View source for Counties of Ireland

{{Short description|Administrative division of Ireland}}
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{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2022}}
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{{Infobox subdivision type
| name= Counties of Ireland <br> {{lang|ga|Contaetha na hÉireann}} ([[Irish language|Irish]])        
      
| map= {{Counties of Ireland imagemap|thumb=no|position=center}}               
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| territory= [[Ireland]] ([[Republic of Ireland]] and [[Northern Ireland]])
| upper_unit= [[Provinces of Ireland|Provinces]]

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| population_range=  
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| government= County councils (Republic of Ireland)

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The '''counties of Ireland''' ([[Irish language|Irish]]: {{lang|ga|Contaetha na hÉireann}}) are historic administrative divisions of the island. They began as [[Normans in Ireland|Norman]] structures, and as the powers exercised by the Cambro-Norman barons and the [[Old English (Ireland)|Old English]] nobility waned over time, new offices of political control were established at a county level. The number of counties varied depending on the time period, however thirty-two is the traditionally accepted and used number.

In 1921, upon the [[partition of Ireland]], six of the traditional counties became part of [[Northern Ireland]]. In Northern Ireland, [[Counties of Northern Ireland|counties]] ceased to be used for local government in 1973. [[Local government in Northern Ireland|Districts]] are instead used. In the [[Republic of Ireland]], some counties have been split, resulting in the creation of new counties: there are currently 26 counties, 3 cities and 2 cities and counties that demarcate areas of [[local government in the Republic of Ireland|local government in the Republic]].

==Terminology==
The word "county" has come to be used in different senses for different purposes. In common usage, it can mean the 32 counties that existed prior to 1838 – the so-called traditional counties, 26 of which are in the [[Republic of Ireland]]. The Local Government Acts define counties to include separate counties within the traditional county of Dublin.<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Government Act 2001: Schedule 5 (as amended) |url=https://revisedacts.lawreform.ie/eli/2001/act/37/schedule/5/revised/en/html |website=Revised Acts |publisher=[[Law Reform Commission (Ireland)|Law Reform Commission]] |access-date=17 November 2022}}</ref>

In Ireland, the word ''county'' nearly always precedes the county name; thus "[[County Roscommon|''County'' Roscommon]]" in Ireland as opposed to "[[Roscommon County, Michigan|Roscommon ''County'']]" in [[Michigan]], United States. The former "King's County" and "Queen's County" were exceptions. These are now [[County Offaly]] and [[County Laois]], respectively. The [[abbreviation]] Co. is used, as in "Co. Roscommon".<ref name=si519/>

The counties in Dublin created in 1994 often drop the word ''county'' entirely, or use it after the name; thus, for example, internet search engines show many more uses, on Irish sites, of "[[Fingal]]" than of either "County Fingal" or "Fingal County". Although official guidance does not use the term county as part of its name, the local council uses all three forms.<ref name=si519>{{cite Irish legislation|name=Placenames (Provinces and Counties) Order 2003 |year=2003|date=30 October 2003|type=si|number=519|lang=Irish |access-date=14 January 2022 |archive-date=18 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118214710/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2003/si/519/made/ga/print |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fingal.ie/ |title=Fingal County Council |website=Fingal County Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125090816/http://www.fingalcoco.ie/ |archive-date=25 November 2018 }}, where (apart from references to the Council itself) both "Fingal County" and "County Fingal" appear, but much less frequently than "Fingal" alone.</ref> 

In informal use, the word ''county'' is often dropped except where necessary to distinguish between county and town or city; thus "Offaly" rather than "County Offaly", but "County Antrim" to distinguish it from Antrim town. The synonym ''[[shire]]'' is not used for Irish counties, although the [[Marquess of Downshire|Marquessate of Downshire]] was named in 1789 after [[County Down]].{{efn|Irish [[county constituencies]] at [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|Westminster]] were written ''Corkshire'', ''Tipperaryshire'', etc. in some official British publications between the [[Acts of Union 1800]] and the [[Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1832]].<ref>See:
* {{cite journal |author1=G. E. E. |editor1-last=Urban |editor1-first=Sylvanus |title=Letter on the ''Royal Kalendar 1802'' |journal=The Gentleman's Magazine |date=June 1802 |volume=72 |page=513 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fv0RAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA513 |access-date=31 July 2019 |location=London |language=en |quote=I do not like innovation, unless improvement accompanies it. I see, therefore no improvement in now calling the counties of Ireland ''shires'', not one of the 32 being called so in my time there; and it has an awkward sound to say Downshire, Corkshire, Londonderryshire, &c. }}
* {{cite web |title=Reform Bill – Second Reading – Division list |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1831/dec/17/parliamentary-reform-bill-for-england#column_546 |website=Hansard |access-date=31 July 2019 |page=HC Deb vol 9 cc546–547 |no-pp=y |date=17 December 1831 |archive-date=12 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212123135/https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1831/dec/17/parliamentary-reform-bill-for-england#column_546 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Parts of some towns and cities were exempt from the jurisdiction of the counties that surrounded them. These towns and cities had the status of a [[county corporate]], often granted by royal charter, which had all the judicial, administrative and revenue-raising powers of the regular counties.

==History==

===Pre-Norman divisions of Ireland===
The [[political geography]] of Ireland can be traced with some accuracy from the 6th century. At that time Ireland was divided into a patchwork of [[petty kingdom]]s with a fluid political hierarchy which, in general, had three traditional grades of king.  The lowest level of political control existed at the level of the {{langx|ga|[[túath]]}} (pl. {{langx|ga|túatha}}). A {{langx|ga|túath}} was an autonomous group of people of independent political jurisdiction under a rí túaithe, that is, a local petty king.<ref>Michael Richter, ''Medieval Ireland'', Revised edition, Dublin 2005</ref> About 150 such units of government existed. Each  ''rí túaithe'' was in turn subject to a regional or "over-king" ({{langx|ga|ruiri}}). There may have been as many as 20 genuine [[Rí#Ruiri|ruiri]] in Ireland at any time.

A "king of over-kings" ({{langx|ga|rí ruirech|links=no}}) was often a provincial ({{langx|ga|rí cóicid|links=no}}) or semi-provincial king to whom several ruiri were subordinate. No more than six genuine [[Rí#Rí ruirech|rí ruirech]] were ever contemporary. Usually, only five such "king of over-kings" existed contemporaneously and so are described in the [[Irish annals]] as ''fifths'' ({{langx|ga|cúigí|links=no}}). The areas under the control of these kings were: [[Ulster]] ({{langx|ga|Ulaidh|links=no}}), [[Leinster]] ({{langx|ga|Laighin|links=no}}), [[Connacht]] ({{langx|ga|Connachta|links=no}}), [[Munster]] ({{langx|ga|An Mhumhan|links=no}}) and [[Kingdom of Meath|Mide]] ({{langx|ga|An Mhídhe|links=no}}). Later record-makers dubbed them ''provinces'', in imitation of [[Roman province]]s. In the Norman period, the historic fifths of Leinster and Meath gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of [[the Pale]], which straddled both, thereby forming the present-day province of Leinster.

