A lot of Irish placenames are Anglicised versions of the original
Irish (Gaelic names). You can sometimes guess the original name
by breaking the name into segments and working out th meaning of
the different parts.
The table below gives (a not comprehensive list) of the anglicised
parts, the corresponding Irish word, its meaning and some examples.
If you have any other examples we'd love to hear from you.
| Anglicised |
Irish Word |
Meaning |
Examples |
| A |
| Agha |
achadh |
a field; level meadow. |
Aghadoe
|
| Alt |
alt |
an eminence; high place; side of a glen. |
|
| Anna; Annagh |
eanach |
a moor; marsh; soft terrain. |
|
| Ard |
ard |
a height; hill; top; summit; lofty; higher ground. |
Ardagh; Ardmore
|
| Ath; Agh |
áth |
a ford; shallow part of a river |
Adare; Athenry; Athlone
|
| B |
| Ballagh |
bealach |
a roadway; passage; gap; pass. |
|
| Bally |
baile |
town; townland |
Ballydehob; Ballina; Ballinlough
|
| Barn; Barna |
bearna |
pass or gap in hill or mountain. |
Barna
|
| Barr |
barr |
top; head; summit. |
|
| Bawn Baun |
ban |
small field; enclosure; white coloured. |
|
| Beagh |
beithe |
abounding with birch trees. |
|
| Bell; Bally |
béal |
mouth (of river); entrance; estuary. |
Ballyshannon; Belclare
|
| Ben |
beann |
peak; pointed hill |
Binroe; Benburb
|
| Boher |
bóthar |
road; way; passage; lane. |
Stoneybatter; Boherduff
|
| Boley |
buaile |
place for milking cows; booley or dairy place. |
|
| Brack |
breac |
speckled; spotted; spotted with stones; furze hill. |
|
| Bun |
bun |
bottom ( of hills or mountains); mouth of a river |
Bunclody; Buncrana; Bundoran; Bunratty
|
| C |
| Caher; Cahir |
cathair |
stone fort; abode; city. |
Cahir
|
| Cam |
cam |
crooked. |
|
| Cappa; Cappagh |
ceapach |
plot of ground laid out for tillage. |
Capparoe; Cappamore
|
| Carn |
carn |
cairn; heap of stones; rocky summit. |
Carndonagh; Carnew; Carnlough
|
| Carrick; Carrig |
carraig |
a rock; crag or stone. |
Carrick; Carrickfergus; Carrickmacross
|
| Carrow; Carhoo |
ceathramhadh |
quarter; measure of land. |
|
| Cashel |
caiseal |
wall; bulwark; castle;circular fort |
Cashel
|
| Cavan |
cabhan |
a hollow plain. |
|
| Clar |
clar |
plain; flat piece of land. |
|
| Clash |
clais |
furrow; deep ditch. |
|
| Clogh |
cloch |
stone; rock; cliff. |
|
| Clon; Cloon |
cluain |
plain; lawn; meadow. |
Clones; Clonmel; Clontarf; Clontibret
|
| Cole |
cúil |
corner; nook |
Coleraine; Coolgreaney
|
| Cool |
cul |
back; corner; angle. |
Cullohill; Coolcullen
|
| Coom |
cúm |
hollow |
Coomcallee; Coomclochan
|
| Cor; Corr |
cor |
a round hill. |
|
| Cosh; Cush |
cos |
leg; foot; at the foot of; beside. |
|
| Creeve |
craobh |
branch; bough; tree; bush. |
|
| Croagh; Crogh |
cruach |
rick; stack; piled-up hill; rounded hill |
Croaghbeg; Croaghpatrick
|
| Cross |
cros |
a cross. |
|
| Cull; Cuill |
coill |
a wood. |
Kilclare; Kilgowan; Killylea; Kilturk
|
| Curra; Curragh |
currach |
bog; marsh; soft plain. |
|
| D |
| Derry |
doire |
an oak; oak wood. |
Derry; Derrycarna; Derrygarriv
|
| Donagh; Donny |
domhnach |
Sunday; a church |
Donaghadee; Donaghmore; Donnybrook; Rathdowney
|
| Doo |
dubh |
black. |
|
| Doon; Dun |
dún |
fort; fortress; palace |
Doneraile; Dundrum; Dunloe; Dunmanway
|
| Dreen; Drin |
draighean |
blackthorn. |
|
| Drom; Drum |
droim |
the ridge of a hill. |
Drumcree; Dromkeen; Drumanoo; Drumcondra
|
| Drom; Drum |
druim |
the ridge of a hill. |
Drumcree; Dromkeen; Drumanoo; Drumcondra
|
| E |
| Eden |
eadan |
the forehead; brow of a hill. |
|
| Esker |
eiscir |
esker; ridge of sand hills; ridge of mountains. |
Ahascragh; Esker
|
| F |
| Farn |
fearn |
alder tree; place abounding in alders. |
|
| Farran |
fearann |
land; ground; country. |
|
| Fin |
fionn |
clear; white |
Finglas; Fintragh
|
| Freagh |
