Castlecomer Plateau
The Castlecomer Plateau, or 'South Leinster Coalfield', is an upland area in the north of County Kilkenny, extending into County Laois and County Carlow at its northern edge. The plateau is roughly bounded on the east and south by the R448 regional road, on the west by the N77. The River Nore flows southward past the plateau's western flank, the River Barrow past its eastern flank and it is dissected by the River Dinin, which flows through Castlecomer itself, after which the plain is named.
In the barony of Fassadinin, historically it was part of in the historic kingdom of Osraige (Ossory) and was the territory of the Uí Duach (Idough) clan.[1][2]
Geography
The plateau, with an area of 250 square miles, is in the south-eastern part of the Central Plain of Ireland.[3] It is almost circular, except to the south-west where it is cut away to form the Dinin River Valley.[3] The centre of the plateau is a topographical and geological basin with an elevation of 393.7 feet (120.0 m). The higher topographical features have an elevation of over 1,000 feet.[3] The main part of the plateau is drained by the Upper and Lower Dinin rivers with join south of Castlecomer.[3] The plateau consists almost completely of limestone with sedimentary rocks of various types and ages. with the centre of the plateau.
The landscape consists of a large area of upland lying between the river valleys of the Barrow and Nore. The eastern section, which is the larger and more elevated part of the plateau is known as the Rossmore Plateau, after the village of Rossmore, County Laois, which is situated at the northeastern extremity near the highest point on the plateau (1,096 feet) and is just three miles from Carlow Town below, in the valley of the River Barrow.
The topography and soils of the area have long influenced its history. The plateau has remained sparsely populated but has also provided a refuge for the dispossessed. One of Ireland's few commercial coal deposits occurred in this upland area which has meant that it is one of the few places in Ireland that has a coal-mining history. The area is difficult for agriculture with lower temperatures, more exposure and heavier, wetter soils than the surrounding lowlands. However it has proved excellent for forestry and there are extensive plantations of Sitka spruce at the higher elevations.
Parts of the area fall within the Barrow and River Special Areas of Conservation.
Outside links
References
- ↑ Walsh, Dennis. "Barony of Fassadinin". http://sites.rootsweb.com/~irlkik/history/fassadinin.htm., Walsh, Dennis. "The Baronies of Ireland". http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/baronie2.htm. and Walsh, Dennis. "Barony Map of the Leinster Region". http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/barony-map-leinster.htm.
- ↑ (Ó hUidhrín & Ó Dubhagáin 1851, PDF)
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Misstear, B. D. R. (1980) (in en). The Groundwater resources of the Castlecomer Plateau. Minister for Energy. https://books.google.com/books?id=aM9OAQAAIAAJ.
- Caisleán an Chomair / Castlecomer: Placenames Database of Ireland
- Ó hUidhrín, Giolla na Naomh; Ó Dubhagáin, Seán Mór (1851). O'Donovan, John. ed. The tribes and territories of ancient Ossory; comprising the portions of O'Heerin's and O'Dugan's topographical poems which relate to the families of that district.. Dublin: J. O'Daly. ISBN 978-1-143-94749-0. https://archive.org/details/tribesterritorie00odonrich.