The use of [[Provinces of Ireland|provinces]] as divisions of political power was supplanted by the system of counties after the Norman invasion. In modern times clusters of counties have been attributed to certain provinces but these clusters have no legal status. They are today seen mainly in a sporting context, as Ireland's four professional rugby teams play under the names of the provinces, and the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] has separate [[GAA provincial council|Provincial council]]s and [[Provincial championships]].

===Plantagenet era===
====Lordships====
With the arrival of [[Cambro-Norman]] knights in 1169, the [[Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland]] commenced. This was followed in 1172 by the invasion of King [[Henry II of England]], commencing English royal involvement.

After his intervention in Ireland, Henry II effectively divided the English colony into liberties also known as lordships. These were effectively [[county palatine|palatine counties]] and differed from ordinary counties in that they were disjoined from the crown and that whoever they were granted to essentially had the same authority as the king and that the king's writ had no effect except a writ of error.<ref name="Falkiner174">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/174/mode/2up?view=theater 174]}}</ref> This covered all land within the county that was not church land.<ref name="Falkiner174"/> The reason for the creation of such powerful entities in Ireland was due to the lack of authority the English crown had there.<ref name="Falkiner174"/> 

The same process occurred after the Norman conquest of England where despite there being a strong central government, county palatines were needed in border areas with Wales and Scotland.<ref name="Falkiner174-5">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/174/mode/2up?view=theater 174-5]}}</ref> In Ireland this meant that the land was divided and granted to [[Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke|Richard de Clare]] and his followers who became lords (and sometimes called earls), with the only land which the English crown had any direct control over being the sea-coast towns and territories immediately adjacent.<ref name="Falkiner175">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/174/mode/2up?view=theater 175]}}</ref>

Of Henry II's grants, at least three of them—[[Leinster]] to Richard de Clare; [[Lordship of Meath|Meath]] to [[Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath|Walter de Lacy]]; [[Lordship of Ulster|Ulster]] to [[John de Courcy]]—were equivalent to palatine counties in their bestowing of royal jurisdiction to the grantees.<ref name="Falkiner175"/> Other grants include the liberties of Connaught and Tipperary.<ref name="Falkiner175-6">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/174/mode/2up?view=theater 175-6]}}</ref>

====Division of lordships====
[[File:Www.wesleyjohnston.com-users-ireland-maps-historical-map1300.gif|thumb|The extent of Norman control in Ireland by 1300]]
[[Image:Ireland 1450.png|thumb|The Pale (grey), earldoms and lordships (blue) in 1450]]
These initial lordships were later subdivided into smaller "liberties", which appear to have enjoyed the same privileges as their predecessors.<ref name="Falkiner175"/> The division of Leinster and Munster into smaller counties is commonly attributed to King John, mostly due to a lack of prior documentary evidence, which has been destroyed. However, they may have had an earlier origin.<ref name="Falkiner172-3">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/172/mode/2up?view=theater 172-3]}}</ref> These counties were: in Leinster: Carlow (also known as Catherlogh), Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth (also known as Uriel), Meath, Wexford, Waterford; in Munster: Cork, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary.<ref name="Falkiner172">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/172/mode/2up?view=theater 172]}}</ref> It is thought that these counties did not have the administrative purpose later attached to them until late in the reign of King John and that no new counties were created until the Tudor dynasty.<ref name="Falkiner">{{Cite book |title=The Counties of Ireland: An Historical Sketch of Their Origin, Constitution, and Gradual Delimitation|last=Falkiner|first=Caesar Litton|year=1837 |publisher=Royal Irish Academy|url=https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/n814/mode/2up?q=%22counties+of+ireland+an+historical%22&view=theater}}</ref>

The most important office in those that were [[palatine]] was that of [[seneschal]].<ref name="Falkiner179"/> In those liberties that came under Crown control this office was held by a [[sheriff]].<ref name="Falkiner179"/> The sovereign could appoint sheriffs in palatines. Their power was confined to the church lands, and they became known as sheriffs of a County of the Cross, of which there seem to have been as many in Ireland as there were counties palatine.<ref name="Falkiner179">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/178/mode/2up?q=%22counties+of+ireland+an+historical%22&view=theater 179]}}</ref>

The exact boundaries of the liberties and shrievalties appear to have been in constant flux throughout the [[House of Plantagenet|Plantagenet]] period, seemingly in line with the extent of English control.<ref name="Falkiner178">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/178/mode/2up?q=%22counties+of+ireland+an+historical%22&view=theater 178]}}</ref> For example, in 1297 it is recorded that Kildare had extended to include the lands that now comprise the modern-day counties of Offaly, Laois (Leix) and Wicklow (Arklow).<ref name="Falkiner178-9">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/178/mode/2up?q=%22counties+of+ireland+an+historical%22&view=theater 178-9]}}</ref> Some attempts had also been made to extend the county system to Ulster.<ref name="Falkiner180">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/180/mode/2up?view=theater 180]}}</ref>

The [[Bruce campaign in Ireland|Bruce Invasion of Ireland]] in 1315 resulted in the collapse of effective English rule in Ireland, with the land controlled by the crown continually shrinking to encompass Dublin, and parts of Meath, Louth and Kildare.<ref name="Falkiner180"/> Throughout the rest of Ireland, English rule was upheld by the earls of Desmond, Ormond, and Kildare (all created in the 14th-century), with the extension of the county system all but impossible.<ref name="Falkiner180"/> During the reign of [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] (1327–77) all franchises, grants and liberties had been temporarily revoked with power passed to the king's sheriffs over the seneschals.<ref name="Falkiner179"/> This may have been due to the disorganisation caused by the Bruce invasion as well as the renouncing of the Connaught Burkes of their allegiance to the crown.<ref name="Falkiner179"/>

