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Meanings of placenames
A number of common placename elements can be interpreted easily and usually accurately and are a starting point to understanding the meanings of townlands, landscape features and so on. Caution must be used however as only by examining old sources can the names be identified with some certainty, and sometimes not even then. Nevertheless many elements and often whole placenames can be inferred from a list such as this.
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Gaelic
Spelling
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Anglicised
form
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Meaning
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Example
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Gaelic
Spelling
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Anglicised
form
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Meaning
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Example
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| Achadh | Aghy | Field, Clearing | Aughnavallog (Achadh na bhFáinleog - field of the swallows) | Gaoithe | Gee | Wind | Drumnagee (Droim na Gaoith - ridge of the wnd) |
| Allt | Alt | Steep glen or stream | Altadreen (Allt an Draighin - Steep glen/stream of the blackthorn) | Garbh | Garvey, Garvagh | Rough | Garvaghy (Garbhachadh - rough field) |
| Ard | Ard | Height | Ardtimacormick (Ard Tí Mhic Cormaic - height of MacCormick's house) | Glas | Glass | Green | Moneyglass (An Muine Glas - the green thicket) |
| Áth | Ath, Augh | Ford | Aughnacloy (Áth na Cloiche - ford of the stone) | Gleann | Glen | Gken, valley | Glengomna (Gleann Gamhna - the glen of the calf) |
| Baile | Bally | Town/townland | Ballynahone Beg (Baile na hAbhann Beag - little townland of the river) | Gort | Gort, gart | Enclosed field | Gortnamony (Gort na Mónadh - enclosed field of the bog) |
| Ban | Ban, bane | White | Lurganbane (An Lorgain Bhán - the white ridge) | Grianán | Greenan | Place facing the sun | Greeenan (Grianán - sunny place) |
| Beag | Beg | Small | Tullaghbeg (An Tulach Bheag - the little hillock) | Iolair |
eelar, illar |
Eagle | Drummiller (Droim Iolair - ridge of the eagle) |
| Bearnais | Barnes, Barnish | Gap or pass | Barnish (Bearnais - a gap or pass) | Inis | Inish, Inch | Island | Inisharoan (Inis an Róin - seal island ) |
| Breac | Brack | Speckled | Knockbrack (An Cnoc Breac - the speckled hill) | Lag | Lag, Leg | Hollow |
Legmore (Lag Mór - big hollow) |
| Bruíon | Breen | Fairy Dwelling | Breen (Bruíon - Fairy Dwelling) | Leargaidh | Largy | Sloping hill | Largy (Leargaidh - sloping hill) |
| Buí | Boy | Yellow | Magheraboy (An Machaire Buí - the yellow plain) | Lios | Lis | Fort | Lisnasliggan (Lios na Sliogán - fort of the shells) |
| Bun | Bun | Bottom | Bunshanacloney (Bun Seanchluana - bottom of the old meadow) | Locháin | Lochan |
Little Lakes (Loch - lake - plus diminutive) |
Loughan (Na Locháin - the little lakes) |
| Caol | Keel | Narrow | Ballykeel (Baile Caol - narrow townland) | Lorgain | Lurgan | Ridge | Lurgantamry (Lorgain an tSamhraidh - ridge of summer) |
| Carn | Carn | Cairn - burial mound | Carnkirn (Carn Caorthainn - cairn of the rowan) | Machaire | Maghera | Plain | Magherabeg (Machaire Beag - small plain) |
| Carraig | Carrick | Rock | Ballynagarrick (Baile na gCarraig - townland of the rocks) | Maigh | Moy | Plain | Moira (Maigh Rath - Plain of the fort) |
| Ceathru | Carrow | Quarter (often of a ballybetagh) | Carrowlaverty (Ceathrú Ui Laifeartaigh - O'Laverty's quarter) | Mór | More | Big | Tamnaghmore (An Tamhnach Mhór - big field or clearing) |
