Is your Surname Buried in an Irish Placename? “Cow-ways” or “Bóthair” (small roads are often called “Boreens”). The main reason for this is the way place-names were transposed out of the Irish language into English. This is the most complete guide to Irish place-names published in modern times. The Irish have a fondness for ports with big names: Even if you haven’t heard of Muckanaghederdauhaulia, you might be familiar with another of the longest place names in the country; Newtownmountkennedy. The children will have to read place names of Irish towns as Gaeilge and match them to their English equivalent. The tribal boundaries of these little kingdoms were constantly under pressure from ambitious neighbours. I think I better stop there, Helen and everyone else – before I go on too long! Much of that lore is now collected online at www.logainm.ie. The Irish for small is “Beag” – pronounced “be-yug”, and the Irish for big is “Mór” – pronounced “Moor”. ... Bilingual lists of the official Irish and English place names of all permanent administrative units in each county; includes townlands, civil parishes & baronies. One of the leading families took the surname O Liathain – which later became anglicised as “Lyons“. Here is a collection of our printable worksheets for topic 4 digits Place Value of chapter Understanding Place Value in section Place Value and Numbers.. A brief description of the worksheets is on each of the worksheet widgets. Find Irish names. Are researching your Irish Ancestry? Across Ireland, there was no single authority or administration – no single law system. These words often spring up as “Beg” and “More” in many placenames. More Filters. The last county to be created was Wicklow, in 1606. One book per county. But the process also inevitably impoverished local place-name traditions. ROCKS: These were often rocky outcrops in the middle of pasture or a bog even. Castlelyons is “Caisleán Ó Liatháin” in Irish and is named after the Gaelic tribe who were prominent in this area up to the 1200s. Examples are Killduff, Kylebrack, Clonakilty, Kilgarrif and so on. It can also be quite difficult. Capitalize proper names, initials, and titles of people. Capitalizing Names. Irish names for boys. In areas where Norman and English influence was strongest, counties were introduced as administrative divisions between 1169 and 1300, in a process known as 'shiring'. Place Names If there’s a special place that you hold dear, or you just love the cool cache of naming baby after a legendary locale, then take a trip through these baby names inspired by famous (and not so famous) places. The unusual name comes from the Irish An tÁth Leacach (meaning the flagged ford) but to be honest we have no idea what that means either. It might be noted that the following place names sometimes share strong ties with the original place name. Find three townlands in your county named after a person or family. Library Service for county Westmeath with a full range of library services in 7 branches throughout the county. View PDF. In this case the English versions come from an attempt by the English to pronounce Irish phonetically. ... Another worksheet to teach kids about common and proper place names. Caution must be used however as only by examining old sources can the names be identified with some certainty, and sometimes not even then. These are two examples: KILL as in Killaloe and LANE in Ballyvolane. type. Have a nice week! Places like Killybegs, Beginish, Ardmore, Lismore and so on. Nevertheless many elements and often whole placenames can be inferred from a list such as this. It seems likely that similar place-name systems existed elsewhere in Europe in the Middle Ages and earlier, but Ireland today is the last place they exist. So, I decided NOT to look up lots of reference books – but give you an answer off the top of my head. Guide to using name lists. For one thing, if there was a difference between the local landed estate owner and his tenants about the correct name, the owner's version was accepted. Thank you. Let’s finish off with a little link back to Irish surnames. Also suitable for SEN. ID: 143529 Language: English School subject: English as a Second Language (ESL) Grade/level: Grade 3 Age: 6-9 Main content: Places in town Other contents: In town Add to my workbooks (345) Download file pdf Embed in my website or blog Add to Google Classroom The dog contributes to place names too. Place Names - Displaying top 8 worksheets found for this concept.. Comment policy - bit.ly/2Zkm9fX Don’t even get me started on colours – Red (Roe), Black (Duff), Grey (Reagh), Yellow (Bue/Boy), Green (Glass), Brown (Dunn). Some of the worksheets for this concept are Work names of places, Capital letters names, Capital letters places, Writing place names, Writing place names, Place names booklet, Community week 1 of 3, Capitalization work lesson 1. But there was no systematic listing of where places were or what they were called. How many townland names starting with 'Bally' were there in your county in 1851? The place where I live (multiple choice) Multiple choice exercise on buildings and public places. Before the arrival of the Normans in the early 1200s, Ireland was a land of many “Little Kingdoms”. By Michael Freeman Saturday 21 Feb 2015, 8:15 PM Worksheets that motivate students. ​. Massive emigration, often called the Irish diaspora, from Ireland in the 19th and 20th centuries resulted in many towns and regions being named or renamed after places in Ireland.. And there are so many more placename words – but those ones above are the ones I see most often! The history of that loyalty goes back thousands of years, as reflected in the vast collection of traditional place-name lore. The Irish for hill is “Cnoc” – pronounced