The Earls of Ulster divided their territory up into counties. These are not considered part of the Crown's shiring of Ireland. In 1333, the [[Earldom of Ulster]] is recorded as consisting of seven counties: [[County Antrim|Antrim]], [[Newtownards|Blathewyc]], [[Carrickfergus|Cragferus]], [[County Coleraine|Coulrath]], [[Ards (territory)|del Art]], [[County Down|Dun]] (also known as [[Lecale|Ladcathel]]), and [[Twescard]].<ref name="Bardon2005pg45">Bardon, Jonathan: ''A History of Ulster'', page 45. The Black Staff Press, 2005. {{ISBN|0-85640-764-X}}</ref><ref name="DownII">Hughes and Hannan: ''Place-Names of Northern Ireland, Volume Two, County Down II, The Ards'', The Queen's University of Belfast, 1992. {{ISBN|085389-450-7}}</ref>

===Passage to the Crown===
Of the original lordships or palatine counties:
*Leinster had passed from Richard de Clare to his daughter, [[Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke|Isabel de Clare]], who had married [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke]] (second creation of title). This marriage was confirmed by [[John, King of England|King John]], with Isabel's lands given to William as consort. The liberty was afterwards divided into five—Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Leix and Wexford—one for each of Marshal's co-heiresses.<ref name="Falkiner175"/>
*Meath was divided between the granddaughters of [[Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath|Walter de Lacy]]: [[Maud de Lacy, Baroness Geneville|Maud]] and Margery. Maud's half became the liberty of Trim, and she married [[Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville|Geoffrey de Geneville]]. Margery's half retained the name Meath, and she married John de Verdon. After the marriage of Maud's daughter [[Joan de Geneville, 2nd Baroness Geneville|Joan]] to [[Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March]], Trim later passed via their descendants to the English Crown. Meath, which had passed to the Talbots, was resumed by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] under the [[Statute of Absentees]].<ref name="Falkiner175"/>
*Ulster was regranted to the de Lacys from John de Courcy, whilst Connaught, which had been granted to [[William de Burgh]], was at some point divided into the liberties of Connaught and Roscommon. William's grandson [[Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster|Walter de Burgh]] was in 1264 also made lord of Ulster, bringing both Connaught and Ulster under the same lord. In 1352 [[Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster]] married [[Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence|Lionel of Antwerp]], a son of king [[Edward III of England|Edward III]]. Their daughter [[Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster|Philippa]] married [[Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March]]. Upon the death of [[Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March]] in 1425, both lordships were inherited by [[Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York]] and thus passed to the Crown.<ref name="Falkiner175"/>
*Tipperary was resumed by King [[James VI and I|James I]]. In 1662, under [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] it was reconstituted for [[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde]].<ref name="Falkiner177">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/176/mode/2up?view=theater 177]}}</ref>

With the passing of liberties to the Crown, the number of Counties of the Cross declined, and only one, Tipperary, survived into the Stuart era; the others had ceased to exist by the reign of Henry VIII.<ref name="Falkiner179"/>

===Tudor era===
Under the Tudors, specifically the reign of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] (1509–47), crown control started to again extend throughout Ireland.<ref name="Falkiner180-1">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/180/mode/2up?view=theater 180-1]}}</ref> Having declared himself [[King of Ireland]] in 1541, Henry VIII went about converting Irish chiefs into feudal subjects of the crown with land divided into districts, which were eventually amalgamated into the modern counties.<ref name="Falkiner180-1"/> County boundaries were still ill-defined; however, in 1543 [[Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543|Meath was split into Meath and Westmeath]].<ref name="Falkiner180-1"/> Around 1545, the [[Byrne]]s and [[O'Toole (surname)|O'Tooles]], both native septs who had constantly been a pain for the English administration of the Pale, petitioned the Lord Deputy of Ireland to turn their district into its own county, Wicklow. This was ignored.<ref name="Falkiner"/>

During the reigns of the last two Tudor monarchs, [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] (1553–58) and [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]] (1558–1603), the majority of the work for the foundation of the modern counties was carried out under the auspices of three [[Lord Deputy of Ireland|Lord Deputies]]: [[Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex]], Sir [[Henry Sidney|Henry Sydney]], and Sir [[John Perrot]].<ref name="Falkiner182">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/182/mode/2up?view=theater 182]}}</ref>

Mary's reign saw the first addition of actual new counties since the reign of King John. Radclyffe had conquered the districts of Glenmaliry, Irry, Leix, Offaly, and Slewmargy from the O'Moores and O'Connors, and in 1556 a statute decreed that Offaly and part of Glenmaliry would be made into the county of [[County Offaly|King's County]], whilst the rest of Glenmarliry along with Irry, Leix and Slewmargy was formed into [[County Laois|Queen's County]].<ref name="Falkiner182"/> Radclyffe brought forth legislation to shire all land as yet unshired throughout Ireland and sought to divide the island into six parts—Connaught, Leinster, Meath, Nether Munster, Ulster, and Upper Munster. His administrative reign in Ireland was cut short, and it was not until the reign of Mary's successor, Elizabeth, that this legislation was re-adopted. Under Elizabeth, Radclyffe was brought back to implement it.<ref name="Falkiner"/>

Sydney during his three tenures as Lord Deputy created two presidencies to administer Connaught and Munster. He shired Connaught into the counties of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo.<ref name="Falkiner184">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/184/mode/2up?view=theater 184]}}</ref> In 1565, the territory of the O'Rourkes within Roscommon was made into the county of Leitrim. In 1569, in an attempt to reduce the importance of the province of Munster, Sydney, using the [[River Shannon]] as a natural boundary took the former kingdom of Thomond (North Munster) and made it into the county of Clare as part of the presidency of Connaught.<ref name="Falkiner185">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/184/mode/2up?view=theater 185]}}</ref> 

In 1569, the Irish Parliament passed "An Act for turning of Countries that be not yet Shire Grounds into Shire Grounds".<ref>[https://opac.oireachtas.ie/Data/Library7/Library1/DC900041.pdf 11 Elizabeth I, Session 3, Chapter 9 (1569)]</ref> In 1571, a commission headed by Perrot and others declared that the territory of Desmond in Munster was to be made a county of itself, and it had its own sheriff appointed. In 1606, it was merged with the county of Kerry.<ref name="Falkiner192-3">{{harv|Falkiner|1903|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/192/mode/2up?view=theater 192-3]}}</ref> In 1575, Sydney made an expedition to Ulster to plan its shiring. Nothing came of the plans.<ref name="Falkiner"/>

