THE 25-30 ISLANDS OF ANNALY GRANTED TO THE BARONS DELVIN & EARLS WESTMEATH

A Historical and Legal Explanation

The Barons Delvin—later the Earls of Westmeath—were granted or confirmed in possession of an extraordinary number of islands in Lough Ree, one of Ireland’s largest inland lakes. These grants came through several Crown patents issued between 1552 and 1620, as well as inheritances from monastic dissolutions. The number of islands under Nugent control was unusually high for any feudal lord in Ireland and is one of the strongest indicators that the Crown was transferring the spiritual and temporal authority of the O’Farrell princes to the Barons Delvin. Keep in mind that Annaly was part of old Westmeath until Longford was separated and Baron Delvin granted the Earldom over all ancient Westmeath.

Below is the breakdown.

I. PRIMARY ISLAND GRANTS

1. Inchcleraun (Inis Clothran) — “The Holy Island”

• A major early Christian monastic island

• The seat of St. Diarmaid and numerous monastic houses

• Multiple churches (up to 7 ruins remain)

• Considered a sacred “royal island” within Annaly

• Included burial grounds and ecclesiastical sites

Inchcleraun was explicitly granted or confirmed to the Nugents in the Tudor patents, which transferred many monastic lands after the Dissolution.

2. Inchmore (Inis Mór) — “The Great Island”

• The largest island in the entire Lough Ree system

• Historically inhabited

• Contained abbeys, ringforts, and medieval settlements

• A key fishing and landing site

Inchmore appears in Crown grants connected to lands and fisheries that formerly belonged to monastic houses and O’Farrell septs.

3. Saints’ Islands Cluster

The saints’ islands near Inchmore and Inchcleraun include:

• Inchbofin (Inis Bó Finne – “Island of the White Cow”)

• Hare Island

• Quaker Island

• Friars’ Island

Many of these were associated with dissolved monastic properties and fell under Crown control before being assigned to local feudal lords such as Delvin.

II. SECONDARY AND ASSOCIATED ISLAND GRANTS

The Tudor and Stuart patents conveyed rights that included:

• “all islands within the said waters”

• “all fisheries, weirs, and islands adjacent to said manors”

• “all lakes, watercourses and islands thereto belonging”

This broad language is typical of Crown grants intended to transfer:

• monastic islands,

• O’Farrell-controlled holy sites,

• lakebed fisheries,

• and any island with economic or strategic value.

These would include:

• Nunn Island

• Coosan Island

• Kid Island

• Illán Darach

• Liliput-area islands (southern Ree cluster)

• multiple unnamed reed islands used for eel and perch fishing

Historical maps of Lough Ree list 30+ islands, many of which were ecclesiastical or monastic in nature.

Not all were individually named in grants—but grants of “all islands in the said lake” are legally comprehensive.

III. TOTAL NUMBER OF ISLANDS ASSOCIATED WITH NUGENT AUTHORITY

Known islands explicitly connected or reasonably included in Nugent grants:

At minimum:

• Inchcleraun

• Inchmore

• Inchbofin

• Hare Island

• Quaker Island

• Friars’ Island

= 6 major documented islands

Likely included by legal formula (“all islands, fisheries, and waters”)

An additional ~20–25 islands in the Lough Ree system belong to the same monastic/manorial holdings.

Full Approximate Count:

About 25–30 islands fell under the territorial and feudal jurisdiction of the Barons Delvin in the Annaly portion of Lough Ree.

This matches:

• monastic orbit,

• ecclesiastical dissolution lands,

• O’Farrell inheritance lands seized by the Crown,

• and the broad wording of Nugent patents transferring “all islands.”

IV. WHY SO MANY ISLANDS WERE GRANTED

1. Monastic Dissolution

Many Lough Ree islands were monastic.
When the abbeys were dissolved (1530s–1540s), their islands became Crown property and were reassigned to loyal nobles.

2. Transfer of Spiritual Authority

The islands were holy places, full of churches, hermitages, cemeteries, and relic sites.

Granting these to Delvin was equivalent to transferring:

• sacred authority

• monastic patronage

• ecclesiastical legitimacy

which was necessary to replace the O’Farrell princes.

3. Strategic Control

Lough Ree was:

• militarily strategic,

• economically valuable,

• a key Viking and Norman maritime route,

• central to fishing and transport.

Control of islands = control of the lake = control of Annaly.

4. Rights Over Fishing and Lakebed

Island ownership inherently includes:

• adjacent waters,

• fishing rights,

• eel weirs,

• salmon fisheries,

• landing places.

The Crown used island grants to consolidate complete water jurisdiction in Nugent hands.

V. CONCLUSION

Based on historical records, Crown patents, and feudal legal principles, the Barons Delvin were granted at least 6 major islands explicitly, and by legal extension likely 20–30 total islands in the Lough Ree and Annaly region. These islands carried:

• monastic power,

• fishing rights,

• ecclesiastical authority,

• burial grounds,

• navigational control,

• and the sacred infrastructure of the ancient principality.

The number of islands granted is one of the strongest indicators of the spiritual and temporal succession intended by the Crown when transferring the Honour and Seignory of Annaly to the Nugent line.