Civil parishes are based on ecclesiastical divisions which date back to the Synod of Kells in 1139. Their use as administrative and statistical areas declined following the 1898 Local Government Act. They are composed of collections of townlands and in turn they are amalgamated to form baronies and counties. The 6” survey of Ireland carried out under the 1825 Boundary Survey Act documented and formalised the boundaries of civil parishes in Ireland. Civil parishes are statute boundaries under the 19th century Boundary Survey Acts and can only be altered by statutory instrument. The civil parishes in this dataset are only shown within former town and borough council areas and current city council areas. This dataset is provided by Tailte Éireann