Ormond Upper

Ormond Upper (Irish: Urumhain Uachtarach) is a barony in County Tipperary, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town is Toomevara. The barony lies between Ormond Lower to the north (whose chief town is Nenagh), Kilnamanagh Upper to the south (whose chief town is Borrisoleigh), Owney and Arra to the west (whose chief town is Newport) and Ikerrin to the east (whose chief town is Roscrea). The territory is currently administered by Tipperary County Council. The O'Mearas had an entensive territory in the barony; the name of their chief residence, Tuaim-ui-Meara, is still retained in the town of Toomavara.

Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as divisions of counties and were used the administration of justice and the raising of revenue. While baronies continue to be officially defined units, they have been administratively 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 earlier Gaelic túath which had submitted to the Crown.

When County Tipperary was split into North and South Ridings in 1836, Ormond Upper was allocated to the north riding. However, the neighbouring barony of Kilnamanagh was split into Upper and Lower half-baronies, being allocated to the north and south ridings respectively.

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