Canuck – which you will often see in placenames as “Knock” – such as Knock, Knockroe, Knocknaheeny and so on. I really think we should have simply stuck with the original Irish for many of these place names, but especially on this one. If you found this helpful, please leave a review. Places like Kildare, Killarney, Kilkenny all got there names from an association with a saint and their church. Their boundaries were set in the twelfth century, at the Synod of Kells. It can also be quite difficult. Irish names are used on the island of Ireland as well as elsewhere in the Western World as a result of the Irish diaspora. Counties came into existence in two distinct phases. Irish is known as Irish, Gaelic or Irish Gaelic in English. There were often up to 1000 identifiable features inside a single townland. List three Dublin streets whose names were changed just before or after Independence. The Irish for Rock is “Carraig” – pronounced “Carrig” – and you will find this in many placenames such as Carrick-on-Shannon, Carrickmacross, Carrigaline, Carrickfergus. It is tremendous book and a very important one, so if you want your very own copy follow t… Ideal for meetings or building a fort upon. How Irish place-names have evolved and deformed. A fun activity that could be completed individually or in pairs! These boundaries, and the agreements that held them in place, were often orally agreed and witnessed. Place names and the Ordnance Survey. Names such as Ballymena, Ballinlough and so on. which seem to repeated over and over again. Counties Dublin, Louth, Meath, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Kildare Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Limerick and Roscommon were created in this period. Just this week, I received a request from Helen Wyse (always listen to someone with Wyse as a surname!). Names Of Places - Displaying top 8 worksheets found for this concept.. Remember that most Irish placenames (especially townlands) have been in place for many hundreds – if not thousands – of years. The Brehons (judges) administered a type of local law – dealing with areas like the division of land across generations, and the often resulting disputes. FORTS: Forts were often built on small hills with good visibility all around, or in other prominent places. An Irish Placename Travels Abroad to the City of Baltimore. If you travel around Irish land today, you often see the word “Ua” or “Uí” included in the placenames on signposts – this is a good indicator that you are driving near an old Irish tribal territory. Ireland has more than its share of beautiful places with even lovelier names. Your library's Online Public Access Catalogue will show relevant material available in Public Libraries. Helen said: I am very curious about the naming conventions used for townlands, baronies, villages etc. No results have been returned for your Query. Irish Place Names (Paperback). Even later still, English became more widely used across the island – and instead of translating from Irish to English, many of these placenames were “phonetically” anglicised – sometimes – well, sometimes, atrociously! This comes across in many placenames such as Boherbue (Boher-bwee). If it is not included then the article will be added to Category:Untranslated Irish place names. This is a free printable worksheet in PDF format and holds a printable version of the quiz Irish Cities.By printing out this quiz and taking it with pen and paper creates for a good variation to only playing it online. The two main historical sources for place-names are the 1851 Townlands Index (www.johngrenham.com/places/) and the 1901 Townlands Index (www.irishancestors.ie). It’s worth giving a little bit of context before we go on. BIG AND SMALL: Where you have big hills, big fields, big rocks – you also have small ones. If it is not included then the article will be added to Category:Untranslated Irish place names. COWS: The cow was at the centre of the Irish farming economy for probably thousands of years. Do you know your Plague Pit from your Arse-To-The-Wind? Adrian Room's contribution to Irish place-name studies lists some 3,000 place-names in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The main reason for this is the way place-names were transposed out of the Irish language into English. Most were named when Irish was the everyday language. Designed by Zero-G.ie Website by Puma-IT.ie, © Copyright Ireland 2016 In association with IrishGenealogy.ie, Home Site Usage Policy Privacy Policy Feedback, Get some idea of the background to your family surnames and have a look at some of the recommended basic guides to tracing family history. Limavady (Leim na mhadagh), for example, means the leap of the dog and there is still a place on the River Roe where … 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. The vast majority are taken verbatim from an 1870 book, Irish Local Names Explained, which is long out of print and free to view or download online. Irish Place Names Used as First Names : Not as much in Ireland, but in other English-speaking countries with large Irish immigrant populations, we find place names from Ireland used as first names. Old Irish names. Prominent landmarks like hilltops, rivers, forts – and so on – were used to provide reference points. I also mention Wood here – as the Irish for Wood is “Coill” – very close to “Cill”, but usually pronounced more like “Kwill”. These then became the administrative areas used by government. But the standard works we still use to identify a historical place-name, the 1851 and 1901 Townlands Indexes came out of the work of the Ordnance Survey. Now, do have a look at the further articles and podcast episode below that may provide useful and give you an even deeper understanding of Irish Placenames! Learn how Irish place names are linked to the land around them. Hint: Enter Kill* and choose the county from the drop-down list. I hope that helps as a primer to Irish place names and why it is useful to understand a little more of their origin as you bring your Irish ancestry to life! Civil parishes were the geographical units used in almost all state records before the twentieth century. Before the 1948 spelling reform, this was spelled Gaedhilge. High Quality ESL Lesson Plans - Free Samples - $26 Membership Be a better teacher! Do Kill, lane and Bally have a geographical significance or a descriptive significance? Irish Place Names. Hugs, Edit Most were named when Irish was the everyday language. 