32 Irish Town Placenames Explained

Origins of 32 Irish Town Placenames: This video explores the history behind town placenames from all 32 counties of Ireland, including some ancient history from the area and other interesting stories.
00:00 - Intro
01:20 - Donegal/Buncrana
01:54 - Derry/Coleraine
02:28 - Antrim/Ballymena
03:05 - Down/Bangor
03:37 - Armagh/Portadown
03:56 - Tyrone/Omagh
04:22 - Fermanagh/Enniskillen
05:10 - Monaghan/Clones
05:49 - Cavan/Belturbet
06:12- Louth/Drogheda
07:23 - Meath/Trim
07:51 - Westmeath/Athlone
08:08 - Longford/Granard
08:42 - Offaly/Tullamore
09:09 - Laois/Portlaoise
09:30 - Kilkenny/Thomastown
10:00 - Wexford/Enniscorthy
11:15 - Carlow/Tullow
11:34 - Kildare/Naas
12:02 - Wicklow/Arklow
12:34 - Dublin/Swords
13:04 - Kerry/Tralee
13:43 - Cork/Bantry
14:27 - Waterford/Dungarvan
15:29 - Tipperary/Cashel
15:56 - Limerick/Adare
16:25 - Clare/Ennis
16:54- Galway/Tuam
17:16 - Mayo/Castlebar
18:44 - Sligo/Ballymote
19:36 - Leitrim/Carrick-On-Shannon
20:21 - Roscommon/Boyle
21:20 - Outro
Follow me on my other channels:
interesting.ie/
GRMA💚
Song: Willow and the Light Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

[@JJ-re3or]

The return of the king

[@marycurtin2746]

This is fascinating. I used think that the ancient name for Ireland was Banba but you say she was the sister of Eriú. Please do more of these videos. So interesting and enlightening with such distinct and clear narration. Love it.

[@user-fh1rz1uq6c]

There are 3 names for "Ireland" in the Irish language - Banba, Fodhla and Éire. These 3 were a trinity of pre-Christian goddesses, and were 3 sisters, and the name of each is also a name for "Ireland" (in Irish).

[@PoppaFrost]

Class video, keep 'em coming

[@interestingeire]

Sound thanks, will do 👍

[@davidsheeran5144]

I Enjoy your videos about Ireland 🇮🇪

[@elizabethtobin6894]

Great video. Very informative 👍

[@noeldoyle4501]

Thanks for your enjoyable video.

[@carmelmhennessy9738]

Thank you for sharing this knowledge. I love it.

[@glennmeade2390]

Very interesting video👍

[@williamjohnson8731]

I love all the information

[@MunsterIreland1]

Great vt thank you

[@leonstone4738]

Thanks for including my home town of Ballymena. yes, Ballymena people know The meaning of the town and better known as the 7 Tower some long gone.St Patrick was a slave as a young boy on Slemish just outside Ballymena. Ballymena was a village when Broughshane was regarded as a town, now the other way around. There’s a story behind that fact relating to St Patrick.

[@convery_c1987]

am surprised you did not mention that Coleraine is home to the earliest known settlement in Ireland, dating back 7,000yrs ago near Mount Sandal.. Nice little fact to add..... Keep up the great work.... 👍☘

[@interestingeire]

Thanks for sharing, I'll try and use that in an upcoming video

[@crimthann-fathach]

Recent Archaeological finds have pushed the date of settlement in Ireland back to 33,000 years ago.mount sandal no longer represents the earliest habitation of the country.

[@teresaobrien8566]

Very interesting thank you

[@Occident.]

Im of Gael origin on both sides of my family born on Tyneside England. My daughter has researched our history.The ancestors baring my surname fled Famine from Leitrim in the mid 1840s. They lived around loch Alan apparently. Names in my family tree from Ireland included...Mc Farlan. Hurley. Mc Manus. Cassidy. Brown and Mc Ivor. Brilliant video i leaned a lot. These places need to revert to the Gaelic spellings. ERIN GO BRAGH 🇮🇪.

