Etymological list of counties of Ireland

Last updated

Etymological list of counties of Ireland is a list of the origins of the names of the traditional counties of Ireland, both north and south, including counties that are no longer used.

Unless otherwise state, the origin of a name is from Irish.

Counties

County nameEstablishedProvinceIrish nameDerivation
Antrim c.1400 Ulster AontroimNamed after the town of Antrim, which comes from Aontroim, meaning "lone ridge". It was formerly spelt Aontruim. An older alternative name was Aontreibh meaning "lone dwelling". [1] The county was formed by merging a number of other counties in the Earldom of Ulster, notable Twescard, from the Irish Tuaisceart, "North" and Carrickfergus, from the Irish Carraig Fhearghais, named after Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th-century king of Dál Riata.
Armagh 1584/5 Ulster Ard MhachaNamed after the town of Armagh, which comes from Ard Mhacha, meaning "Macha's height". Macha was an Irish goddess associated with Ulster and Armagh, where she is said to have given birth to twins after racing a horse.
Carlow 1210 [2] Leinster CeatharlachNamed after the town of Carlow, which comes from Ceatharlach, meaning "place of cattle".
Cavan 1579 Ulster An CabhánNamed after the town of Cavan, which comes from An Cabhán, meaning "the hollow".
Clare 1565 Munster An ClárPossibly named after the town of Clarecastle, which is made up of the Irish clár ("plain") and the English castle. Alternatively, it may come from the Norman de Clare family, who took their name in turn from the English town of Clare, which probably gets its name from the Latin clarus, "clear". Before 1565, the county was known as County Thomond (Irish Tuamhain, from Tuadhmhumhain, meaning "North Munster").
Cork c. 1200 Munster CorcaighNamed after the city of Cork, which comes from corcach, meaning "swamp".
Donegal 1584/5 Ulster Dún na nGallNamed after the town of Donegal, which comes from Dún na nGall, meaning "stronghold of the foreigners" (i.e. the Vikings). An alternative name for the county is Tyrconnell or Tirconnell, after a Gaelic territory of the same name. This comes from Tír Chonaill, meaning "land of Conall" and is named after Conall Gulban, a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, whose descendants founded the territory. Conall means "Strong Wolf" in Irish.
Down early 16th century Ulster An DúnThe name is derived from Dún ná Lethglas, the capital of the Dál Fiatach, now modern day Downpatrick. [3]
Dublin 1185 Leinster Áth Cliath/DuibhlinnNamed after the city of Dublin, which comes from Duibhlinn, meaning "black pool". Áth Cliath means "hurdled ford" and is the main Irish name for Dublin.
Fermanagh 1584/5 Ulster Fear Manach"Men of Manach". Manach may come from Old Irish Magh Eanagh, "Country of the Lakes", making the whole derivation "Men (or Tribe) of the Country of the Lakes". [4]
Galway 1565 Connacht GaillimhNamed after the city of Galway, which was named after the river Gaillimh (meaning "stoney"). The older name was Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe, "stronghold at the mouth of the Gaillimh".
Kerry c. 1200 Munster Ciarraí"People of Ciar". From Ciar ("black" or "dark brown"), a personal name, and Raighe ("people" or "tribe"). The Ciar after whom Ciarrai is named was Ciar mac Fergus, son of Fergus mac Róich, ex King of Ulster, and Queen Meabh of Connacht, both major characters of the Ulster Cycle.
Kildare 1297 Leinster Cill DaraNamed after the town of Kildare, which comes from Cill Dara, meaning "church of the oak".
Kilkenny c. 1200 Leinster Cill ChainnighNamed after the town of Kilkenny, which comes from Cill Chainnigh, meaning "church of Cainnech". Saint Cainnech allegedly converted the county to Christianity in 597.
Laois 1556 Leinster LaoisNamed after the Gaelic territory of Uí Laoighis, meaning "people of Lugaid Laígne". Lugaid was granted lands after driving out forces from Munster. His name derives from Lugh . Laois was originally called Queen's County, after Queen Mary ("Bloody Mary") who created the county in 1556. After the creation of the Irish Free State, it was given its current name.
Leitrim 1565–83 Connacht LiatromaNamed after the village of Leitrim. The name 'Leitrim' itself is derived from the Irish Liath Druim, meaning 'grey ridge', and is a commonplace name throughout Ireland.
Limerick c. 1200 Munster LuimneachNamed after the city of Limerick, whose Irish name possibly means "bare spot". The Vikings called it Hlymrekr, which might be a transliteration of the Irish or could mean "mighty noise" from Old Norse hlym ("noise") and rekr ("mighty").
Londonderry 1613/1585 Ulster Doire"Oak wood". From Daire Coluimb Chille, "The Oak-wood of Saint Columba". Columba comes from the Latin for "Dove". Previously Daire Calgaich, "The Oak-wood of Calgach". Calgach may have been Calgacus. The name may come from Proto-Celtic *calg-ac-os, "Possessing a Blade" or "Possessing a Penis".

