Oughterard Townlands

By Paul Gibbons

Townlands are eponymous with Ireland and the Irish tradition; and with a patchwork of over 62,000 of them covering this island its no wonder why. The aim of this talk will be to explain how and why townlands came into existence and by using local examples show how they can give insight into a forgotten past.

From ancient times geographical names have been central to Irish life, so much so that a whole separate genre of medieval literature was created because of them. Dindshenchas , ‘the lore of notable places’, was created to explain the origins of placenames and the lore concerning the events and characters associated with them. Most of the explanations are highly fanciful and in a large number of cases there are several explanations for the same name, one more absurd than the next. Nevertheless, it shows the importance of these names and their stories to the people who grew up around them. Unfortunately, the common-place nature of townlands means they are often largely overlooked by modern Irish society.

Ireland and its counties are sub-divided in a unique way: the counties into baronies, the baronies into parishes, and the parishes into townlands. These townlands are not only the smallest administrative division of land in the country but are a unique feature of Ireland. Although the source of this system of land division is obscure townlands are undoubtedly of Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion and even the parishes and counties that encompass them. A fact that demonstrates the smaller, more localized life of ancient Ireland.

Definition of “Townland’

The word townland itself, is derived from the Old English word ‘tun’ meaning enclosure, and is the common term for a variety of small local land units that varied in name throughout the island of Ireland but were most commonly called baile bó or cow lands.

There are approximately 62,000 townlands in Ireland which vary in size greatly with the smallest less than an acre and the largest measuring some 2,830 hectares. These variations are due to the fact that their shapes and sizes are related to the local topography of the area and the practices associated with them.

Although research into townlands could be said to have started thousands of years ago when people first started recounting tales of great heroes carving out valleys and goddesses drowning in rivers which then come to bear their names; it wasn’t until the early 19 th century that any high-quality academic research into placenames commenced. It was then that the British government set up the Ordnance Survey of Ireland.

Ordnance Survey of Ireland

The Irish Survey was established in 1824 along similar lines to the Ordnance Survey in Great Britain , to provide a highly detailed survey of the whole of the island of Ireland, a key element in the process of levying local taxes based on land valuations.

From 1825–46, teams of surveyors led by officers of the Royal Engineers , and men from the ranks of the Royal Sappers and Miners, traversed Ireland, creating a unique record of a landscape undergoing rapid transformation. The resulting 6 inch maps portrayed the country in a degree of detail never attempted before, and when the survey of the whole country was completed in 1846, it was a world first. Both the maps and surveying were executed to a high degree of engineering excellence available at the time using triangulation and with the help of tools developed specifically for the project. The concrete triangulation posts built on the summits of many Irish mountains can still be seen to this day.

Scholarly Research

While engineers were recording the topography of the landscape numerous others were conducting scholarly research. Foremost of these was the eminent Irish scholar John O’ Donovan as a member of the Ordnance Survey’s Topographical Department. Along with his colleagues O’ Donovan carried out invaluable work recording the 62,000 townlands, as well as two and a half thousand parishes and numerous other minor place names. As part of his work, O’Donovan travelled throughout the country standardizing the English translations of place-names as well as consulting with Irish speakers wherever he could in order to ascertain ‘the original vernacular names’. Both the Irish form and its English translation were recorded in the Ordnance Survey Name Book and it is this research that constitutes one of the most important sources for the study of Irish place names.

However, when you come across particularly odd place-names you have to wonder whether the people at the time always took the research seriously. Maybe if approached by officials, locals would try to have a little fun with the fancy looking strangers.

Cloosh Townland

This situation comes to mind when one considers the townland of Clooshgereen down the end of Station Road. Cloosh, which means ear in Irish is strangely a common enough placename element and is often used to denote a certain land shape. However, when this is paired with Gereen anglicized from the Irish word Chéirín meaning wax, one can only think that a few too many laughs and drinks were being held down the pub when that name was recorded.

Townlands and different Irish eras

Different townland names can often demonstrate the various eras in Irish history with waves of different ethnicities invading and then settling on these shores. The great majority of Irish townland names have their roots in the Irish language, however Old Norse, Norman French and of course English have also left their mark. Given Oughterard’s western location neither the Vikings or Normans ever settled in the region hence the vast majority of place names here are of Gaelic origin with a small number coming from the English language in later generations.

In fact it is estimated that over 90% of the administrative place names of the country are of Irish language origin. However, all have come down in anglicised form with only a small proportion has been recorded in Irish language sources. This process of writing Irish names according to the spelling conventions of English was begun by the Anglo-Normans in the 12th century culminated in the Ordnance Survey’s standardisation of names. Because of the great differences between Irish and English, anglicisation had the effect of shrouding place names of Irish origin in an impenetrable fog of unintelligibility. Consequently, a great deal of scholarly effort is required to establish the correct original forms of the names.

