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IRISH LOCAL NAMES EXPLAINED

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y

VOCABULARY OF IRISH ROOT WORDS A B C D E F G I L M N O P R S T U

IRISH LOCAL NAMES EXPLAINED

Labba, Labby; Leaba [labba], a bed, a grave.

Labbasheeda in Clare; Leaba-Sioda, Sioda's or Sheedy's labba, bed, or grave.

Labbamolaga; St. Molaga's grave. See Templemolaga.

Lack; leac [lack], a stone, a flag stone.

Lacka; the side of a hill.

Lackabane, Lackabaun; white hill side.

Lackagh; a place full of stones or flags.

Lackamore; great hill side.

Lackan; the same as Lacka: a hill side.

Lackandarragh, Lackendarragh; the hill side of the oaks.

Lackareagh; grey hill side (riabhach).

Lackaroe; red hill side (ruadh).

Lackeen; a little rock or flag.

Lacken; the same as Lacka; a hill side.

Lag, Legg; a hollow; a hollow in a hill.

Lagan; a little hollow; sometimes it means a pillar stone (liagan). The river Lagan probably took its name from a little hollow on some part of its course.

Laghil, Laghile; Leamhchoill [Lavwhill], elm wood.

Laght; Leacht, a sepulchre or monument.

Laghy; a slough, a miry place.

Laharan; Leath-fhearann [Laharan], half land.

Lahard; Leath-ard, half height; a gentle hill.

Lahardan, Lahardane, Lahardaun; a gentle hill.

Lakyle; Leath-choill, half wood.

Lambay island near Dublin; the latter part is Danish: Lamb-ey, i. e. lamb island. Its ancient Irish name was Rechru or Reachra; and the adjacent parish on the mainland was called from it, Port-Reachrann [Portrahern], the port or landing place of Reachra, which in the course of ages, has been softened down to the present name, Portraine.

Laragh, Lauragh; Lathrach, the site of any thing.

Laraghbryan in Kildare; Bryan's house site.

Largan; Leargan, the side or slope of a hill.

Largy; Leargaidh, same meaning as last.

Larne in Antrim; Latharna (Laharna : Book of L.), the district of Lathair [Laher], son of Hugony the great, monarch of Ireland before the Christian era. Until recently it was the name of a district which extended northwards towards Glenarm; and the town was then called Inver-an-Laharna, the river mouth of (the territory of) Larne, from its situation at the mouth of the Ollarbha or Larne Water.

Latt; the same word as Laght.

Latteragh in Tipperary; Leatracha [Latraha], the plural of Leitir, a wet hill-side (see Letter). It is called in O'C. Cal., Letracha-Odhrain [Oran], Odhran's wet hill-slopes, from the patron, St. Odhran, who died in the year 548.

Laughil; Leamhchoill [Lavwhill], elm wood.

Laune river at Killarney; Leamhain, F M., elm; the elm-producing river.

Lavagh; Leamhach [Lavagh], a place producing elms.

Lavally; Leath-bhaile, half town or townland.

Lavey in Cavan; the same as Lavagh.

Leagh; Liath [Leea], grey; a grey place.

Leam; Leim, a leap.

Leamlara in Cork; the mare's leap.

Leamnamoyle in Fermanagh; the leap of the mael or hornless cow.

Lear; the same as Lyre.

Lecale, barony of, in Down; Leth-Chathail [Lecahil], F. M., Cathal's half. Cathal was a chief who flourished about the year 700, and in a division of territory, this district was assigned to him, and took his name.

Lecarrow; Leth-ceathramhadh [Lecarhoo], half quarter (of land).

Leck; the same as Lack.

Leckan, Leckaun; the same as Lackan.

Leckpatrick; Patrick's flag-stone.

Leeg, Leek, Leeke; the same as Lack.

Legacurry, Legaghory; Lag-a-choire [curry], the hollow (lag} of the caldron or pit.

Legan, Legaun; the same as Lagan.

Legland; same as Leighlin. D added : see p. 4.

Lehinch; Leith-innse, F. M., half island, i. e. a peninsula.

Leighlin in Carlow; Leith-ghlionn [Leh-lin], F. M., half glen ; from some peculiarity of formation in the little river bed.

Leighmoney; grey muine or shrubbery.