The prefix "London" was added in 1613, after the town had been rebuilt across the river from its previous site, in recognition of donations from the livery companies of the City of London which had enabled the English and Scottish settlers to colonise the site. This was the same time as the County was formed. There is some dispute over whether to use the name Londonderry or Derry. Most of the area for County Londonderry came from the previous County Coleraine, which was formed in 1585. Coleraine comes from Cúil Raithin, "Nook of the Ferns".

Longford 1586 Leinster An LongfortNamed after the town of Longford, which comes from An Longfort, meaning "the port". The earlier spelling was An Longphoirt. The term was invented by Irish chroniclers to describe a Viking ship enclosure or fortress. Longford was split off from county Westmeath in 1586.
Louth c. 1200 Leinster Named after the village of Louth, which was named after the Irish god Lugh (modern spelling ).
Mayo 1565 Connacht Maigh EoNamed after the village of Mayo, which comes from Maigh Eo, meaning "plain of the yew".
Meath 1297 Leinster An Mhí"The middle". Meath was once one of the five provinces of Ireland, and the one in which the High King sat. It was formed into a county in 1297, the boundaries of which were not strictly defined. At one point it encompassed all of counties Meath, Westmeath and Longford. It was formally divided into Meath and Westmeath in 1542.
Monaghan 1585 Ulster MuineachánNamed after the town of Monaghan, which comes from Muineachán. "Muine" means "brake" (a thickly overgrown area) or "hillock", hence the county council's interpretation as "land of the little hills". It could also derive from "Muine Acháin", "Acháin" meaning "field", and so making "bushy field" or "hilly field".
Offaly 1556 Leinster Uíbh FhailíNamed after the Gaelic territory of Uí Failghe, which existed from the 6th century until the death of its last king, Brian mac Cathaoir O Conchobhair Failghe, in 1556. After this, it was divided into Queen's County (modern day County Laois) and King's County (modern day County Offaly.) King's County was named after Queen Mary's Consort, Philip. The name was restored to Offaly after the creation of the Irish Free State.
Roscommon c. 1292 Connacht Ros ComáinNamed after the town of Roscommon, which comes from Ros Comáin, meaning "Comán's wood". It was named after Saint Coman, who founded the monastery of Roscommon around 550.
Sligo 1565 Connacht SligeachNamed after the town of Sligo, which comes from Sligeach, meaning "shelly place"; a reference to the large amounts of shellfish to be found in the river and its estuary.
Tipperary 13th century Munster Tiobraid ÁrannNamed after the town of Tipperary, which comes from Tiobraid Árann, meaning "well of the Arra"; a reference to the river which flows through it.
Tyrone 1585 Ulster Tír EoghainNamed after the Gaelic territory of Tír Eoghain, meaning "Land of Eoghan". It was named after king Eógan mac Néill, a son of king Niall of the Nine Hostages. Eógan founded the Kingdom of Ailech, which eventually became Tyrone.
Waterford c. 1200 Munster Port LáirgeNamed after the city of Waterford, which comes from Old Norse Veðrafjǫrðr ("ram fjord"). The Irish name Port Láirge means "Larag's port" and was historically anglicised as Portlarga.
Westmeath 1542 Leinster An IarmhíNamed after the old province of Meath. An Iarmhí also means "West Meath" or, fully translated, "West Middle".
Wexford 1200 Leinster Loch GarmanNamed after the town of Wexford, which comes from Old Norse Veisafjǫrðr ("fjord of the mud flats"). The Irish name Loch Garman means "Garman's lake/inlet" and is named after a legendary character called Garman Garbh, who was drowned in the mudflats at the mouth of the river Slaney by an enchantress, resulting in the lake that bears his name. Loch Garman was historically anglicised as Lochgarman or Loughgarman.
Wicklow 1607 Leinster Cill MhantáinNamed after the town of Wicklow, which comes from Old Norse Víkingalág or Vikinga-ló ("meadow of the Vikings"). The Irish name Cill Mhantáin means "Church of Mantan" and is named after a contemporary of Saint Patrick who had his teeth knocked out by Irish pagans. Hence he was renamed Mantan, which means "toothless one" in Irish. Cill Mhantáin was historically anglicised as Kilmantan.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counties of Ireland</span> Administrative division of Ireland, historically 32 in number

The counties of Ireland are historic administrative divisions of the island. They began as Norman structures, and as the powers exercised by the Cambro-Norman barons and the Old English nobility waned over time, new offices of political control came to be established at a county level. The number of counties varied depending on the time period, however thirty-two is the traditionally accepted and used number.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leinster</span> Traditional province in the east of Ireland

Leinster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence County, Ohio</span> County in Ohio, United States

Lawrence County is the southernmost county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,240. Its county seat is Ironton. The county was created in 1815 and later organized in 1817. It is named for James Lawrence, the naval officer famous for the line "do not give up the ship". Lawrence County is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haralson County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Haralson County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,919, up from 28,780 in 2010. The county seat is Buchanan. The county was created on January 26, 1856, and was named for Hugh A. Haralson, a former Georgia congressman.

