Joyce: Irish Names of Places

Joyce: Irish Names of Places

Title page from the first volume of Joyce's Irish Names of Places, 1910.

Joyce: Irish Names of Places

Joyce: Irish Names of Places

Title page from the first volume of Joyce's Irish Names of Places, 1910.

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Despite writing his considerable first volume, P.W. Joyce had only used half his material and the natural progression was a second volume.

The author’s aim in writing the first two volumes of this book was to explain the phonetic laws under which Irish place names were anglicised. Volume three was a natural sequel and P.W. Joyce has endeavoured to include names which you would not find in the previous two volumes.

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. The book also contains a selection of better known names in the country, to help explain the root words.

The sources from which the Irish names and meanings have been obtained are separated into three different classes:

1. Irish pronunciation preserved. P.W. Joyce recorded the pronunciation of the Irish place names by natives. The most common causes of change in the reduction of Irish names are noted as aspiration and eclipses.
2. A determination to adhere to Irish forms and meanings as written by O’Donovan in the Field Names Books. The most changes to the Irish translation can be traced back to the introduced by the English-speaking people in transferring the words from the Irish to the English language
3. The old forms of the names in written authorities, either printed or in manuscript.

Educated at a hedge school - P.W. Joyce ( 1827-1914) – was to become a key cultural figure in Ireland. He was born in Ballyorgan, County Limerick and was a native Irish speaker. Joyce started work in 1845 with the Board of National Education in Clonmel. He was later the President of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland

He produced many works on the history of Ireland including; On the Old Celtic Romances, Irish Grammar, and the English Language in Ireland.

His collection now resides at the St Patrick’s teaching college, Drumcondra, Dublin.