Tonwee

Two examples of townland names which may be lost in translation are Tonwee and Canrawer. Tonwee located just on the other side of the Owenriff river is anglicized from the Irish An Thóin Bhuí which directly translates to The Yellow Bottom. Now while this could signify a low lying area of land which was yellow in colour due to a crop or plant which was growing there it is too ambiguous to know with any certainty.

Canrawer

On the opposite, higher side of the river situated down around the Catholic church is Canrawer which is another example of a townland who’s meaning is a little obscure. Canrawer comes from the Irish: Ceann Ramhair which literally means ‘fat head’. Taken at face value this translation is of little or no use to somebody trying to decipher the name’s origin. Given the townland’s siting on the high bank of the river it is likely that Ceann could be more accurately translated as headland effectively an area of high land with a sheer drop, extending out into a body of water in this case the river. Ramhair could also be translated as wide as the townland stretches for a good distance along the river. Unfortunately, because of the peculiar nature of the placenames any investigation into their meanings is just speculative.

If you study the various townland names throughout the country you will see four common reasons for their naming: the topography of the landscape, the land’s usage, the land’s ownership and important sites in the area.

Landscape and Townlands

When naming places frequent use was made of natural features in the landscape. The townland name may originally have referred to an easily identifiable feature of the landscape such as Carrick from Carraig meaning a rock, Tully from Tullagh meaning a hill or Moy from Maigh meaning a plain. There are some great examples of how the topography and shape of the landscape have affected townland names in Oughterard.

Ardvarna

One example is Ardvarna from the Irish Ard Bhearna which translates to high gap. At first this may seem like a random name for the area but on closer inspection you can see how it originated. The townland is located on the high ground to the east of Oughterard town. Access to the lower land further west and the town itself, from this side, is gained through a natural cut, down through the ground stone. This cut and the resulting ‘high gap’ its creates can clearly be seen making up the base of the front boundary wall of Ardvarna House.

Ardnasillagh

Ardnasillagh is another good example. The name is the anglicization of Ard na Sailleach meaning height of the sally trees. This name ties in perfectly when one examines the townland’s topography. The area contains an expansive height which gently slopes up from Lough Corrib and dominates much of the townland. Sally also known as willow trees are a robust scrub or small tree that are native to Ireland and occur commonly in field margins, by ditches, river banks and in scrubby woodlands. The idea that the area was covered with these trees along with other scrubs long ago is strengthened when one reads O’Donovan’s Field Name Book from the early 19th century which describes Ardnasillagh as “full of bushes”.

Land usage and Townlands
Glebe

Land usage often affects how an area is named. The townland of Glebe across from the graveyard is one such case. A glebe is an area of land within a parish used to support a priest. In other words where the local priest could grow his own food and raise livestock etc. Glebes date from medieval times but it is hard to know whether this glebe was attached to the medieval church in the graveyard or the later one which was located at old chapel.

Lemonfield

Another example is Lemonfield on the eastern outskirts of the town. This townland is relatively new in date coming about sometime after the creation of the O’Fflahertie estate in the mid 18 th Century. It apparently got its name after one of the O’Fflaherties planted lemon trees all about there estate. Now while it is hard to believe that lemons grew well in Oughterard nevertheless the name lives on along with the story attached to it.

Social Customs & History

The social customs or history of the people who have lived in a particular place can also be reflected in the name of the townland. Often these names are the only records which survive of the families who held the land in pre-plantation times. Bally or Baile , signifying a settlement, along with other root words such as Rath often meaning a stone fortification, and Dun meaning an earthen fort are usually compounded with personal or family names and examples can be found all over Ireland.

Annagkeelaun

An example of this type of place name can be seen in Annaghkeelaun on the shores of Lough Corrib. Annagh comes from Eanach meaning marsh and Keelaun from the Irish Caoláin which is a slightly more ambiguous term. One theory is that Keelaun translates to narrow and that the area’s name comes from a physical description of the townland’s topography as the majority of the townland consists of marsh-land that forms a narrow encircling strip around the area’s only arable land. This is likely as a similar townland name Annaghkeen or Eanach Caoin can be found on the opposite side of the lake which translates to “level marsh” . However it is also possible that the area’s name is derived from the family name O’Keelan, who could have owned or resided there in the past. The same issue can be seen in Portacarron with Port translating to ‘landing place’ and Carron most likely derived from a personal or family name.