The vast majority of placenames in Ireland are anglicisations of Irish language names; that is, adaptations of the Irish names to English phonology and spelling. However, some names come directly from the English language, and a handful come from Old Norse and Scots. The study of placenames in Ireland unveils features of the country's history and geography and the development of the Irish language. The name of Ireland itself comes from the Irish name Éire, added to the Germanic word land. In mythology, Éire was an Irish goddess of the land and of sovereignty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish people</span> Ethnic group native to the island of Ireland

Irish people are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been continually inhabited for more than 10,000 years. For most of Ireland's recorded history, the Irish have been primarily a Gaelic people. From the 9th century, small numbers of Vikings settled in Ireland, becoming the Norse-Gaels. Anglo-Normans also conquered parts of Ireland in the 12th century, while England's 16th/17th century conquest and colonisation of Ireland brought many English and Lowland Scots to parts of the island, especially the north. Today, Ireland is made up of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The people of Northern Ireland hold various national identities including British, Irish, Northern Irish or some combination thereof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogham</span> Early Medieval Irish alphabet

Ogham is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language, and later the Old Irish language. There are roughly 400 surviving orthodox inscriptions on stone monuments throughout Ireland and western Britain, the bulk of which are in southern Munster. The largest number outside Ireland are in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O'Shaughnessy</span>

Ó Seachnasaigh, O'Shaughnessy, collectively Uí Sheachnasaigh, clan name Cinél nAedha na hEchtghe, is a family surname of Irish origin. The name is found primarily in County Galway and County Limerick. Their name derives from Seachnasach mac Donnchadh, a 10th-century member of the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne, which the Ó Seachnasaigh were the senior clan of. The town of Gort, Ireland, was the main residence of the family since at least the time of their ancestor, King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lough Swilly</span> Sea inlet in County Donegal, Ireland

Lough Swilly in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three glacial fjords in Ireland.

A townland is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering 100–500 acres (40–202 ha). The townland system is of Gaelic origin, antedating the Norman invasion, and most have names of Irish origin. However, some townland names and boundaries come from Norman manors, plantation divisions, or later creations of the Ordnance Survey. The total number of inhabited townlands in Ireland was 60,679 in 1911. The total number recognised by the Irish Place Names database as of 2014 was 61,098, including uninhabited townlands, mainly small islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connachta</span> Group of medieval Irish dynasties

The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach. The modern western province of Connacht takes its name from them, although the territories of the Connachta also included at various times parts of southern and western Ulster and northern Leinster. Their traditional capital was Cruachan.

Angus may refer to:

McNulty is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Gaelic Mac an Ultaigh meaning "son of the Ulsterman". Usually considered a branch of the Ulaid ruling dynasty of Mac Duinnshléibhe (MacDonlevy), a branch of Dál Fiatach, who fled Ulaid to Ailech after the former's conquest in 1177 by the Normans. DNA analysis points to descent from other Ulaid families as well. After the Battle of Kinsale in 1602, some McDonlevys and McNultys migrated to the province of Connacht where their name is now also common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Ireland</span> Animal species of the island of Ireland and surrounding waters

The fauna of Ireland comprises all the animal species inhabiting the island of Ireland and its surrounding waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English Americans</span> Americans of English birth or descent

English Americans are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2020 United States census, English Americans were the largest group in the United States with 46.5 million Americans self-identifying as having some English origins representing (19.8%) of the White American population. This includes 25,536,410 (12.5%) who were "English alone". Despite being the largest self-identified ancestral origin in the United States, demographers still regard the number of English Americans as an undercount. As most English Americans are the descendants of settlers who first arrived during the English Colonial period which began over 400 years ago, many Americans are either unaware of this heritage or choose to elect a more recent known ancestral group even if English is their primary ancestry.

<i>Ulmus minor</i> Coritana Elm cultivar

The Field Elm cultivar Ulmus minor 'Coritana' was originally claimed by Melville, while he was searching in the neighbourhood of Leicestershire in 1936 for U. elegantissima, as a new species, which he called U. coritana. He later recorded its distribution in the counties of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Suffolk and Warwickshire. Richens, however, dismissed U. coritana as 'an artificial aggregate' of local forms of Field Elm. Bean noted (1988) that Melville's U. coritana was not recognised in the Flora of the British Isles as a species distinct from U. carpinifolia [:U. minor].

Salvelinus colii, also called Cole's char, Enniskillen char or Trevelyan's char, is a cold-water species of char fish in the family Salmonidae.

References

  1. "Aontroim/Antrim". Logainm.ie.
  2. Ryan, John (22 June 2019). "The history and antiquities of the county of Carlow". Dublin, R. M. Times [etc.] via Internet Archive.
  3. Hughes, A. J. & Hannan, R. J.: Place-Names of Northern Ireland, Volume Two, County Down II, The Ards, pg xx. The Queen's University of Belfast, 1992. ISBN   085389-450-7
  4. "Fermanagh - Encyclopedia". theodora.com.