A townland is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland.
Townlands A townland is one of the smallest land divisions in Ireland. There are over 60,000 of them and they range in size from an acre or two up to many thousands of acres. The majority are in the hundre The term townland in English is derived from the Old English word tun, denoting an enclosure. The term describes the smallest unit of land division in Ireland, based upon various kinds of Gaelic land division, many of which had their own names. The Townland. Ireland and its counties are sub-divided in a unique way; counties into baronies, baronies into parishes, and parishes into townlands. The townland is a unique feature of the Irish landscape and is one of the most ancient divisions in the country. The origins of the townland remain obscure but they are undoubtedly of great antiquity, much older than parishes and counties. A townland (Irish: baile fearainn) is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin, pre-dating the Norman invasion, and most have names of Irish Gaelic origin. Townlands of Ulster. Ireland and it's counties are sub-divided in a unique way. The smallest and most significant division is what is known as the Townland. Counties are divided into Parishes and Parishes further divided into townlands. This ancient method of land measurement is found only in Ireland and is very important in genealogical research. In Ireland, a townland is (generally) the smallest administrative division of land and they form the building blocks for higher-level administrative units such as: The following outlines a step-by-step process for the mapping of townland, civil parish & barony boundaries in Ireland.
http://www.ballybegvillage.com/land_division.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townland http://www.ulsterancestry.com/newsletter-content.php?id=44 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townland http://www.ulsterancestry.com/ulster_townlands_by_county.html http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Ireland/Mapping_Townlands
what is a townland