In 1578, the go-ahead was given for turning the districts of the Byrnes and O'Tooles into the county of Wicklow. With the outbreak of war in Munster and then Ulster, they resumed their independence.<ref name="Falkiner"/> Sydney also sought to split Wexford into two smaller counties, the northern half of which was to be called Ferns, but the matter was dropped as it was considered impossible to properly administer.<ref name="Falkiner"/> In 1583, the territory of the [[Ó Fearghail|O'Farrell]]s of [[Annaly]], which was in Westmeath, was formed into the county of Longford and transferred to Connaught.<ref name="Falkiner"/><ref>{{cite book|first=John G.|last=Crawford|title=Anglicising the Government of Ireland: The Irish Privy Council & the Expansion of Tudor Rule 1556–1578|location=Blackrock|year=1993}}</ref> The [[Desmond Rebellions|Desmond rebellion]] (1579–83) that was taking place in Munster stopped Sydney's work. By the time it had been defeated, Sir John Perrot was Lord Deputy, being appointed in 1584.<ref name="Falkiner"/>

Perrot was most remembered for shiring Ulster, the only province of Ireland that remained effectively outside of English control<ref name="Falkiner"/> Prior to his tenancy the only proper county in Ulster was Louth, which had been part of the Pale.<ref name="Falkiner"/> There were two other long recognised entities north of Louth—Antrim and Down—that had at one time been "counties" of the Earldom of Ulster and were regarded as apart from the unreformed parts of the province.<ref name="Falkiner"/> The date Antrim and Down became constituted is unknown.<ref name="Falkiner"/> 

In 1588, Perrot was recalled and for two decades the shiring of Ulster basically existed on paper, as the territory affected remained firmly outside of English control until the defeat of [[Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone]] in the [[Nine Years' War (Ireland)|Nine Years' War]].<ref name="Falkiner"/> These counties were: Armagh, Cavan, Coleraine, Donegal, Fermanagh, Monaghan, and Tyrone.<ref name="Falkiner"/> Cavan was formed from the territory of the [[O'Reilly]]'s of [[East Breifne]] and had been transferred from Connaught to Ulster.<ref name="roche">{{cite book|first=Desmond|last=Roche|title=Local Government in Ireland|location=Dublin|year=1982}}</ref> After O'Neill and his allies fled Ireland in 1607 in the [[Flight of the Earls]], their lands became escheated to the Crown. The county divisions designed by Perrot were used as the basis for the grants of the 1609 [[Plantation of Ulster]] effected by King [[James VI and I|James I]]..<ref name="Falkiner"/>

Around 1600, near the end of Elizabeth's reign, Clare was made an entirely distinct presidency of its own under the [[Earl of Thomond|Earls of Thomond]]. It returned to being part of Munster after the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration]] in 1660.<ref name="Falkiner"/>

In 1606, Wicklow was shired after the subjugation of the Byrnes and O'Tooles by Lord Deputy Sir [[Arthur Chichester, 1st Baron Chichester|Arthur Chichester]].<ref name="Falkiner"/> This county was one of the last to be created, yet was the closest to the centre of English power in Ireland.<ref name="Falkiner"/>

In 1613, County Londonderry was incorporated by the merger of [[County Coleraine]] with the barony of [[Loughinsholin]] (in County Tyrone), the [[North West Liberties of Londonderry]] (in County Donegal), and the [[North East Liberties of Coleraine]] (in County Antrim).

===Demarcation of counties and Tipperary===
Throughout the Elizabethan era and the reign of her successor James I, the exact boundaries of the provinces and the counties they consisted of remained uncertain. In 1598 Meath is considered a province in Hayne's ''Description of Ireland'', and included the counties of Cavan, East Meath, Longford, and Westmeath.<ref name="Falkiner"/> This contrasts to [[George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes|George Carew]]'s 1602 survey where there were only four provinces with Longford part of Connaught and Cavan not mentioned at all with only three counties mentioned for Ulster.<ref name="Falkiner"/> During Perrot's tenure as [[Lord President of Munster]] before he became Lord Deputy, Munster contained as many as eight counties rather than the six it later consisted of.<ref name="Falkiner"/> These eight counties were: the five English counties of Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary, and Waterford; and the three Irish counties of Desmond, Ormond, and Thomond.<ref name="Falkiner"/>

Perrot's divisions in Ulster were for the main confirmed by a series of inquisitions between 1606 and 1610 that settled the demarcation of the counties of Connaught and Ulster.<ref name="Falkiner"/> [[John Speed]]'s ''Description of the Kingdom of Ireland'' in 1610 showed that there was still a vagueness over what counties constituted the provinces, however, Meath was no longer reckoned a province.<ref name="Falkiner"/> By 1616 when the [[Attorney General for Ireland]] Sir [[John Davies (poet, born 1569)|John Davies]] departed Ireland, almost all counties had been delimited.<ref name="Falkiner"/> The only exception was the county of Tipperary, which still belonged to the palatinate of Ormond.<ref name="Falkiner"/>

Tipperary would remain an anomaly being in effect two counties, one palatine, the other of the Cross until 1715 during the reign of King [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] when an act abolished the "royalties and liberties of the County of Tipperary" and "that whatsoever hath been denominated or called Tipperary or Cross Tipperary, shall henceforth be and remain one county forever, under the name of the County of Tipperary."<ref name="Falkiner"/> Between 1838 and 2014, County Tipperary was divided into two [[Riding (division)|ridings]]/counties, [[North Tipperary]] and [[South Tipperary]].

===Sub-divisions of counties===
To correspond with the subdivisions of the English shires into honours or [[barony (county division)|baronies]], Irish counties were granted out to the Anglo-Norman noblemen in [[cantred]]s, later known as [[Barony (Ireland)|baronies]], which were subdivided, as in England, into [[Civil parishes in Ireland|parishes]]. Parishes were composed of [[townland]]s. In many cases, these divisions correspond to earlier, pre-Norman, divisions. While there are 331<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://census.cso.ie/censusasp/saps/boundaries/ED_SA%20Disclaimer1.htm|title=2011 Census Boundaries|website=census.cso.ie|access-date=2019-05-06|archive-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002060010/http://census.cso.ie/censusasp/saps/boundaries/ED_SA%20Disclaimer1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> baronies in Ireland, and more than a thousand [[Civil parishes in Ireland|civil parishes]], there are around sixty thousand townlands that range in size from one to several thousand hectares. Townlands were often traditionally divided into smaller units called ''quarters'', but these subdivisions are not legally defined.

===Counties corporate===
The following towns/cities had charters specifically granting them the status of a [[county corporate]]:
* County of the Town of [[Carrickfergus]] (by 1325)
* County of the City of [[Cork (city)|Cork]] ([[1608 in Ireland|1608]])
* County of the Town of [[Drogheda]] ([[1412 in Ireland|1412]])
* County of the City of [[Dublin]] ([[1548 in Ireland|1548]])
* County of the Town of [[Galway]] ([[1610 in Ireland|1610]])
* County of the City of [[Kilkenny]] (1610)
* County of the City of [[Limerick]] ([[1609 in Ireland|1609]])
* County of the City of [[Waterford]] ([[1574 in Ireland|1574]])
The only entirely new counties created in 1898 were the county boroughs of Londonderry and Belfast. Carrickfergus, Drogheda and Kilkenny were abolished. Galway was also abolished, but recreated in 1986.