1st through 3rd Grades. See also about Irish names. Some perhaps refer to the fox, as the dog (madagh) and fox (madagh rua – red dog) have similar names. Primary Level. Understanding Irish place names can be a struggle, here's your definitive guide. In each entry the current English and Irish forms of the name are given and its origin and geographical aptness described. Probably the majority of Irish names are in this category. The official standard name in Irish is Gaeilge /ˈɡeːlʲɟə/. So, forgive me in advance if some of this reply sounds a little opinionated – but you can also check with the “official” sources later. At the former you can use wild-cards: remember that vowels are much likelier to change than consonants. Take out the vowels and replace them with '*'. Irish Surnames That Say Where You Came From, Irish Surnames – County Cork Surnames and Places, Irish Placenames – A Journey along an old Irish Road (#110), Irish Placenames – Is Your Surname Hidden in One of These Places? Most county libraries now also have their catalogues available on the internet. Joyce's Irish Names of Places, all three volumes of which are atwww.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/digital-book-collection/digital-books-by-subject/geography-of-ireland/joyce-irish-names-of-plac/. You bring up something that I hear a lot of from readers – especially when you are trying to understand, or heaven forbid – pronounce – a townland that your ancestor originated in. BRIAN m English, Irish, Ancient Irish The meaning of this name is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the old Celtic element bre meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble".It was borne by the semi-legendary Irish king Brian Boru, who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. TOWNS AND RIVER MOUTHS: I suppose the most recognisable Irish placenames are those starting with “Bally”. Worksheets that save paper, ink and time. This also appears in many of our placenames – often with a Kil or Cil at the beginning, making it hard to know if it were named after a church or wood. You probably know many Kerrys, Shannons and maybe an Erin or two. Ballybrazil : If you are expecting a little microcosm of the vast South American country complete with Brazilian supermodels wandering the beach playing volleyball, then you might be a little bit underwhelmed by this Wexford town. Irish names for girls. A collection of English ESL Family worksheets for home learning, online practice, distance learning and English classes to teach about Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland, www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/digital-book-collection/digital-books-by-subject/geography-of-ireland/joyce-irish-names-of-plac/, Carra-, Carrow-, Curra-, Curragh-, Car-, Curry-. After the Reformation, the Anglican Church of Ireland became the state Church, and retained the old, medieval parishes. Places in town worksheets Live Worksheets Worksheets that listen. Worksheets that speak. usage Close. The fullest contemporary list of these is at www.logainm.ie. The Irish for Cow is “Bó” – pronounced “Boe” – and guess what we call roads in Irish? So, ready for some prime examples of common words in Irish placenames? About this Worksheet. The Irish for fort is “Dún” – pronounced “Doon” – and this is contained in the names of plenty of Irish towns and areas, such as Dungannon, Dungarvan, Downpatrick and so on. While there were no maps, almost every visual feature in a kingdom, townland or field had a name. At 22 letters in length (23 in Irish), this one’s a whopper. Of course, place-names are also important for family history research - almost all the records of value depend on knowing where people were living, so identifying the relevant place can be vital. Are they Gaelic words? There are many lists of Irish place names and their meanings online. By the way – a rocky fort was called a Caishel – pronounced “Cashel” – sound familiar? Hundreds of PDF lesson plans. Just this week, I was travelling through the north Cork village of Castlelyons. Here is a list of some of the prefixes that I frequently see in place names: Kill, Droum/Drum, Rath, Balli/Bally, Cool, Gort, Mull, Doon, Knock, Ross, Knock, Castle, Glen. The fullest published English dictionary of Irish place-names is P.W. For another, there were many areas where traditional sub-townland names were in common use: these were simply ignored by the Ordnance Survey. Irish Placenames: Cows, Hills, Rocks, Forts, Churches, Woods, Towns, River Mouths – Big and Small. In Ireland, loyalty to a place of origin is unusually strong. So many places are prefixed or suffixed in such a way that it makes me wonder what they mean and if the meanings are useful to us in our search for ancestors. CHURCHES AND WOODS: Ireland had a monastic and saint tradition from about the 400s. If you spend time studying a fairly detailed map of Ireland, it becomes clear that there are sounds and parts of words that appear over and over again in many placenames. In fact, their