Book of irish place names

This astonishing work of learning and strenuous research the largest book in the irish language ever written by a single author gives mayo a unique place in the annals of irish scholarship. List of towns and villages in the republic of ireland. A gaelic name can celebrate your scottish or irish heritage or pay tribute to a beautiful culture, even if you dont hail from a gaelic speaking area. The main reason for this is the way place names were transposed out of the irish language into english. The original hardbound, 6 x 9 size, gold stamped volume, with a complete set of 32 individual county maps keyed to the index, which tells you exactly where to find the place name on the map in the back of the b. John odonovan, the translator of the annals of the four masters, an irishspeaking scholar and scribe, was the ordnance surveys overall names expert. The first is a list of root or stem words that form the basis of the most common irish placenames. Irish placenames ceathru na haille, lios gabhach agiis gort a bhealaigh for anyone wishing to make a study of irish place names, there is one book he or she would find indispensable, namely the origin and history of irish names and places written by p. It explains the origin and derivation of the names of over 3,000 cities, towns, villages and physical features. The city and town name generator uses a database of over five million names across more than 150 countries. List of census towns in the republic of ireland as defined by the central statistics office, sorted by county. I have chosen names which are easily pronounced outside of ireland and which have a positive meaning or origin. Thus, many of the new town names were anglicised spellings of gaelic region names, rather than the names of actual towns. Aodh is an older form of the somewhat more common aidan, aiden or aodhan, and means fire.

The name book also provided the irish form of the name and in many instances what the irish form of the townlands names meant. The name of ireland itself comes from the irish name eire. The main reason for this is the way placenames were transposed out of the irish language into english. The townlands indexes often omit subtownland names and the names of geographical features such as rivers and mountains. Irish place names and their evolution wesley johnston. You can sometimes guess the original name by breaking the name into segments and working out th meaning of the different parts. List of generic forms in place names in ireland and the.

It also contains a brief chronology of irish history, irish root words, and a pronunciation guide. The origin and history of irish names of places by joyce, p. The placenames branch of the ordnance survey was established with the purpose of researching the placenames of ireland in order to provide authoritative irish language forms of those names for both official use and for use by the general public. Here are some of the more common elements of irish place names, with their irish gaelic origins and their meanings. A 6 x 9, hardbound, gold stamped, full set of county maps keyed to index. This facility will help you translate a list of placenames from one language to another in one step, without having to search for them individually.

The first part is a list of root or stem words which form the basis of common irish place names, the second part is a gazetteer of locations. I have recently moved to ireland and would like to be able to pronounce place names in irish and make some sense of them thanks to the internet, you can hear most irish place names being pronounced by a local in both irish and english on the website logainm. Are you searching for the perfect name for your baby boy. If you are looking for a random city or town name to spark a location for a book, game, or a script, millions of possibilities are at your finger tips. For convenience sake this online version has converted the old irish letters used in the original text to the roman alphabet, and exchanged the lenited or dotted consonants to their equivalents in the latter, e. This guide to irish place names explains the origin and derivation of the names of over 3000 cities, towns, villages and physical features. The strong irish influence is seen in place names, irish town, clonmel, dublin castle, sligoville, belfast, athenry and kildare. The book also contains a selection of better known names in the country, to help explain the root words. The original 32 county atlas if you are looking for the town or parish of your ancestors in ireland, this is your answer. While this book does contain reference to other name origins french, norman, latin, etc this is in the section labelled irish first names not a list of irish origin names, but rather of first names used in ireland.

Dictionary of british place names oxford reference. The official bilingual database of placenames in ireland. The first is a list of root or stem words that form the basis of the most common irish place names. Apr 17, 2009 the third volume of the origins and history of irish names of places has a vocabulary of the root words from which irish place names are most generally formed. Viking names being anglicised many places in ireland had been named by the vikings, and these also evolved into english spellings. This is the master placename index of the igf, now released by the irish family journal. This is the most complete guide to irish place names published in modern times. How to pronounce and make sense of irish place names. Others are associated with the arrival of the anglonormans and later the english and, especially in the more northern parts of ireland, the scots. Learn how irish place names are linked to the land around them. First, family and place names coghlan, ronan, grehan, ida, joyce, p. The a to z entries are complemented by a detailed introductory essay discussing the chronology and development of english, irish, welsh, and scottish placenames, as well as an extensive bibliography, maps of britain showing old and new boundaries, and a glossary of common elements in placenames. Uncovering irelands lost field names before its too late.