===Exceptions to the county system of control===
Regional presidencies of Connacht and Munster remained in existence until 1672, with special powers over their subsidiary counties.  Tipperary remained a [[county palatine]] until the passing of the [[County Palatine of Tipperary Act 1715]], with different officials and procedures from other counties.  At the same time, Dublin, until the 19th century, had ecclesiastical liberties with rules outside those applying to the rest of Dublin city and county.  [[Exclaves]] of the county of Dublin existed in counties Kildare and Wicklow. At least eight other enclaves of one county inside another, or between two others, existed.  The enclaves and exclaves were merged into neighbouring and surrounding counties, primarily in the mid-19th century under a series of Orders in Council.

===Evolution of functions===
The [[Church of Ireland]] exercised functions at the level of a civil parish that were later exercised by county authorities. Vestigial feudal power structures of major old estates remained well into the 18th century. Urban corporations operated individual royal charters. Management of counties came to be exercised by [[Grand Jury|grand juries]]. Members of grand juries were the local payers of [[Rates (tax)|rates]] who historically held judicial functions, taking maintenance roles in regard to roads and bridges, and the collection of "county cess" taxes. They were usually composed of wealthy "country gentlemen" (i.e. landowners, farmers and merchants):<blockquote>A country gentleman as a member of a Grand Jury...levied the local taxes, appointed the nephews of his old friends to collect them, and spent them when they were gathered in. He controlled the boards of guardians and appointed the dispensary doctors, regulated the diet of paupers, inflicted fines and administered the law at petty sessions.<ref>{{cite book|last=McDowell|first=R. B|title=The Church of Ireland, 1869–1969|editor=T.W. Moody |editor2=J.C. Beckett |editor3=J.V. Kelleher|publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. |year=1975|pages=2|isbn= 0-7100-8072-7|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VdU9AAAAIAAJ|access-date=3 September 2011}}</ref></blockquote> The counties were initially used for judicial purposes, but began to take on some governmental functions in the 17th century, notably with grand juries.

===19th and 20th centuries===
In 1836, the use of counties as local government units was further developed, with grand-jury powers extended under the [[Grand Jury (Ireland) Act 1836]]. The traditional county of [[County Tipperary|Tipperary]] was split into two judicial counties (or [[Riding (division)|riding]]s) following the establishment of [[assize court]]s in 1838. Also in 1838, local poor law boards, with a mix of magistrates and elected "guardians" took over the health and social welfare functions of the grand juries.

In 1898, a more radical reorganisation of local government took place with the passage of the [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]]. This Act established a county council for each of the thirty-three Irish administrative counties. Elected county councils took over the powers of the [[Grand jury|grand juries]]. The boundaries of the traditional counties changed on a number of occasions. The 1898 Act changed the boundaries of Counties [[County Galway|Galway]], [[County Clare|Clare]], [[County Mayo|Mayo]], [[Roscommon]], [[County Sligo|Sligo]], [[County Waterford|Waterford]], [[County Kilkenny|Kilkenny]], [[County Meath|Meath]] and [[County Louth|Louth]], and others. County Tipperary was divided into two regions: [[North Tipperary|North Riding]] and [[South Tipperary|South Riding]]. Areas of the cities of Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Derry and Waterford were carved from their surrounding counties to become [[county borough]]s in their own right and given powers equivalent to those of administrative counties.<ref>{{cite news |title=Proposed Alterations in Counties |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=19 July 1898 |page=7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=27th Report of the Local Government Board for Ireland (Cmd.9480) |chapter=Orders declaring the boundaries of administrative counties and defining county electoral divisions |year=1900 |publisher=[[HMSO]] |location=Dublin |pages=235–330}}</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/handbookoflocalg00clan A Handbook of Local Government in Ireland (1899)] "containing an Explanatory Introduction to the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898: together with the Text of the Act, the Orders in Council, and the Rules made thereunder relating to County Council, Rural District Council, and Guardian's Elections. With an Index"</ref>

Under the [[Government of Ireland Act 1920]], the island was partitioned between [[Southern Ireland (1921–1922)|Southern Ireland]] and [[Northern Ireland]]. For the purposes of the Act, <blockquote>... Northern Ireland shall consist of the parliamentary counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, and the parliamentary boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry, and Southern Ireland shall consist of so much of Ireland as is not comprised within the said parliamentary counties and boroughs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bailii.org/nie/legis/num_act/1920/192000067.html|title=Government of Ireland Act 1920 (as assented to)|website=bailii.org|access-date=14 February 2012|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230148/http://www.bailii.org/nie/legis/num_act/1920/192000067.html|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

The county and county borough borders were used to determine the line of partition. Southern Ireland shortly afterwards became the [[Irish Free State]]. This partition was entrenched in the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]], which was ratified in 1922, by which the Irish Free State left the United Kingdom with [[Northern Ireland]] making the decision to not separate two days later.

====Historic and traditional counties====
Areas that were shired by 1607 and continued as counties until the local government reforms of 1836, 1898 and 2001 are sometimes referred to as "traditional" or "historic" counties. These were distinct from the [[county corporate|counties corporate]] that existed in some of the larger towns and cities, although linked to the county at large for other purposes. From 1898 to 2001, areas with county councils were known as [[Administrative county#Ireland|administrative counties]]. The counties corporate were designated as [[county borough]]s. From 2001, local government areas were divided between counties and cities. From 2014, they were divided into counties, cities, and cities and counties.

==Current usage==
===In the Republic of Ireland===
{{main|Local government in the Republic of Ireland}}
{{Politics of the Republic of Ireland}}
In the Republic of Ireland, the traditional counties are, in general, the basis for local government, planning and community development purposes and are still generally respected for other purposes. They are governed by [[county council]]s. Administrative borders have been altered to allocate various towns exclusively into one county having been originally split between two counties.

At the establishment of the [[Irish Free State]] in 1922, there were 27 administrative counties (with [[County Tipperary]] divided into the administrative counties of [[North Tipperary]] and [[South Tipperary]]) and 4 county boroughs, [[Dublin]], [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[Limerick]] and [[Waterford]].

[[Rural district]]s were abolished by the [[Local Government Act 1925]] and the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1930 amidst widespread allegations of corruption.

