In the Naming of New Developments

As an action of the County Heritage Plan Heritage County the of action an As

Produced by Cork County Council County Cork by Produced

New Developments New

of of the In Naming

Preserving our our Preserving Placenames Heritage Placenames

Introduction Guiding Principles for Naming New Developments

Irish placenames are an integral part of the cultural The purpose of this document is to encourage the The following should be taken into account when heritage of Ireland. They are a valuable source of use of existing placenames in the naming of new proposing a name for new developments: knowledge and link to our past, giving meaning to residential and other developments in accordance our landscape and insight into former landuses, with Objective Env 6-1 of the County Development • Give priority to names with well established local customs and practises. The historical and cultural Plan, 2009 ‘It is an objective to promote local usage or names that may have fallen into disuse profile of townlands, parishes, counties and even heritage by encouraging the use of local place but were previously associated with the location countries can be given greater depth and richness names of geographical, historical or cultural of the proposed development. through study of placenames. Much of the thought, names in the naming of new residential and other • Ensure that the name chosen is not already in folklore, genealogy, religion, daily life and work of developments. Such an approach will be a use within the locality and that there is no those living on and interacting with their landscape requirement of planning permissions for new duplication of addresses. can be appreciated through placenames study. developments.’ • Where there are no suitable local names in use, Placenames can also provide an insight into the consider names appropriate to the natural or climate, flora and fauna of the region studied. Irish The leaflet includes some guiding principles and cultural features in the surrounding landscape, placenames have evolved over the centuries, directs users to the primary sources of information or identified with the history, archaeology, many being anglicised versions of very ancient on this valuable aspect of our heritage. architecture or culture of the area. Irish (Gaelic) placenames. Others derive from Old • Names should incorporate recognisable words Norse, Norman French and English. and be easily pronounceable. • A correct Irish language form should be provided County Cork is a rich source of placenames. for all English language names. Make sure to There are over 5,600 townlands in the County and check grammar and spelling for each word. over 100,000 references to places in the Cork • Where an existing Irish name is proposed, this Placenames Archive located in Cork County should not be translated. Library. • Names of persons (deceased) who have made a valuable contribution to the cultural or Recent changes in Irish agricultural practices, community life, or made a contribution to the urban spread, afforestation, rural depopulation and county or country may also be used. road building, have altered the landscape and • The name of a living person should not be man's relationship with it. This generation is faced proposed unless there are exceptional with a unique challenge and opportunity to circumstances. preserve our link to the past through the protection • It is advised to consider the name of your of our local placenames. development as early as possible during the planning phase and to consult with the planners on same. Sources of 2 Archives Historical Information

The Cork Placenames Archive - The Cork Placenames Archive contains a comprehensive collection of the place names of County Cork Many of the sources listed in this document are townlands, district electoral divisions and ancient collated by Logainmneacha Chorcaí between 1996 available in the Local Studies Department of the baronies in the County of Cork, published by Cork and 2008. The Archive was built upon the County Library or are available to browse online. County Council in 1985. foundations laid by the Ordnance Survey Name In addition to the sources referenced below, there Books which were compiled in the 1830s. It lists is a substantial body of published literature on the Ordnance Survey Maps - These maps record places and placenames collected during that time local history and placenames of Co. Cork, townland names, sub-denominations and a range and includes previously unrecorded information published as monographs and as articles in local of other geographical and topographical features. such as the names of individual fields, roads and history journals which may be consulted at the A set of the first edition OS maps for Co Cork other features of the landscape. The archive is County Library. Other published histories which dating from about 1840 is held in the Local Studies available for consultation in Cork County Library. may include information on local placenames in the Department in the Cork County Library. Duplicate county can be identified using Keyword Searches sets are also available for consultation at the Cork City and County Archives - This local using the online Library Catalogue. Mallow and Skibbereen branch libraries. Historic service preserves original documentary records maps can be consulted online and free of charge that may contain place and placename significant at the Historic Map Archive on www.osi.ie. The information. Examples of such records include: 1 Key References main Ordnance Survey archive including original town plans is held at the National Archives in • Local government records (mainly 19th and 20th Dublin. century but including some matrial going back as The first major attempt to officially record far as 1600); placenames was in the 1830s through the first The Tithe Applottment Books - These records of • Landed estate papers; government mapping of the country by the land occupancy predate the mid-19th century • Solicitors and legal papers; Ordnance Survey (1836-1841). Some key Valuation Records and the Ordnance Survey, • School records; reference works dating from this time are noted which established the modern identification and • Local club and society records; below. These sources are held in the Local Studies spelling of place names. For this reason the tithe • Personal and family papers. Department of Cork County Library where they can books sometimes provide names of places that be consulted. cannot be readily identified from other sources. These records often contain early maps, plans and drawings as well as documents containing Townland Indexes - The General Alphabetical references to places and placenames, landscape Index to the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and and land holdings, landowners as well as Baronies of Ireland: based on the Census of 1851 information on local cultural heritage, people and (Official listing of all of the town-land names in historical events. See www.corkarchives.ie for Ireland.). A similar compilation is A directory of more information.

