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Showing posts from January, 2017

Definitive Guide to Understanding Irish Place Names

Update:  Quimper-Vannes has moved to a new site:  https://quimpervannes.substack.com/ This Blogger site is now an archive. New articles, extracts and launch news for the English edition and French translation will appear on Substack. "Venturing outside of Ireland’s best known spots can be daunting tasks for tourists faced with unpronounceable place names such as Dun Laoghaire (Done Leery), Geashill (Gee-shill), and Altmooskan. One of the best things about visiting Ireland, however, is the beauty of these place names and the way in which they describe the area they name. No famous figures or names for us, our place names have passed down through the centuries jam-packed with geographical information. Over the years, especially during British occupation, Irish place names became anglicized as the British attempted to map the land for tax and ownership purposes. The attempts of the British to understand the original Irish names resulted in distorted versions being record...

If Breton, Welsh and Cornish towns were twinned to match their names..

Update:  Quimper-Vannes has moved to a new site:  https://quimpervannes.substack.com/ This Blogger site is now an archive. New articles, extracts and launch news for the English edition and French translation will appear on Substack. ELEMENT CORNISH WELSH BRETON Arcae/argae OB: arcae , ‘dam’ or ‘embankment’ [W: argae ] Rhyderargeau, Penyrargae, Argae Alwen Erquy (22); Ergué-Gabéric (29) Banadl OB: plu/plou , ‘parish’ and B: banadl, ‘ broom’ [W: banadl/banhadlog, ‘broom’/’broom patch’].  Bonallack Cefn Banadl, Bronbanadl, Maesbanadlog, Banhadlog Bannalec, Plobannalec-Lesconil (29); Plobannalec (56) B angor W: ban, ‘higher’ and W: cor, ‘religious community’, ‘assembly’. Bangor, Bangor Telfi Bangor (56) Beth/bedd OB/B: bed/bez, ‘grave’, ‘tomb’ [OC: beth; W: bedd ].  Trembethow Beddgelert Rospez Bran/brain B: bran/brain...