| Chabrach | Cabragh | Rough or bad land | Cabragh (An Chabrach - rough land) | Muine | Money | Thicket, shrubbery | Moneynick (Muine Chnoic - thicket of the hill) |
| Cill | Kill | Church | Kilminioge (Cill M'Fhionnóg - Little Finn's Church) | Mullach | mullach | Hill summit | Mullabrack (Mullach Breac - speckled hill summit) |
| Clár | Clare | Plain | Clare (An Clár - the plain) | Mullán | Mullan | Summit | Mullinsallagh (Mullán Saileach - summit of the willows) |
| Cloch | Clough, Clog | Stone (or sometimes stone castle) | Cloughanmurray (Cloch Dhún Muirigh - Stone castle of Murrays fort) | -na- | -na- | of the | Culnafay (Cuíl na Bheithe - corner of the birch) |
| Cluain | Clooney, Clon, | Pasture | Coolnacran (Cuain Chrannacháin - meadow of the wooded place) | Poll | Pol | Hollow | Ballybollen (Baile na bPollán - townland of the hollows) |
| Cnoc | Knock | Hill | Knockbane (An Cnoc Bán - the white hill) | Poirt | Port | Landing place | Portdoo (An Port Dubh - the black port) |
| Coill | Kill | Wood | Kilkinamurray (Coill Chon Murchaidh - wood of Murchadh's hound) | Ramhar | rammer | Broad | Drumramer (Droím Ramhar - broad rifdge) |
| Corr | Cor | Strange, noticeable | Corbally (Corrbaile - odd townland) | Rath | Rath | Fort | Rathfriland (Rath Fraoileann - Fraiole's fort) |
| Creagán | Creggan | Rocky place | Cregganboy (An Creagán Buí - the yellow rocky place) | Riabhach | Reagh | Grey | Ballyreagh (An Baile Riabhach - grey townland) |
| Cuíl | Col, cool | Corner, recess | Coolsallagh (Cuíl Saileach - recess of the willow) | Rinn | Ring | Point | Ringclare (Rinn Chláir - point of the plain)r |
| Darach | Dara, Derry | Oak Tree | Edenderry (Éadan Darach - hill-face of the oak tree) | Saileach | Sally, sallagh | Willow | Drumsallagh (Droim Saileach - ridge of willow) |
| Dearg | Derg | Red | Aghaderg (Achadh Dearg - red field) | Sceach | Skeagh | Hawthorn | The Skeagh (An Sceath - the hawthorn) |
| Domhnach | Donagh | Church | Donaghcloney (Domhnach Cluana - church of the meadow) | Sliabh | Slieve | Mountain | Slievenabrock (Sliabh na mBroc - mountain of the badgers) |
| Dísert | Desert | Hermitage | Desertmartin (Dísert Mhartain - Martin's hermitage) | Sráid | Straid | Street/village | Straid (Sráid - street/village) |
| Doire | Derry | Oak grove | Derrylough (Doire Locha - the oakgrove of the lake | Sruthán | Struan | Stream | Surhanleanantawey (Sruthán Léana an tSamhaidh - stream of the sorrel meadow) |
| Draighean | Dreen | Blackthorn place | Dreen (Draighean - place of blackthorns) | Tamhnach | Tawney, Tonagh | Field | Tonaghmore (Tamhnach Mór - big field) |
| Droím | Drum | Ridge | Drumo (Droím Eo - ridge of Yews) | Tamlaght | Tamlacht | Pagan burial place | Tamhlacht (Tamhlacht - pagan burial place) |
| Dubh | Doo, duff | Black | Lough Doo (Loch Dubh - Black lake) | Teampall | Temple | Church | Templastragh (Teampall Lasrach - Lasair's church) |
| Dún | Doon, Dun | Fort | Duneane (Dún Dá Éan - fort of the two birds) | Tobar | Tober | Well | Tobernaveen (Tobar na bhFiann - well of the Fianna) |
| Éadan | Eden | Hill face | Edenmore (Éadan Mór - Big hill face) | Tuar | Tor | Cattlefield | Tornaroan (Tuar na Ruán - Cattlefield of the red patches) |
| Eanach | Annagh, Anna | Marsh | Annaghanarva (Eanach an Arbha - marsh of the corn) | Tulaigh | Tully | Mound or hill | Tullyree (Tulaigh Fhraoigh - hill of the heather) |
| Fada | Fad, fada | Long | Killyfad (An Choillidh Fhada - long wood) | Tir | Tyr, tir | Land | Tirfergus (Tir Fearghais - Fergus' land) |
| Gabhan | Gowan | Smith | Ballygowan (Baile an nGabhann - townland of the smiths) | Uachtar | Aughter | Upper part | Aughterclooney (Uachtar Cluana - upper part of the meadow) |
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