[@elizabethtobin6894]

You can take the man out of Eire, but you can’t take Eire out of the man.😊🇮🇪🇮🇪

[@Smokemeakipper41]

​@@elizabethtobin6894his family left for England in the 1840s how does that make him irish

[@chrisw8284]

Another plaster Paddy living in England 😂

[@robbiekingston]

I'm from Leitrim, live very close to Lough Allen, there's still plenty of McFarlans and McManus's in the area 👌

[@BigNorm69]

He's more Irish than Mohammad fresh off the boat being given an Irish passport ​@@Smokemeakipper41

[@RyanSalazar-dv6dn]

Brilliant

[@pjmcgoldrick1967]

That was a joy. Clones, the town I regard as my home town though I haven’t lived there for 70 years, got a mention. Not to worry, that’s where I intend to spend eternity. Go raibh maith agat!

[@johncooney417]

Who painted the illustrations? They’re brilliant!

[@ChristineKelly1000]

I think they are Jim Fitzpatrick?

[@emerald42481]

interesting

[@TheLindarosewood]

Deep cuts!

[@fToo]

interesting video. whereabouts in Ireland is your accent from?

[@elizabethtobin6894]

That’s a soft Dublin accent.

[@TheGazza83]

13:55 Saint Brendan was from Kerry. Fenit village

[@DadgeCity]

Could you do a video about how the towns got their English names? Was it gradual, or decided by a council of leaders, for example. I notice that some of the names aren't exactly easy to pronounce, eg Drogheda, Naas, Tuam, Thurles.

[@crimthann-fathach]

They were changed around the 1830's when the British army sent the ordinance survey around the country to map even inch of the country. As part of that team, they had a few Irish scholars (petrie, O Donovan and O Curry), whose job it was to collect folklore and compare to the ancient manuscripts. O Donovan was responsible for transliteration of the place names into English. He tried to reconcile the difference between Irish and English orthography, i.e tried to represent the Irish sound of the place 2:43 name using English spelling

[@user-fh1rz1uq6c]

@@crimthann-fathach English versions of these place-names existed long before the 1830's, but with multiple variations in spelling for some places (think of Knockfergus, Kragfergus, Carrickfergus). I think part what of what O'Donovan was trying to achieve was to arrive at a standard "correct" spelling in English. His memoirs are really interesting as he also had to reconcile differences in pronunciation in dialects of Irish in different parts of the country when trying to arrive at his own, personal idea of the "correct" English transliteration of an Irish language place-name.

[@decay-154]

Where is the photo of the ring forts 19 seconds into this video ?

[@Centurion101B3C]

Hm, Start with Limerick, then Killaloe/Balina, Shannon Harbour, divert to Scarriff, back to InnesCealtra, Garykennedy, up to Portumna, and Meelick Lock, Shannon Harbour, and then throw in Banagher, Clonmacnoise up to Athlone. And also explain the myth of the River Shannon where you handle all the lovely places of the Upper Shannon over Lough Ree up to Lough Boyle.

[@InterestedInDansk]

Born in and around O'Brien's Bridge, Killaloe, regional office is Scariff

[@Centurion101B3C]

@@InterestedInDansk Well, Killaloe/Balina is a lovely town with a lot of history. I visited there several times and rented a cabin-cruiser to explore the river Shannon from there Northward. Thus I also visited Scariff and Scariff-Harbour. Happy days!

[@charlesd3a]

As a Donegal man I would have to correct you Wolf Tone was held in letterkenny not Buncranna. I would like youto put this right. Wolf Tone own family have actually stated it being letterkenny.