research preserved a great deal of place-name lore. Worksheets for teaching students about capitalization of sentences and proper nouns. As time went on, the Normans arrived. Hilariously, some sites demand that you sign up or even pay to have a look at the list they copied from this FREE, out of copyright book. There are 3 activities for them to complete. Smaller forts were called Rath or Lios. Thanks for giving us a direction with your question this morning, Helen. The Townlands indexes often omit sub-townland names and the names of geographical features such as rivers and mountains. Evolution of Placenames. The latter doesn't allow wildcards, but is slightly more comprehensive. Names such as Belfast, Ballydehob and Ballina. Return to Homepage of A Letter from Ireland. There are detailed guides to starting out at the John Grenham's. Components of Irish Placenames. It’s worth giving a little bit of context before we go on. This was one of the “little kingdoms” I mentioned earlier – the tribe was called the Uí Liatháin, and held this area until the arrival of the Norman Barry family. The remainder of Ireland was shired during the Tudor reconquest of Ireland, between 1534 and 1603. The National Library and National Archives both run walk-in genealogical advisory services, where you can get personal advice on records and research. HILLS: Ireland has a fairly low tree line, and the tops of many of our hills and mountains are visible. So, the Barrys drove the Lyons away – but there is still room for both of their teas on my shelf (sorry, I couldn’t resist!). In this article – we’ll look at the 7 main component parts of Irish placenames - and finally give you some more letters and stories to enjoy, all about placenames in Ireland. (#106). Kindergarten to 2nd Grade. Capital Letters for Names FREE . Townlands, of which there are more than 60,000, are still the basis of rural addresses and are unique to Ireland. Irish Place Names and their Evolution: Main Menu \ Geography \ Components of Irish Placenames. ... Place-names are also important for family history research - almost all the records of value depend on knowing where people were living, so identifying the relevant place can be vital. This is a partial or incomplete list of places in countries other than Ireland named after places in Ireland.. The worksheet contains a list of place name endings according to celtic, saxon, roman and viking origins. Remember that most Irish placenames (especially townlands) have been in place for many hundreds – if not thousands – of years. Popular traditional Irish names, with their origins and meanings, and a guide to finding information on 1000s of other forenames, surnames and clans of Ireland. Some of the worksheets for this concept are Writing place names, Capitalize place names, Place names wbqzn, Place names booklet, Write the name of each decimal place, Decimals work, Identifying place values 1, Grammar practice work prepositions of place. It was a time well before the maps we know today. This simple activity will get your students thinking about place names of Ireland! The Road to Rockhill Church, Bruree, County Limerick. So one of the Ordnance Survey's first tasks was to standardise the spelling (in English) of all of the rural place-names on the island of Ireland. There is also a Gazeteer in The Complete Road Atlas of Ireland. However, despite holding the title of number one longest place name in Ireland for many years, this honour recently came into contention with some arguing they’ve found even longer ones. Result: Irish: Caisleán an Bharraigh, meaning "Castle of the Barry family" The second parameter is optional. Can You Match The Irish Place Name To Its Weird Literal Meaning? The Topographical Section of the Ordnance Survey, charged with carrying out this standardisation, went to great lengths to research local traditions and customs and any documentary references to the place in early histories before settling on an English-language version. The Irish word “Cill” – pronounced Kill – meant church. Please edit the query for content to display. You see, you often see an original Irish tribal name spring up within a place name. “Baile” is the Irish for town or home – pronounced Balya – and appears in many of our townlands (called Baile in Irish also), villages and town names. This is a list of some of the suffixes that I frequently see: Banno/Banno, Beg/Begg, Boy, More, Nagh, Nane, Reagh, More, Creagh. Photo: Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland. The first step in that administration was to measure the country, a process which the Ordnance Survey began in the 1820s. The activity involves cutting up the place names and organising them under the headings to show their origin. places fb ☰ Irish Names. 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. Click on the images to view, download, or print them. Etymology Names of Irish Gaelic origin. For most of the "Gaelic period", there were very few towns or large settlements in Ireland.Hence, most places were named after noteworthy features of the landscape, such as hills, rocks, valleys, lakes, islands, and harbours. Hint: Enter Bally* and choose the county from the drop-down list. Example: Code: {{Irish place name|Caisleán an Bharraigh}} Result: Irish: Caisleán an Bharraigh; An additional optional parameter is no_translate. Home » Names. One of the “brick walls” I see people coming up against is understanding Irish placenames – especially when the spelling seems to vary so widely. They used the existing names and naming systems for many of the towns, castles and baronies they put into place. Also, the Irish for mouth is “Béal” – pronounced Bale – and this also features in many town and city names that are located at the “mouth” of a river.