Leinster. In the third century before the Christian era, Labhradh Loingseach [Lavra Linshagh, Lavra the mariner], brought an army of Gauls from France to assist him in recovering the kingdom from his uncle, the usurper, Coffagh Cael Bra. These foreign soldiers used a kind of broad pointed spear, called laighen [layen]; and from this circumstance the province in which they settled, which had previously borne the name of Galian, was afterwards called Laighen, which is its present Irish name. The termination `ster', which has been added to the names of three of the provinces, is the Scandinavian or Danish stadr, a place. Laighien-ster (the place or province of Laighen) would be pronounced Laynster, which is the very name given in a state paper of 1515, and which naturally settled into the present form, Leinster.

Leitrim, the name of more than 40 townlands and villages; Liath-dhruim [Lee-drum], F. M., grey drum or ridge.

Leixlip; a Danish name, meaning salmon leap (lax, a salmon), from the well-known cataract on the Liffey, still called Salmon leap, a little above the village. By Irish-Latin writers it is often called Saltus-salmonis (the leap of the salmon); and from this word saltus, a leap, the baronies of Salt in Kildare have taken their name.

Lemanaghan in King's County; Liath-Manchain, F. M., St. Manchan's grey land.

Lena, Leny; a wet meadow.

Lenamore; great wet meadow.

Lerrig in Kerry; a kill side. See Largan.

Letter; Leitir, a wet hill side.

Lettera, Letteragh, Lettery; wet hill-sides. See Latteragh.

Letterkenny; a shortened form of Letter-Cannanan, the O'Cannanans' hill-slope. The O'Cannanans, or as they now call themselves, Cannons, were anciently chiefs or kings of Tirconnell, till they ultimately sank under the power of the O'Donnells.

Lettermacaward in Donegal; Leitir-Mic-a'-bhaird, the hill slope of Mac Ward, or the bard's son.

Lettermore; great wet hill-side.

Lettermullan; Leitir-Meallain, F. M., Meallan's hill-slope.

Levally; the same as Lavally.

Leyny. The descendants of Luigh or Lewy, the son of Cormac Gaileng (see Gallen), were called Luighne [Leyny: O'Dugan], and they gave name to the barony of Leyny in Sligo (ne, descendants).

Lick; the same as Lack and Leck.

Lickbla in Westmeath; shortened from Liag-Bladhma [Leeg-Blawma], F. M., the flag-stone of Bladh [Blaw], a man's name. See Slieve Bloom.

Lickeen; little flag-stone.

Lickfinn in Tipperary; white flag-stone.

Lickmolassy in Galway; St. Malaise's [Molasha's] flagstone.

Lickoran; the flag of the cold spring (uaran).

Limerick; corrupted from the Irish form Luimnech [Liminagh], F. M., by a change of n to r (see p. 3): the name signifies a bare spot of land, from lom, bare.

Lis, Liss; Lios, a circular earthen fort.

Lisalbanagh; the Albanagh's or Scotchman's fort.

Lisanisk, Lisanisky; the fort of the water (uisge).

Lisbane, Lisbaun; white lis or fort.

Lisbellaw; Lios-bel-atha, the lis of the ford-mouth.

Lisboy; yellow fort; probably from furze blossoms.

Liscannor in Clare; Canar's fort.

Liscarroll in Cork; Cearbhall's or Carroll's fort.

Liscartan; the fort of the forge (ceardcha).

Lisdoonvarna in Clare; takes its name from a large fort on the right of the road as you go from Ballyvaghan to Ennistymon. The proper name of this is Dun-bhearnach [Doonvarna], gapped fort (see Barna), from its shape; and the word Lis was added, somewhat in the same manner as " river" in the expression " the river Liffey:" Lisdoonvarna, i. e. the lis (of) Doonvarna.

Lisdowney in Kilkenny; Downey's fort.

Lisduff, Lisdoo; Lios-dubh, black fort.

Lisheen; little lis or fort.

Lislea; Lios-liath [lee], grey fort.

Lislevane in Cork; Lios-leamhain, elm fort.

Lismore; great fort. Lismore in Waterford received its name from the lis or entrenchment built by St. Carthach [Caurhagh] round his religious establishment. It was previously called Magh-sciath [Maskee], the plain of the shield. See Origin and History of Irish Names of Places, p. 261.

Lismoyle; Lios-mael, bald or dilapidated fort.

Lismullin; the fort of the mill.

Lisnagat; Lios-na-gcat, the fort of the (wild) cats.

Lisnageeragh; the fort of the sheep (caera}.

Lisnalee; the fort of the calves (laegh). See p. 2.

Lisnamuck; the lis or fort of the pigs.

Lisnaskea in Fermanagh; the fort of the sceach or whitethorn tree. It took its name from the celebrated Sceach-ghabhra [Skagowra], under which the Maguire used to be inaugurated.

