Have you ever wondered where your town or village got its name from? If you look closely at different placenames, you can learn a lot about a place. Let’s investigate how different places got their name.
Dún
Dundalk
Image courtesy of The Irish Times
Image courtesy of The Irish Times
A placename with Dún tells us that there was once a fort in the area such as Dundalk or Dundrum.
Baile
A placename beginning with Ballin or Bally means a town such as Ballina and Ballybrack.
Lios
Lios or Lis in a placename tells us that there was a fort in the area built with earthen walls such as Lismore.
Áth
A placename with Áth tells us that there was once a ford in the area such as Athenry and Athlone. A ford is a shallow crossing in a river.
Cill
A placename with Cill tells us that there was a church in the area such as Kildare and Kilkenny.
Carraig
Carrick-on-Shannon town
www.limekilncottage.ie
www.limekilncottage.ie
A placename with Carrick or Carraig tells us the town was once built on a rock such as Carrick on Shannon.
Ard
Places with Ard tell us that the area was built on a hill or high ground such as Ardagh and Ardmore.
Cluain
A placename with Cluain or Clon tells us that there was a meadow in the area in the past such as Clonmel and Clontarf.
Rath
Rath in a placename tells us that long ago there was a circular fort in the area such as Rathfarnham and Rathkeale.