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Those Gaelic Words in Irish Place Names

1 Apr By Dwight Leave a Comment

It doesn’t take long to realize that place names in Ireland are a mixture of Gaelic and English. From my own experience of going to Ireland and Northern Ireland since 1990, I’ve come to realize that I’ll never pronounce the really long Gaelic names correctly. So I do my best, wait for the locals to correct me, and then we all smile politely.

There are a few common words you will see all the time in place names. From my years in the records, let me share with you the ones I come across the most. I’m drawing from the website www.dublin1850.com/general/placenames.html which is one of many. Keep in mind many of these are Anglicized Irish words.

ard: hill or height

bally: town or townland

bun: bottom, mouth of a river

carn: Cain, heap of stones

carraig: Also seen as Carrick, meaning a rock

clon: meadow

cool/col: corner or nook

cull: back

derry: oak wood or grove

drum/drom: ridge or hillock

dun: fort or palace

glas: small river or stream

gort: tilled field

kil: a wood

kill/killy: church

knock: hill

letter: hillside

lis: ring fort

lough: lake

magher: a plain

mullin: a mill

rath: circular fort, earth mound

shan: old

termon: church lands

tul/tulla/tully: hillock, mound

While knowing these words may not help you find your ancestors, they do place your ancestors in a historical context. After all, in rural Ireland the tenants were tied to their historic lands.

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Dictionaries, Geography, Glossary, Land Records, Place Names

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Dwight A. Radford

Dwight A. Radford is a professional family history researcher. Along with his staff they specialize in Ireland, England, Canada, African American, Native American, and United States. Connecting families together through historical documents and then creating a cherished family heirloom published book for generations to enjoy. Full bio…

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