[@ChunkySalt]

Where are all your videos? You're channel says over 100, but i can only see about 10 :(

[@interestingeire]

That's because they are mostly shorts but plan on making more longer form videos 😄

[@sidwallace6053]

Great video,strange how people that don’t live there think they are Irish,I only thought the Americans done that,love and peace from Cluain Meala, Thiobraid Árann

[@Jagparts2023]

Lord Lego is the Rightful Ruler of Co Wicklow.

[@Wubvubstep]

Isn't Bangor not a city now?

[@paulinefarrell8652]

Hey, you forgot the little counties like Carlow, and Longford.

[@interestingeire]

Covered Tullow and Granard 😃

[@crimthann-fathach]

Just to add that Gráinne visted the Queen a second time, and ended up working for the English crown, as did her son Tibbot.

[@jerryfields4837]

proud Belturbet man here

[@thiafalcone2622]

Navan?

[@halfcan-nitafan5207]

What or where does the name Gorumna c9me from its an island next to lettermore island in galway I heard once it meant the island of women can't think how that would happen ,where all the men dead or killed ?

[@ChristineKelly1000]

I did a bit of googling there for you. Gar comes from the old English meaning spear. There were a group of women who were bayoneted by the English when they were trying to defend their home during the famine.

[@halfcan-nitafan5207]

Wow thank you you ever get there I'll biy you a pint OK there's a graveyard in trabane on the island I've been told it's pre Norman any chance you could date it if not no worries I still owe you a point

[@385thomas]

​@@ChristineKelly1000 this is completely false, as some variation of the name "Garumna" has been in existence since the 1580s. The original Irish-language name is Garmna, and means pillar/post/beam.

[@sandraswift3489]

Gaels means the redeemed

[@RenzoColameoIrlanda]

😇🥰😘☘💚💘

[@shaundonovan8816]

Limerick?

[@interestingeire]

Adare is in the video

[@shaundonovan8816]

I know I watched the video.

[@charrogate]

Go raibh maith agat as an bhfíseán seo a chuireann dath leis agus tú ag tabhairt cuairt ar na háiteanna seo ☺️

[@interestingeire]

GRMA

[@user-fh1rz1uq6c]

This is an excellent video, but pronunciation of Irish seems a bit off in places. Bangor/Beannchar made me laugh, in the Ulster dialect of Irish it is pronounced as "Bannachar", not "Beyonker".

[@sowitandhopeitgrows]

All depends on how we were taught Irish.... I had an Iriah teacher from Kerry, and then changed to a Galway teacher and their dialects were VERY different. Even though both dialects were from the West coast.... The Galway teacher had such a passion for her language - loved her😍. So maybe the difference you hear, is due to dialect. For me, the presenter uses Irish I understand and would use myself...

[@lexzoolia1]

Oisin should pay Ratso immediately

[@Dizzula]

You can't spell Ireland without AI

[@sandraswift3489]

.dun.din.don.den....in hebrew means dan.or tribe of dan.tuatha de dan.prophecy in bible says that dan son of jacob.would like a snake.(His emblem)leave a trail in the sand.of his name.whereever he went.paleo hebrew is spelt dn.over time vowels of all kinds were put in.

[@loots9821]

We should go back to calling it Eiru, godess of sovereignty when sort this mess out

[@TheTaleOfTheFayreREALIA]

The Eru myth ties in neatly with Irish romanticism. But perhaps a more practical logical and even historical, explanation may be associated with a compound of two words "Land" and "Ire" or the "Land of Ire", meaning the land of trouble given it by the British. The Irish name Éireann and moreso, its abbreviation Éire, may also explain the Anglicised, "Ire", meaning "trouble". Whether or not this holds true, in terms of our historical record, and most notably, "The Troubles", to the British in particular, the land of ire angle, would make more historical sense.

[@xotan]

Sorry to disagree. the word 'ire',in the sense that you are using it comes from the Latin 'Ira', meaning anger. In its genitive case it becomes 'Irae', hence the term Dies Irae - day of anger. I would hold that the modern term Ireland is more likely to come from combining Eriu/Éire with the Scandinavian word 'Land', giving (possibly) Éireland, then shortened to simply Ireland. And to be clear, Éire, which is the modern Irish term for Ireland, refers to the whole island, not just to the Republic of Ireland.

