placenamesWhat’s in an Irish place name?
Read Irish forms and English spellings with care, and understand what a name element can tell you.
Begin with the recorded name
Search both the Irish and English forms of a place name. A spelling on a family document may differ from the current record. Keep the county and the type of place beside each candidate so that two places with similar names do not become one in your research.
Elements give clues
The Logainm glossary connects Irish words with places in which they occur. It is a useful way to follow recurring landscape and settlement terms. A glossary translation explains an element; it does not, by itself, establish the complete meaning or history of every name that contains it.
Follow the explanation to its source
On this atlas, original editorial is cited separately from the recorded names. Where a full-name meaning is uncertain or has not been researched, we say so. Follow the source record for specialist material and distinguish a historical interpretation from a secure modern identification.
Sources & starting points
Original guide prepared 25 October 2026. Our approach to sources.
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