Lisnisk, Lisnisky; the fort of the water.

Lissan, Lissane; little lis or fort.

Lissaniska, Lissanisky; the fort of the water.

Lissaphuca; the fort of the pooka or spright.

Lissard; high fort.

Listowel; Lios-Tuathail [Lis-Thoohil], Tuathal's fort.

Lissonuffy in Roscommon; Lios-0-nDubhthaigh [Lisonuffy], F. M., the fort of the O'Duffys.

Lixnaw in Kerry; Lic-Snamha [Snawa], F. M., the flag-stone of the swimming (snamh). See Drumsna.

Loughill, Loughil; Leamhchoill [Lavwhill], elm wood.

Londonderry. Its most ancient name, according to all our authorities, was Doire-Chalgaich[Derry-Calgagh], the derry or oak wood of Calgach or Galgacus. In the tenth or eleventh century it began to be called Derry-Columcille, in honour of St. Columkille, who founded his monastery there in 546; and this name continued to the time of James I., whose charter, granted to a company of London merchants, imposed the name of Londonderry.

Longfield; in almost all cases a corruption of Leamh-choill [Lavwhill], elm wood.

Longford; Longphort [Longfort], a fortress. The town of Longford is called in the Annals Longford O'Farrell, from a castle of the O'Farrells, the ancient proprietors.

Loop Head in Clare; a Danish modification of Leap Head; Irish Leim-Chonchuillinn [Leam-Conhullin], F. M., Cuchullin's leap. For legend see Origin and History of Irish Names of Places, p. 163.

Lorum in Carlow; Leamh-dhruim [Lavrum], elm ridge.

Lough; a lake; an inlet of the sea.

Loughan, Loughane, Loughaun; little lake.

Loughanreagh; grey little lake.

Loughbeg; little lake.

Lough Boderg; the lake of the red cow.

Lough Bofin; the lake of the white cow.

Loughbrickland; corrupted by changing r to l, and adding d (see pp. 3 and 4), from Loch-Bricrenn, F. M., the lake of Bricriu, a chief of the first century.

Lough Conn in Mayo; Loch-Con, F. M., the lake of the hound.

Lough Corrib; the correct Irish name is Loch Orbsen, F. M., which was corrupted by the attraction of the c sound in Loch to Orbsen, and by the omission of the syllable sen. Orbsen was another name for Manannan Mac Lir, a celebrated legendary personage.

Loughcrew in Meath; Loch-craeibhe [creeve], the lake of the branchy tree.

Lough Derg on the Shannon; contracted from Loch-Dergdherc [Dergerk], the lake of the red eye, which is explained by a legend.

Lough Derravara in Westmeath; Loch-Dairbhreach [Darravara], F. M., the lake of the oaks. See Darraragh.

Lough Erne; the lake of the Ernai, a tribe of people.

Lough Finn; see Finn river.

Lough Guitane near Killarney; Loch-coiteain [cut-thaun], the lake of the little cot or boat.

Lough Melvin; corrupted from Loch-Meilghe [Melye], the lake of Meilghe, an ancient king of Ireland.

Lough Neagh; written in the Book of Leinster Loch-nEchach [nehagh], the lake of Eochy [Ohy], a Munster chief, who was drowned in it at the time of its eruption in the first century. The N is a mere grammatical inflection, and the name is often used without it; for instance, we find it spelled Lough Eaugh in Camden, as well as in many of the maps of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Lough Oughter in Cavan; Loch-uachtar, upper lake, i. e. upper as regards Lough Erne.

Loughrea in Galway; Loch-riabhach, grey lake.

Lug; a hollow; the same as Lag and Leg.

Lugduff mountain over Glendalough; black hollow, from a hollow at the base.

Luggelaw; the hollow of the lagh or hill.

Lugmore; great hollow.

Lugnaquillia, the highest mountain in Wicklow; Lug-na-gcoilleach [Lugnagulliagh], the hollow of the cocks, i. e. grouse.

Lumcloon; bare meadow (lom, bare).

Lurgan; the shin; a long hill.

Lurganboy; yellow long hill.

Lurraga; the same as Lurgan.

Lusk in Dublin; Lusca, a cave.

Lusmagh in King's County; the plain of herbs (lus, an herb).

Lynally. In the sixth century there was a forest here called the wood of Ela; and the church founded by St. Colman, about the year 590, was thence called Lann-Ealla (O'C. Cal), the church of Ela, which has been anglicised to the present name.

Lynn; a form of Lann, a house or church.

Lyre; Ladhar [Lyre],a fork formed by rivers or glens. See Lear.