{"id":18123,"date":"2019-08-03T14:15:49","date_gmt":"2019-08-03T14:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/?p=18123"},"modified":"2019-08-03T23:03:13","modified_gmt":"2019-08-03T23:03:13","slug":"logainmneacha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/?p=18123","title":{"rendered":"Logainmneacha"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the things we discussed last week in Ireland was placenames, or in Irish, logainmneacha<\/em> [\u02c8l\u032a\u02e0\u028c\u0261an\u02b2\u0259m\u02b2\u0259x\u0259]. Most places in Ireland have Irish names and English names, which are either Anglicized versions of the Irish names, or in a few cases, completely different names.<\/p>\n

For example, the capital of Ireland is known as Dublin<\/strong> in English, and as Baile \u00c1tha Cliatha<\/strong> [b\u02b2l\u02b2\u0251\u02d0 \u02c8cl\u02b2i\u0259 \/ \u02ccb\u02b2l\u02b2\u00e6\u02d0 \u02c8cl\u02b2i\u0259] in Irish. Other places with very different Irish and English forms include Loch Garman \/ Wexford, Cill Mhant\u00e1in \/ Wicklow, Port L\u00e1irge \/ Waterford and Binn \u00c9adair \/ Howth.<\/p>\n

Dublin<\/strong> comes from the Irish Dubhlinn<\/em> (black\/dark pool), and refers to a dark tidal pool where the River Poddle enters the River Liffy. There are other placenames in Ireland that come from the same root, including Devlin, Divlin and Difflin.<\/p>\n

Baile \u00c1tha Cliatha<\/strong> means “town of the ford of the hurdles”, and referred to a fording point of the River Liffey. Apparently the viking settlement in the Dublin area, founded in about 841 AD, was known as Dyflin<\/em>, and the Gaelic town up the river was known as \u00c1tha Cliatha<\/em> [source<\/a>].<\/p>\n

In some cases the English placenames are bad translations of the Irish originals. Examples include a suburb of Dublin known as Swords<\/strong> in English, but Sord<\/strong> (water source) in Irish – nothing to do with swords.<\/p>\n

Vinegar Hill<\/strong> in County Wexford is Cnoc Fiodh na gCaor<\/strong> (Hill of the wood of the berries) in Irish – nothing to do with vinegar, but Fiodh na gCaor<\/em> sounds like vinegar.<\/p>\n

The word cnoc<\/strong> [kn\u032a\u02e0\u0254k \/ k\u027e\u02e0\u028ak] (hill) appears in many placeanmes in Ireland, and is usually Anglicized as Knock<\/strong>. Examples include Knock (An Cnoc – ‘The Hill’), Knockaderry (Cnoc an Doire – ‘Hill of the Oak’), and Knockmealdown (Cnoc Mhaoldomhnaigh – ‘Hill of Maoldomhnach’).<\/p>\n

Roundstone<\/strong> in Connemara is Cloch na Ron<\/strong> (Stone of the Seals) in Irish. Cloch<\/em> does mean stone and ron<\/em> does sound like round.<\/p>\n

Many of the Anglicized forms of the names were coined by map makers who knew little or no Irish, and who wrote down names as they heard them.<\/p>\n

More information about Irish placenames<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Place_names_in_Ireland<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.logainm.ie\/<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.dochara.com\/the-irish\/place-names\/irish-place-names\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"Llanfair<\/p>\n

In Wales \/ Cymru, most placenames are in Welsh. Some have Anglicized versions, including Caerdydd \/ Cardiff, Caerfyrddyn \/ Carmarthen and Dinbych \/ Denbigh.<\/p>\n

Some have different English and Welsh versions, including Abertawe \/ Swansea, Abergwaun \/ Fishguard and Ynys M\u00f4n \/ Anglesey. In all these examples, the English name actually comes from Old Norse:<\/p>\n