Under the Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation Act 1976, part of the urban area of [[Drogheda]], which lay in County Meath, was transferred to County Louth in January 1977. This resulted in the land area of County Louth increasing slightly at the expense of County Meath.<ref>{{cite web | last = Tully | first = James | title = Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation Act, 1976 | publisher = [[Attorney General of Ireland|Office of the Irish Attorney General]] | date = 19 October 1976 | url = http://www.irishstatutebook.ie:80/1976/en/act/prv/0001/print.html | access-date = 22 March 2008 | archive-date = 22 January 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090122025027/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1976/en/act/prv/0001/print.html | url-status = live }}</ref> The possibility of a similar action with regard to [[Waterford City]] has been raised in recent years, though opposition from Kilkenny has been strong.

In 1985, [[Galway]] became a county borough.

[[County Dublin]] was abolished as an administrative county in 1994 and divided into three administrative counties: [[Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown]], [[Fingal]], and [[South Dublin]].

Under the [[Local Government Act 2001]], the county boroughs of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford were re-styled as cities, with the same status in law as counties. The term [[administrative county]] was replaced with the term "county".

The cities of [[Limerick]] and [[Waterford]] were merged with their respective counties by the [[Local Government Reform Act 2014]], to form new ''cities and counties''. The same Act abolished North Tipperary and South Tipperary and re-established County Tipperary as an administrative unit.

There are now 31 local government areas: 26 counties, three cities, and two cities and counties.

Since 2014, local authorities send representatives to [[Regional Assemblies in Ireland|Regional Assemblies]] overseeing three regions for the purposes of [[European Structural and Investment Funds]]: Southern Region, the Eastern and Midland Region, and the Northern and Western Region.<ref name="Regions_EMRA">{{cite web |title=What we do |url=https://emra.ie/what-we-do/ |website=The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly |access-date=26 October 2021}}</ref> From 1994 to 2014, there were eight [[Regional Authorities in Ireland|Regional Authorities]], dissolved under the Local Government Reform Act 2014.

As placenames, there is a distinction between the traditional counties, listed as "counties", and those created as local government areas, listed as "administrative counties".<ref name=si519 />

====Education====
In 2013 [[Education and Training Board]]s (ETBs) were formed throughout the Republic of Ireland, replacing the system of [[Vocational Education Committee]]s (VECs) created in 1930. Originally, VECs were formed for each administrative county and county borough, and also in a number of larger towns, and were legally sub-committees of the relevant authorities. In 1997 the majority of town VECs were absorbed by the surrounding county authorities. The 33 VEC areas were reduced to 16 ETB areas, with each consisting of one or more local government county or city areas.<ref name=roinn>{{cite web|title=01 July, 2013– Education and Training Boards replace VECs|url=http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2013-Press-Releases/PR-%202013-%2007-%2001.html|publisher=[[Department of Education and Youth|Department of Education and Skills]]|access-date=3 July 2013|archive-date=13 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013133013/http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2013-Press-Releases/PR-%202013-%2007-%2001.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Institutes of technology in Ireland|Institute of technology]] system was organised by committee areas or "functional areas". These areas retain their legal basis but are not as important as originally envisioned as the institutes are now more national in character. The functional areas are only of significance today when selecting governing councils; similarly, [[Dublin Institute of Technology]] was originally a group of several colleges within the aegis of the [[City of Dublin]] VEC.

====Elections====
Where possible, [[Dáil constituencies]] follow county boundaries. Under the Electoral Act 1997, as amended, a [[Constituency Commission]] is established following the publication of preliminary census figures every five years. The commission is charged with defining constituency boundaries, and the 1997 Act provides that "the breaching of county boundaries shall be avoided as far as practicable".<ref>{{cite Irish legislation|year=2009|number=4|section=9|stitle=Substitution of Part II of Electoral Act 1997|name=[[Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009]]|date=24 February 2009|access-date=10 January 2022}}</ref> This provision does not apply to the boundaries between cities and counties, or between the three counties in the Dublin area.

This system usually results in more populated counties having several constituencies: Dublin, including Dublin city, is subdivided into twelve constituencies, Cork into five. Smaller counties such as Carlow and Kilkenny or Laois and Offaly may be paired to form constituencies. Leitrim, Ireland's least populated county, was divided between the constituencies of [[Sligo–North Leitrim (Dáil constituency)|Sligo–North Leitrim]] and [[Roscommon–South Leitrim (Dáil constituency)|Roscommon–South Leitrim]] from 2007 to 2016.

Each county, city, and city and county is divided into [[local electoral area]]s for the election of councillors. The boundaries of the areas and the number of councillors assigned are fixed from time to time by order of the [[Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage]], following a report by the Local Government Commission, and based on population changes recorded in the census.<ref>{{cite Irish legislation|year=2001|number=37|section=23|name=[[Local Government Act 2001]]|access-date=3 September 2007|archive-date=29 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120616/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2001/en/act/pub/0037/sec0023.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===In Northern Ireland===
{{main|Counties of Northern Ireland|Local government in Northern Ireland}}

In Northern Ireland, a major reorganisation of local government in 1973 replaced the six traditional counties and two [[county borough]]s ([[Belfast]] and [[Derry]]{{efn|name="LDerry"|The city and county officially named ''Londonderry'' are often called ''Derry''. See [[Derry/Londonderry name dispute]].}}) with 26 single-tier districts for local government purposes. In 2015, as a result of a [[Reform of local government in Northern Ireland|reform process that started in 2005]], these districts were merged to form 11 new single-tier "super districts".

The six traditional counties remain in use for some purposes, including the three-letter coding of [[British car number plates#Northern Ireland|vehicle number plates]], the [[Royal Mail]] [[Postcode Address File]] (which records counties in all addresses although they are no longer required for postcoded mail) and [[Lord Lieutenant#Northern Ireland|Lord Lieutenancies]] (for which the former county boroughs are also used). There are no longer official 'county towns'. However, the counties are still very widely acknowledged, for example as administrative divisions for sporting and cultural organisations.

===Other uses===
The administrative division of the island along the lines of the traditional 32 counties was also adopted by non-governmental and cultural organisations. In particular, the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] (GAA) continues to organise its activities on the basis of [[County (Gaelic games)|its own system of counties]] that, throughout the island, correspond almost exactly to the 32 traditional counties in use at the time of the foundation of that organisation in 1884. The GAA also uses the term "county" for some of its organisational units in Britain and further afield. Legal adjustments to county bounds since 1884 have not been reflected in GAA county boards (e.g. [[Ballaghaderreen GAA]] which is located in [[County Roscommon]] but affiliated to [[Mayo GAA|Mayo GAA county board]]).