3 Published Sources Placenames 4 Published Sources Placenames 5 Other Sources of Information - General - Cork on Placenames of Ireland

• Flanagan, Deirdre and Lawrence (2002), Irish There are a number of published sources relating Local Sources - Many local history and other place names, 2nd edition, Gill & MacMillan (The exclusively to the place-names of local areas of Co groups undertake research into local placenames. most comprehensive modern guide to Irish Cork. These sources, often compiled for the now Such groups are an important source of historical place-names, providing a list of the root or stem obsolete administrative area of barony, are usually information and local lore and will be able to words that occur in almost all place-names, as arranged by barony, parish and townland and are provide information and suggestions that published well as a gazetteer of over 3,000 Irish place also likely to mention sub-denominations, i.e., sources do not contain. names and their derivations.) named areas within a townland or parish which • Joyce, P W (1972) The Origin & History of Irish names have never received official status, as well The Placenames Branch - The Placenames Names of Places, fourth edition, E.P. Publishing as antiquities and topographical features in each Branch of the Department of Community, Equality • Lewis, S (1837) A Topographical Dictionary of townland. and Gaeltacht Affairs undertakes research in order Ireland. Samuel Lewis first published his two • Archaeological Inventory of County Cork (1992- to establish the correct Irish language forms of the volumes of The Topographical Dictionary of 2000), 5 vols. Stationery Office (These volumes placenames of Ireland and to publish them for Ireland in 1837. His main aim, was to give in ‘a provide a definitive record of the antiquities and official use. They have developed the Placenames condensed form’, a reliable and unbiased historical sites of Co Cork). Database of Ireland which provides the correct description of each place. Arranged alpha- • O’Donoghue, Bruno (1986) Parish histories and Irish language forms of Irish placenames. This betically by place (village, parish, town, etc.), it place names of West Cork. work is available to view at www.logainm.ie. provides a comprehensive description of all Irish • Bowman, Michael (2000) Place names and localities as they existed at the time of antiquities of the Barony of Duhallow. publication. Lewis gives details about every • Mac Carthaigh, Micheal, [Place names of the Contact Details parish, town and village in Ireland, including Beara peninsula] in Dinnseanchas, Iml. 2,1966, numbers of inhabitants, the economy, history, Iml. 5, 1972, 1974, Iml. 6, 1977 and in JCHAS, Cork County Library, topography, religion and parish structures, Vol 85, 1980 Reference and Local Studies Section, County Library Building, administration and courts, schools, and much • O’Leary, KV (1918,1919), The place names and Carrigrohane Road, Cork. more. He also gives the names of the principal antiquities of the Barony of Kerrycurrihy, Co Cork T: 021 4285640, inhabitants (generally landlords, merchants and in Jn. of the Cork Historical and Archaeological W: www.corkcoco.ie/library, E: [email protected] professionals). Lewis's dictionary is the first Society (JCHAS), Vol 24-25, 1918, 1919. detailed study of its kind for Ireland, and since it • O Riordain, Sean P. (1931-35) The place names Cork City and County Archives, 33a Great William O’Brien Street, was published just prior to the Irish Potato and antiquities of Kinalmeaky Barony, Co Cork Blackpool, Cork. Famine (1845-49) it is a valuable resource used in JCHAS, Vol 36-40, 1931-35 T: 021 4505876, widely by historians and genealogists alike. • Power, (Canon) Patrick (1917-18,1923), Place- W: www.corkarchives.ie, E: [email protected] The first edition of Lewis dictionary is available names and antiquities of SE Cork (Barony of to view online at www.osi.ie. Barrymore) in PRIA, Vol 34,C, 1917-1923. Cork County Heritage Officer, Cork County Council, County Hall, Carrigrohane Road, Cork. T: 021 4276891, W: www.corkcoco.ie/heritage, COUNTY CORK H ERITAGE FORUM E: [email protected] ‘TOWNLANDS’ Image © Paula Pohli