tribes claiming a common lineage and spread throughout Munster. They were noted as kings of Munster from an early period until the rise of theDal gCais in the 10th century. The main sub-tribes in the region of the barony were:
Dal gCais dynasty. TheHigh King of Ireland,Brian Boru, fortified Cashel in 990. Murtagh O'Brien, King of Cashel, in presence of the chiefs and clergy, made a grant in 1101 of the "Rock" with the territory around it to O'Dunan, "noble bishop and chief senior of Munster". In 1127Cormac III of Munster, King of Desmond, erected close to his palace on the "Rock" a church, now known as Cormac's Chapel, which was consecrated in 1134. By theSynod of Kells, 1152, Cashel became an archiepiscopal see.There are frequent references to "Tuadh Mumhan" in the Irish Annals beginning in the latter 11th century, but as a separate entity representing all of northern Munster an entry for the year 1118 seems to mark a milestone event. In that year, a treaty at Gleann Maidhir (Glanmire) divided the Kingdom of Munster into northern (Tuadh Mumhan) and southern (Des Mumhan) halves, a division apparently running near the border of modern counties Limerick and Cork. The entry in the Annals for 1118 reads, " A hosting by Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair, king of Connacht, and by Murchadh O Maelsechlainn, king of Temhair, along with him, and by Aed O'Ruairc, into Mumha, as far as Glenn-Maghair; and he gave Des-Mumha to Mac Carthaigh, and Tuadh-Mumha to the sons of Diarmaid Ua Briain, and carried off the hostages of each."
With this 12th-century division of Munster into two parts,Thomond included the area about thediocese of Killaloe, and additionally encompassed the traditional territories of Úi Fidgeinti, Uí Chonaill Gabra, Eóghanacht Áine, Éile, Corco Mruadh, the tribes of Uaithne (later held by the Síl Cennétich, and much of Eóghanacht Caisel and Ciarraige Luachra.[1]
By the early 13th century, through the encroachment of the Anglo-NormanButler family and others into eastern Thomond (north Tipperary, east Limerick and south Offaly), part of which came to be known as Ormond or East Munster, the kingdom of Thomond was greatly reduced.
Various members of the Desmond and Ormond families became archbishops in the succeeding years up to theEnglish Reformation. After a vacancy of six years Maurice FitzGibbon (1567–1578) aCistercian abbot who belonged to the royal Desmond family, was promoted to the archbishopric bypope Pius V, but James MacCaghwell was put forward byElizabeth I of England. Thus began the Anglican religion at Cashel. When thePenal Laws were sufficiently relaxed, theRoman Catholic archbishops returned openly to thesee, but changed their residence andcathedra toThurles.
WhenCounty Tipperary was split intoNorth andSouth Ridings in 1836, Middle Third was allocated to the south riding. However, the neighbouring barony of Kilnamanagh was split into Upper and Lower half-baronies, being allocated to the north and south ridings respectively.[2]
This table[3] lists an historical geographical sub-division of the barony known as thecivil parish (not to be confused with anEcclesiastical parish).
| Name in Irish | Name in English |
|---|---|
| Ard Máil | Ardmayle |
| Baile an Ghraeigh | Graystown |
| Baile an Ráiligh | Railstown |
| Baile an tSeánaigh | St. Johnstown |
| Baile Bhriodúnach | Peppardstown |
| Baile na Madraí | Dogstown |
| Baile na Móna | Mora |
| Baile Uí Shíocháin | Ballysheehan |
| Bricín | Brickendown |
| Carraig Phádraig | St. Patricksrock |
| An Chathair Dhearg | Redcity |
| Cill Bhrácha | Kilbragh |
| Cill Cholmáin | Colman |
| Cill Chonaill | Kilconnell |
| Cill Teimhneáin | Kiltinan |
| Cillín an Stiabhnaigh | Killeenasteena |
| An Cluainín | Cloneen |
| Cnoc Rafann | Knockgraffon |
| An Chuailleach | Cooleagh |
| Cúil Mhondraí | Coolmundry |
| Daingean Deargáin | Dangandargan |
| Domhnach Mór | Donaghmore |
| Drongán | Drangan |
| Reilig Mhuire agus Áth Iseal | Relickmurry and Athassel |
| Fiodh Ard | Fethard |
| Gael | Gaile |
| Gráinseach an Bhairéadaigh | Barrettsgrange |
| Gráinseach Eoin Baiste | Baptistgrange |
| Maigh Gabhra | Magowry |
| Maigh gCorbáin | Magorban |
| An Mhainistir Liath | Horeabbey |
| Mainistir na Croiche | Holycross |
| Oireadh | Erry |
| Paróiste Eoin Baiste | St. John baptist |
| Ráth an Bhaightiúnaigh | Boytonrath |
| Ráth Cuala | Rathcool |
| Tulaigh Mheáin | Tullamain |
| Uachtar Rátha | Outeragh |
Note: while the civil parish ofHolycross straddles two baronies (Eliogarty and this baraony), the village itself and the abbey are entirely located in Eliogarty.