==List of counties==
The 35 divisions listed below include the traditional counties of Ireland as well as three created in Dublin in 1994. Twenty-four counties still delimit the remit of local government areas in the Republic of Ireland, in some cases with slightly redrawn boundaries. [[County Dublin]], which was abolished as a distinct administrative entity in 1994,<ref>{{Cite Irish legislation|year=1993|number=31|name=[[Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993]]|date=21 December 1993|section=9|stitle=Establishment and boundaries of administrative counties|quote=S. 9(1). On the establishment day— ... (a) the county shall cease to exist.|access-date=19 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523012230/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1993/en/act/pub/0031/index.html |archive-date=23 May 2011 }}</ref> is included, as are the three new administrative counties which took over the functions of the former County Dublin. In Northern Ireland, the counties listed no longer serve this purpose. The Irish-language names of counties in the Republic of Ireland are prescribed by ministerial order, which in the case of three newer counties, omits the word {{lang|ga|contae}} (county).<ref name=si519 /> Irish names form the basis for all English-language county names except Waterford, Wexford, and Wicklow, which are of Norse origin.

The "Region" column of the table below, except for the six Northern Ireland counties, indicates Regions as defined under the Local Government Act 1991.<ref>{{cite Irish legislation|year=2014|type=si|number=573|name=Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014|date=16 December 2014|access-date=24 March 2019}}</ref> These are NUTS 2 [[NUTS statistical regions of Ireland|statistical regions of Ireland]]. "[[County town]]" is the current or former administrative capital of the county.

The cities of [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[Dublin]], and [[Galway]], which are separate local government areas with the same legal status as counties, are not shown separately. Also omitted are the former [[county borough]]s of Londonderry and [[Belfast]] which in Northern Ireland had the same legal status as the six counties until the reorganisation of local government in 1973.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! colspan=2 | County
! Native name<br />(Irish)<ref>{{cite book |title=Gasaitéar na hÉireann / Gazetteer of Ireland |year=1989 |publisher=Brainse Logainmneacha na Suirbhéireachta Ordanáis / Placenames Branch of the Ordnance Survey |location=Dublin |isbn=978-0-7076-0076-5}}</ref><br />
! Ulster-Scots<br />name(s)<br />
! [[County town]]
! Most<br />populous<br />city/town
! Province
! Region
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Antrim|Antrim]]
| {{lang|ga|Aontroim}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Aontroma}})}}
| Anthrim<ref>{{cite web|title=Yierly report 2008|url=http://www.tourismireland.com/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=c207aad1-691e-42c4-a3af-bcd870f62676|publisher=Tourism Ireland|access-date=9 May 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703065912/http://www.tourismireland.com/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=c207aad1-691e-42c4-a3af-bcd870f62676|archive-date=3 July 2013}}</ref><br />Antrìm<ref>{{cite web|title=Bonamargy Friary (Ulster-Scots Translation)|url=http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/bonamargyfriaryus.pdf |publisher=Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland)|access-date=9 May 2017|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402022145/http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/bonamargyfriaryus.pdf|archive-date=2 April 2014}}</ref><br />Entrim<ref>{{cite web|title=The Ulster-Scot, June 2011|url=http://www.ulsterscotsagency.com/ulster-scots-publications/the-ulster-scot/magazine/62/june-2011/|publisher=Ulster-Scots Agency|access-date=9 May 2017|archive-date=1 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901151720/http://www.ulsterscotsagency.com/ulster-scots-publications/the-ulster-scot/magazine/62/june-2011/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| [[Antrim, County Antrim|Antrim]] (traditional), [[Ballymena]]{{efn|group=fct|name=antrim|County Antrim's county town was [[Carrickfergus]] from 1850 to 1970.}}([[Antrim County Council|Council]])
| [[Belfast]] (part)
| [[Ulster]]
| UKN0: [[Northern Ireland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Armagh|Armagh]]
| {{lang|ga|Ard Mhacha}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Ard Mhacha}})}}
| Airmagh<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/web_2006_ulster_scots_report.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227120556/http://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/web_2006_ulster_scots_report.pdf|url-status=dead|title=North-South Ministerial Council: 2006 Annual Report in Ulster Scots|archive-date=27 February 2013}}</ref>
| [[Armagh]]
| [[Craigavon (planned town)|Craigavon]]
| [[Ulster]]
| UKN0: [[Northern Ireland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Carlow|Carlow]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table|Also a local government area.}}
| {{lang|ga|Ceatharlach}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Cheatharlach}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Carlow]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Cavan|Cavan]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|An Cabhán}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae an Chabháin}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Cavan]]
| [[Ulster]]
| IE04: [[Northern and Western Region|Northern and Western]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Clare|Clare]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|An Clár}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae an Chláir}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Ennis]]
| [[Munster]]
| IE05: [[Southern Region, Ireland|Southern]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Cork|Cork]]
| {{lang|ga|Corcaigh}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Chorcaí}})}}
| Coark<ref name="NorthSouth">{{Cite web|url=http://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/web_2006_ulster_scots_report.pdf |title=Noarth/Sooth Cooncil o Männystèrs |author=North/South Ministerial Council |access-date=21 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227120556/http://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/web_2006_ulster_scots_report.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2013 }}</ref>
| colspan=2 | [[Cork (city)|Cork]]
| [[Munster]]
| IE05: [[Southern Region, Ireland|Southern]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Donegal|Donegal]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Dún na nGall}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Dhún na nGall}})}}
| Dinnygal<br />Dunnygal<ref name="NorthSouth"/>
| [[Lifford]]
| [[Letterkenny]]
| [[Ulster]]
| IE04: [[Northern and Western Regional Assembly|Northern and Western]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Down|Down]]
| {{lang|ga|An Dún}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae an Dúin}})}}
| Doon<br />Doun
| [[Downpatrick]]
| [[Belfast]] (part)
| [[Ulster]]
| UKN0: [[Northern Ireland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Dublin|Dublin]]
| {{lang|ga|Baile Átha Cliath}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Dublin]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| 
| [[Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Dún Laoghaire–Ráth an Dúin}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Dún Laoghaire]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| 
| [[Fingal]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Fine Gall}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Swords, County Dublin|Swords]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| 
| [[South Dublin]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Áth Cliath Theas}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Tallaght]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Fermanagh|Fermanagh]]
| {{lang|ga|Fear Manach}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Fhear Manach}})}}
| Fermanay
| colspan=2 | [[Enniskillen]]
| [[Ulster]]
| UKN0: [[Northern Ireland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Galway|Galway]]
| {{lang|ga|Gaillimh}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae na Gaillimhe}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Galway]]
| {{lang|ga|[[Connacht]]}}
| IE04: [[Northern and Western Region|Northern and Western]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Kerry|Kerry]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Ciarraí}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Chiarraí}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Tralee]]
| [[Munster]]
| IE05: [[Southern Region, Ireland|Southern]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Kildare|Kildare]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Cill Dara}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Chill Dara}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Naas]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Kilkenny|Kilkenny]]
| {{lang|ga|Cill Chainnigh}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Chill Chainnigh}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Kilkenny]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE05: [[Southern Region, Ireland|Southern]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Laois|Laois]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Laois}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Laoise}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Portlaoise]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Leitrim|Leitrim]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Liatroim}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Liatroma}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Carrick-on-Shannon]]
| {{lang|ga|[[Connacht]]}}
| IE04: [[Northern and Western Region|Northern and Western]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Limerick|Limerick]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Luimneach}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Luimnigh}})}}
| Lïmerick<ref name="NorthSouth"/>
| colspan=2 | [[Limerick]]
| [[Munster]]
| IE05: [[Southern Region, Ireland|Southern]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Londonderry|Londonderry]]{{efn|name="LDerry"}}
| {{lang|ga|Doire}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Dhoire}})}}
| Lunnonderrie
| [[Coleraine]]
| [[Derry]]{{efn|name="LDerry"}}
| [[Ulster]]
| UKN0: [[Northern Ireland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Longford|Longford]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|An Longfort}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae an Longfoirt}})}}
| Langfurd<ref name="NorthSouth"/>
| colspan=2 | [[Longford]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Louth|Louth]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Lú}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Lú}})}}
| 
| [[Dundalk]]
| [[Drogheda]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Mayo|Mayo]]
| {{lang|ga|Maigh Eo}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Mhaigh Eo}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Castlebar]]
| {{lang|ga|[[Connacht]]}}
| IE04: [[Northern and Western Region|Northern and Western]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Meath|Meath]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|An Mhí}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae na Mí}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Navan]]{{efn|group=fct|name=meath|County Meath's former county town was [[Trim, County Meath|Trim]].}}
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Monaghan|Monaghan]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Muineachán}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Mhuineacháin}})}}
| Ronelann<ref name="dungannon.gov.uk">{{cite web|title=Fair faa ye tae Rathgannon Sooth Owenslann Burgh Cooncil|url=http://www.dungannon.gov.uk/index.cfm/area/Ulsterscotch|publisher=Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council|access-date=9 May 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408052025/http://www.dungannon.gov.uk/index.cfm/area/Ulsterscotch|archive-date=8 April 2013}}</ref>
| colspan=2 | [[Monaghan]]
| [[Ulster]]
| IE04: [[Northern and Western Region|Northern and Western]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Offaly|Offaly]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Uíbh Fhailí}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Uíbh Fhailí}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Tullamore]]{{efn|group=fct|name=offaly|County Offaly's former county town was [[Daingean|Philipstown]].}}
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Roscommon|Roscommon]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Ros Comáin}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Ros Comáin}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Roscommon]]
| {{lang|ga|[[Connacht]]}}
| IE04: [[Northern and Western Region|Northern and Western]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Sligo|Sligo]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Sligeach}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Shligigh}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Sligo]]
| {{lang|ga|[[Connacht]]}}
| IE04: [[Northern and Western Region|Northern and Western]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Tipperary|Tipperary]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Tiobraid Árann}}<br />{{small|{{nowrap|({{lang|ga|Contae Thiobraid Árann}})}}}}
| 
| [[Nenagh]]{{efn|group=fct|name=tipperary|County Tipperary's former county towns were [[Clonmel]] and [[Cashel, County Tipperary|Cashel]].}}
| [[Clonmel]]
| [[Munster]]
| IE05: [[Southern Region, Ireland|Southern]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Tyrone|Tyrone]]
| {{lang|ga|Tír Eoghain}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Thír Eoghain}})}}
| Owenslann<ref name="dungannon.gov.uk"/>
| colspan=2 | [[Omagh]]
| [[Ulster]]
| UKN0: [[Northern Ireland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Waterford|Waterford]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Port Láirge}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Phort Láirge}})}}
| Wattèrford<ref name="NorthSouth"/>
| colspan=2 | [[Waterford]]
| [[Munster]]
| IE05: [[Southern Region, Ireland|Southern]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Westmeath|Westmeath]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|An Iarmhí}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae na hIarmhí}})}}
| 
| [[Mullingar]]
| [[Athlone]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Wexford|Wexford]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Loch Garman}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Loch Garman}})}}
| 
| colspan=2 | [[Wexford]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE05: [[Southern Region, Ireland|Southern]]
|-
| colspan=2 | [[County Wicklow|Wicklow]]{{efn|name=lga|group=table}}
| {{lang|ga|Cill Mhantáin}}<br />{{small|({{lang|ga|Contae Chill Mhantáin}})}}
| 
| [[Wicklow]]
| [[Bray, County Wicklow|Bray]]
| [[Leinster]]
| IE06: [[Eastern and Midland Region|Eastern and Midland]]
|}