Includes nonmunicipal towns and suburbs outside municipal boundaries. Aodh was a popular name for the high kings of ireland and regularly crops up in irish mythology. While this book does contain reference to other name origins french, norman, latin. Many start and end parts of irish place names recur frequently in different names and knowing that allows you to make an educated guess at what any new name you encounter means. Publication date 1910topics names, geographical ireland publisher. The fullest published english dictionary of irish placenames is p. Hence, most places were named after noteworthy features of the landscape, such as hills, rocks, valleys, lakes, islands, and harbours. This article lists a number of common generic forms in place names in the british isles, their meanings and some examples of their use. However, some names come directly from the english language, and a handful come from old norse and scots. The most important tool in identifying irish placenames is the 1851 general alphabetical index to the townlands and towns, parishes and baronies of ireland.

The ordnance survey name books timeline irish genealogy blog. This list of scottish gaelic boys names will help you find the perfect name for your son. Most have irish origins, some dating back to prechristian and early christian times. In 1946 an coimisiun logainmneacha was established. The irish place names database is based on the index to the townlands, and towns, parishes and baronies of ireland published in 1861 after the census of ireland carried out in. Oct 23, 2014 the 100 most common irish family names ranked in order. Definitive guide to understanding irish place names.

The third volume of the origins and history of irish names of places has a vocabulary of the root words from which irish place names are most generally formed. Sep 12, 2018 i have recently moved to ireland and would like to be able to pronounce place names in irish and make some sense of them thanks to the internet, you can hear most irish place names being pronounced by a local in both irish and english on the website logainm. First, family and place names by ronan coghlan my rating. Pdf irish place names download full pdf book download. Understanding irish place names can be a struggle, heres your definitive guide. This was the last stage of the topographical process. The 100 most common irish last names found in ireland and around the world. Irish people have influenced the world and their surnames have become well recognised and associated with the emerald. The a to z entries are complemented by a detailed introductory essay discussing the chronology and development of english, irish, welsh, and scottish place names, as well as an extensive bibliography, maps of britain showing old and new boundaries, and a glossary of common elements in place names. Irish place names from avoca to valentia nameberry baby.

There are many irish place names that could happily be used as baby names in the us or elsewhereof which this list is just a sampling. The single most important item of information for irish family history research is a precise place of origin. The 100 most common irish family names ranked in order. The second, related to this list, is an exhaustive gazetteer of all 3,000 locations with accompanying explanations. Contains place names from england, scotland, wales, and ireland. Unique irish baby names for boys and girls claddagh design. A little knowledge of key irish words, however, can go a long way toward helping you decipher them. When you read an irish last name or surname such as oneill, kennedy or gallagher, you instantly know they are either irish, from an irish family. This is the most complete guide to irish placenames published in modern times. Irish place names by deirdre flanagan free book pdf. The history of ireland is written in her place names.

For most of the gaelic period, there were very few towns or large settlements in ireland. Uncovering irelands lost field names before its too late many names come from a places attributes, while the origins of others are unknowable. These are the top irish family surnames and their meanings. Because of the overlyinclusive bank of names, including hebrew and french monikers which, yes, has precedence given the history of the celtic, specifically irish, people i found it difficult to trust the other sections, including prolific clan names, place names, and dates. The study of placenames in ireland unveils features of the countrys history and geography, and the development of the irish language. Other books by laurence flanagan ancient ireland favourite irish names for children. This happened in the first three decades of the nineteenth century, after the act of union 1800 had brought the administration of ireland under the control of london. A lot of irish placenames are anglicised versions of the original irish gaelic names. Irish place names a genealogical framework 161 my paternal greatgrandparents patrick beirne, catherine tansey, patrick gavigan and bridget crowley lived within 1015 miles of one another in the westnorthwest area of county. Copy and paste your list into the box on the lefthand side, one placename per line, and click the button. When you read an irish last name or surname such as oneill, kennedy or gallagher, you instantly know they are either irish, from an irish family or of irish descent. Another volume for every local historians bookshelf local historianthis revised edition of the dictionary of british placenames includes over 17,000 engaging and informative entries, tracing the development of the featured placenames from earliest times to the present day. The irish place names database is based on the index to the townlands, and towns, parishes and baronies of ireland published in 1861 after the census of ireland carried out in 1851 ordinance of ireland mapviewer. This complete guide to irish place names, explains the origin and derivation of over 3,000 cities, towns, villages and physical features.