Administrative counties of Ireland


Administrative counties were a unit of local government created by an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for use in Ireland in 1899. Following the separation of the Irish Free State from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, administrative counties continued in use in the two parts of the island of Ireland under their respective sovereign jurisdictions. They continued in use until 1973 in Northern Ireland and until 2002 in the Republic of Ireland.

History

The administrative counties were created by the Local Government Act 1898. The Act established a new system of local government in Ireland, consisting of county councils, similar to the systems created for England and Wales by the Local Government Act 1888 and for Scotland by the Local Government Act 1889.
As in England and Wales, the Act created county boroughs of Ireland's largest towns which were independent of their surrounding county councils, but in contrast to England, the county boroughs were deemed to be administrative counties themselves. Thus there were 38 administrative counties, of which 8 were county boroughs. After the separation of the Irish Free State, eight administrative counties remained in Northern Ireland, while the Irish Free State had 30 administrative counties.
The administrative counties of Northern Ireland were abandoned as local government areas by the Local Government Act 1972. The Act came into effect in 1973.
Galway city become a county borough in 1986. In 1994 the administrative county of Dublin was abolished and its area was divided into three parts for the purposes of local government: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.
In the Republic of Ireland, the 1898 Act was replaced by the Local Government Act 2001, which came into operation on 1 January 2002. The Act adopted the simple title county in place of administrative county.

Former administrative counties of Northern Ireland

The administrative counties in the area now constituting Northern Ireland were created as follows:
Administrative countyComponents
County of AntrimThe existing judicial county of Antrim less the portion of the City of Belfast situated therein
County of ArmaghThe existing judicial county of Armagh less the portion of the town of Newry situated therein
County of DownThe existing judicial county of Down less the portions of the City of Belfast and the town of Lisburn situated therein
Part of the judicial county of Armagh
County of FermanaghThe existing judicial county of Fermanagh
County of Londonderry
County of TyroneThe existing judicial county of Tyrone

County boroughs

Former administrative counties of the Republic of Ireland

The administrative counties in the area now constituting the Republic of Ireland were created as follows:
Administrative countyComponents
County of CarlowThe existing judicial county of Carlow
So much of Queen's County as forms part of the town of Carlow
County of CavanThe existing judicial county of Cavan
County of ClareThe existing judicial county of Clare
Part of the judicial county of Galway
County of CorkThe existing judicial county of Cork
County of DonegalThe existing judicial county of Donegal
County of DublinThe existing judicial county of Dublin less the portion of the township of Bray situated therein
County of GalwayThe existing judicial county of Galway less the Ballinchalla, Inishcaltra North, Mountshannon, Owenbrin and Rosmoylan EDs
Part of the judicial county of Roscommon
The judicial County of the Town of Galway
County of KerryThe existing judicial county of Kerry
County of KildareThe existing judicial county of Kildare
County of KilkennyThe existing judicial county of Kilkenny less the portion of the town of New Ross situated therein
The judicial County of the City of Kilkenny
Part of the judicial county of Waterford
King's CountyThe existing judicial county of King's County
County of LeitrimThe existing judicial county of Leitrim
County of LimerickThe existing judicial county of Limerick
County of LongfordThe existing judicial county of Longford
County of LouthThe existing judicial county of Louth
The judicial County of the Town of Drogheda
County of MayoThe existing judicial county of Mayo less Ballaghaderreen, Edmondstown EDs
Part of the judicial county of Galway
Part of the judicial county of Sligo
County of MeathThe existing judicial county of Meath
County of MonaghanThe existing judicial county of Monaghan
Queen's CountyThe existing judicial county of Queen's County less the portion of the town of Carlow situated therein
County of RoscommonThe existing judicial county of Roscommon less the portions of the towns of Athlone and Ballinasloe situated therein
Part of the judicial county of Galway
Part of the judicial county of Mayo
County of SligoThe existing judicial county of Sligo less Ardnaree North, Ardnareee South Rural, Ardnaree South Urban EDs
County of Tipperary, North RidingThe existing judicial county of the North Riding of Tipperary less Cappagh, Curraheen, Glengar EDs
County of Tipperary, South RidingThe existing judicial county of the South Riding of Tipperary
Part of the judicial county of the North Riding of Tipperary
Part of the judicial county of Waterford
County of WaterfordThe existing judicial county of Waterford less Kilculliheen ED and the portions of the town of Carrick-on-Suir and the borough of Clonmel situated therein.
County of WestmeathThe existing judicial county of Westmeath
Part of the judicial county of Roscommon
County of WexfordThe existing judicial county of Wexford
Part of the judicial county of Kilkenny
County of WicklowThe existing judicial county of Wicklow
Part of the judicial county of Dublin

County boroughs

County and county borough boundaries

The Act placed a number of townlands in a different administrative county from their parent county, following a policy to keep each urban sanitary districts and poor law union within a single administrative county.
The boundaries of the counties and county boroughs, which came into effect on 18 April 1899, were defined by orders of the Local Government Board for Ireland.