fraoch |
heather; heath; a heathy place. |
|
| G |
| Gal; Gall |
gal |
stranger; foreigner. |
|
| Garran; Garraun; Garrane |
garran |
grove; wood; copse. |
|
| Garrv |
garrdha |
garden. |
|
| Glan; Glen |
gleann |
valley; glen. |
Glendalough; Glenealy; Glenroe
|
| Glas |
glas |
green; of mountain; stream or meadow. |
|
| Glas; Glash |
glaise |
small river |
Glasagh
|
| Glasheen |
glaisín |
stream |
Glasheencoombaun
|
| Gol; Goul; Gowl |
gabhal |
fork; the fork of a hill. |
|
| Gort; Gurt; |
gort |
a tilled field or garden. |
Gortboy; Gortahork
|
| Graigue |
graig |
village; manor. |
Graiguenmanagh
|
| Greenan |
grianan |
sunny place; bower; summer house. |
|
| I |
| Illan; Illaun |
oilean |
island. |
|
| Inis; Inish; Inch |
inis |
an island; a field near a river or lake; water meadow |
Ennis; Inch; Inistioge; Lahinch
|
| Inver |
inbhear |
mouth of a river |
Dromineer; Inver
|
| K |
| Kell |
caol |
narrow; slender; straight. |
|
| Kil; Kill |
cill |
a church or small monastery. |
Killarney; Kildare; Kilcullen; Kilkenny
|
| Knock |
cnoc |
hill; hillock. |
Knock; Knockroe; Knocktopher
|
| L |
| Lack; Leck; Lick |
leac |
stone; flagstone; slate. |
|
| Lag; Leg; Lug; Lugg |
lag |
a hollow; glen. |
|
| Laght |
leacht |
a grave; pile of stones in memory of the dead. |
|
| Lear; Lyre |
ladhar |
a fork; forking of glens or rivers. |
|
| Letter |
leitir |
hillside |
Letterkenny; Lettermore
|
| Lis; Liss |
lios |
earthen fort; ring fort; fortified place ancient place. |
Lismore; Listowel
|
| Lough |
loch |
a lake. |
Lough; Loughbeg; Loughrea
|
| Lurg |
lorga |
shin-shaped |
Lurgan; Lurganboy
|
| M |
| Maghera |
machaire |
a plain; level ground. |
Maghera; Magherafelt
|
| Maul; Meel |
meall |
a hillock; eminence. |
|
| Maum |
mám |
mountain pass |
Maum; Maumtrasna; Maumturk
|
| Meen |
min |
a smooth spot on a hill presenting a green surface. |
|
| Mon |
moin |
turf; peat; bog. |
|
| Money |
muine |
brake; shrubbery; a hillock. |
|
| Moy |
magh |
a plain; plain of hills. |
|
| Moy; |
má |
a plain |
Moy; Moyard; Moyglass
|
| Muck |
muc |
a pig or boar. |
|
| Mullagh |
mullach |
top; summit; height; top of a hill]. |
Malahide; Mullagh; Mullaghmore
|
| Mullin |
muileann |
a mill |
Mullinahone; Mullinavat; Mullingar
|
| O |
| Ovens |
uaimh |
cave |
Mullinahone; Ovens |
| P |
| Park |
pairc |
field; meadow. |
|
| Poll; Pol; Poul |
poll |
hole; pit; a measure of land. |
Pollans; Pollrone
|
| Port |
port |
a harbour; bank or landing place; stronghold; fort |
Portmarnock; Portlaoise
|
| R |
| Rath |
rath |
earthen fort with trees; fortress; circular fort; earth mound |
Raheen; Raheny; Rathkeale; Rathmore
|
| Ring; Rin; Rinn |
rinn |
a headland; promontory. |
|
| Roe; Roo |
ruadh |
red; gorse clad hill. |
Ardroe; Capparoe; Carraroe; Monroe; Portroe; Slieveroe
|
| Ros; Ross |
ros |
a promontory; isthmus; a grove or wood; wood; headland |
New Ross; Roscommon; Roscrea
|
| S |
| Scart |
scairt |
a thick tuft of shrubs or bushes. |
|
| Shan |
sean |
old; e.g. Shanbally (old town) |
Shandon; Shankill; Shanmullagh
|
| Slieve |
sliabh |
mountain |
Slemish; Slievenamon; Slievenamuck; Slieveroe
|
| Sound |
Irish word |
Meaning |
Examples of placenames
|
| Sra; Sragh; Srah |
srath |
a field on the bank of a river. |
|
| T |
| Tawnagh; Tawny |
tamhnach |
a small field. |
|
| Temple |
teampall |
a church or temple. |
|
| Termon |
termon |
church lands |
Termon; Termonfeckin
|
| Ti |
tigh |
a house. |
|
| Tir |
tir |
land; country; region. |
|
| Tober |
tobar |
well; fountain; spring; source. |
|
| Tom |
tuaim |
a grave or tumulus; burial mound |
Tuam; Tuamgraney
|
| Ton |
toin |
backside. |
|
| Toor |
tuar |
a place for bleaching clothes |
|
| Tra |
trá |
strand |
Tralee; Tramore
|
| Tulla |
tulach |
hillock; mound |
Tullamore; Tulrahan
|