Billamore

Sites can sometimes be of such importance that they dominate the landscape and hence the area becomes recognized because of them. The townland of Billymore from the Irish Bíle Mór meaning ‘Great Sacred Tree’ was one such important site which hints at a very ancient past. The ancient Irish didn’t build temples to their Gods like other cultures but instead treated nature as a temple. Trees were the oldest living things and were treated as sources of great wisdom. Fairy Thorns and Rag Trees were considered to be frequently visited by beings of the Otherworld. Mass Bushes served as locations for sermons and Monument Trees as the location for weddings, royal inaugurations, seasonal festivities and other social events. As sacred trees were often planted near or connected with holy wells it is interesting that Billymore is also known as Carrowntobar from Ceathrú an Tobair – ‘Quarter of the well’. The presence of both a sacred tree and a holy well – most likely St. Cummins well now officially located in the townland of Lemonfield – in such close proximity could indicate that the area was of great significance to the ancient inhabitants of the region, serving various religious and ritualistic needs.

Bealnalappa

Another example of this can be seen at Bealnalappa located at the main road crossroads for Magherabeg and Porridgetown. Although the etymology of this placename is somewhat unclear two translations are plausible. The first – ‘the opening of the bed’ – can be interpreted in relation to the Drimneen River which descends under a natural bridge near the north-western border of the townland. Its reemergence could be described as an opening of the river bed hence the creation of the place name. The other, more likely, explanation concerns the presence of Killeroon Church and Graveyard on the eastern border of the townland. Although no road ran toward the site in earlier times the quickest access to the graveyard and church would probably have been gained through Bealnalappa hence the name ‘the entrance to the graves’.

Confusion and Frivolity
Bunnagippaun

Although townland names can often be a source of confusion and frivolity they can also prove essential in the discovery of lost or unexplored episodes of an area’s history. Bunnagippaun for example which translates to bottom of the stumps shows us the effects of agricultural expansive and population growth in post 17 th Century Ireland. Ireland was once covered extensively in forests; however, with the development of agriculture and later industry, large areas of woodland began to be cleared to create pasture for livestock, tillage for crops, for use as charcoal in industry, for fuel and for copperage and shipbuilding. This process happened so quickly that Ireland which was almost entirely covered in forests pre-1600 was nearly devoid of them by 1800. This vast felling could have taken place on such a large scale in the townland of Bunnagippaun that at some time in its history the area became an expanse of tree stumps. The term ‘bottom’ may refer to the fact that Bunnagippaun is located at the start of a region of mountainous land and is lower in elevation than the land further west which may have all been felled roughly at the same time.

Archaeological Features
Oldchapel

Place names can also be used to discover the location of ruins or other archaeological features. For example, there are two crossroad junctions on the road from Oughterard to Rosscahill that have names attached to them. The first located just past the Gateway Hotel is called Old Chapel. The second situated a few hundred metres past the golf course at the turn into Magherabeg is known as The Old Forge. Both these terms, so regular to the thoughts of locals are actually great indicators of the history and archaeology of the area.

Old Chapel got its name, straight-forwardly enough, due to the presence of an small chapel at the site hundreds of years ago. The chapel was located on the same side as the Gateway Hotel just on the corner across from the cottage where the small stables can be seen today.

The Old Forge is a less well-known name and therefore its origins are less questioned. Although it is naturally widely accepted by people that there was a forge located at the site not a lot of information is available on the old forge as its presence is passing from memory. However, after a bit of research and even more nosing through fields the ruins of the forge where found just past the turn in for Porridgetown. Very little is known about the forge still but a short article on it will be published on the Oughterard Heritage website very soon.

Local Folklore and Townlands

But the strength of townland names can go further back than the modern era as the townland of Knockkillaree near Aughnanure demonstrates. Local folklore tells us that Killaroon Church found on the border between Bealnalappa and Laghtgannon was built in the late medieval era after the church at Aughnanure Castle was knocked or simple fell out of use. Although this story can not be proved true as no archaeological remains have been excavated some complimentary evidence does exist in the form of a townland name. A small townland to the north-west of Aughnanure Castle has the name Knockkillaree. This translates to ‘hill of the church of the king’. Although folklore can often shape placenames and vice versa this is, never the less, an indication that there may be truth in the tale and not only helps one date Killaroon Church but also suggests that there may very well have been a church atop Knockkillaree.

Importance of Townlands

Clearly townlands have enormous social, cultural and historical importance for rural people in Ireland. These networks of townlands which cover the island fitted into the pedestrian local world of pre-1950s Ireland when people cycled, or walked, or plodded on horse and cart through the landscape and reflected such a local scale of movement. Sadly nowadays cars sweep past and have little connection with the texture of this local soon-forgotten world.

This page was added on 21/09/2013.

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