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=fct}}

==See also==
*[[Counties of the United Kingdom]]
*[[County (Gaelic games)]]
*[[History of Ireland]]
*[[Vehicle registration plates of the Republic of Ireland]]
*[[Vehicle registration plates of Northern Ireland]]
*[[List of Irish counties by area]]
*[[List of Irish counties by population]]
*[[List of Irish counties' coats of arms]]
*[[County town#Historic counties of Northern Ireland|List of Irish county towns]]
*[[ISO 3166-2:GB]]
*[[ISO 3166-2:IE]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
* {{cite journal |last=Falkiner|first=Caesar Litton |author-link = Caesar Litton Falkiner|date=1903 |title=The Counties of Ireland: An Historical Sketch of Their Origin, Constitution, and Gradual Delimitation |url=https://archive.org/details/proceedingsroya29acadgoog/page/n814/mode/2up?q=%22counties+of+ireland+an+historical%22&view=theater |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy |volume=XXIV, Section C |issue= |access-date=17 July 2022}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110723152517/http://www.lyra.it/copper/index.php?cat=39 Common Licensed Photos from all the Counties]
*[http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlkik/ihm/baronies.htm The Baronies of Ireland -Clans and Baronies]

{{Counties of Ireland}}

{{Ireland topics}}

[[Category:Counties of Ireland| ]]
[[Category:Counties of the Republic of Ireland| ]]
[[Category:Counties of Northern Ireland| ]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Ireland]]
[[Category:Lists of subdivisions of Ireland]]
[[Category:First-level administrative divisions by country]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions in Europe]]
[[Category:Ireland geography-related lists]]
[[Category:Lists of counties|Lists of counties]]