[@ChristineKelly1000]

Given that the English invaded a little over 800 years ago, this theory doesn’t hold as Ireland was named Éireann or Erin by the Irish long before then, and had a long and distinguished history ever before the English invaded.

[@crimthann-fathach]

And that is, what we call in the business, absolute bollox.

[@user-fh1rz1uq6c]

"Éire" is not an abbreviation of "Éireann". In Irish language grammar terms, "Éire" is the nominative case, and "Éireann" is the genitive case of the word. Therefore, "Ireland" is "Éire" , and "The Republic of Ireland" is "Poblacht na h-Éireann". Historically "Éire" was a pre-Christian goddess, and name of the island. They were one and the same thing. "Éire" was also one of a trinity of 3 goddesses, along with "Banba" and "Fodhla". Note that "Banba" and "Fodhla" (as well as "Éire") are also interchangeable names for Ireland in the Irish language.

[@Protestant16907]

Some of the names are in Northern Ireland not Ireland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@RazorMouth]

😂😂😂😂😂😂 Boring I bet you really are a well rounded individual 😂 Wouldn't expect much from someone from a small minority of the Irish population that somehow doesn't realise said 🤦‍♂️

[@RazorMouth]

"Protestant" 😂😂😂😂😂 What sort of fruit cake goes around on the internet with that handle 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@RazorMouth]

"pr0testant" Seriously what kind of fruitcake uses that handle?.😂

[@maryoneill7045]

Still Ireland!

[@jixuscrixus1967]

Cun Hunt…

[@spary5751]

doesn't Eireann come from Aryan, the cultural group of people back in the 2nd millenium BC. They kind of spread across europe in their time, and spread the roots for a lot of what would now be called the indo-european language group. I'm talking of the real group the Aryans, not the bizarre racial nationalism version that the germans came up with in the 20th century.

[@AClockWorkKelly1]

No .. Éireann is a grammatical form of Éire. I believe it's Dative/Genitive.

[@cacamilis8477]

Absolutely not. Éireann is simply a dative or genitive form of Éire. For example, in Irish, if it follows a preposition (of, in, from on, etc.) a word must mutate. Éire has an irregular mutation to Éireann. Example: Is tír álainn í Éire. (Ireland is a beautiful country.) Tá mé i mo gcónaí in Éireann. (I live IN Ireland.) The "in" must change the noun after it in Irish, as it is a preposition. There is zero evidence as far as I know that it has anything to do with the word Aryan, but I'm open to suggestions. EDIT: PLEASE SEE COMMENT BELOW another commenter has corrected me. I have made some mistakes.

[@DerekTJ]

Definitely not. I did see some fruitloop make this claim on a talk, but it's incorrect.

[@spary5751]

Apparently the cognitive connection between Aryan and Éire doesn't exist. It was a theory in the 19th century but with modern data analytics has since been proven unlikely. Iran, however, does originate from the term Aryan, which makes sense considering that a large Aryan group would settle in those lands.

[@xotan]

@@cacamilis8477 Again I say sorry in this thread. But A Chácamilis, you have made a good and brave try. so take a bow. However There are three distinct forms of the word in its declension e.g.: Is maith an tír í Éire - Ireland is a nice land S'é Dubh Linn príomhchathair na hÉireann - Dublin is Ireland's capital and Tá mé i mo chónaí in Éirinn - I live in Ireland.

[@memzepper6096]

🥱

[@sandraswift3489]

.dun.din.don.den....in hebrew means dan.or tribe of dan.tuatha de dan.prophecy in bible says that dan son of jacob.would like a snake.(His emblem)leave a trail in the sand.of his name.whereever he went.paleo hebrew is spelt dn.over time vowels of all kinds were put in.