Definitive Guide to Understanding Irish Place Names

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"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 recorded as English spellings were forced on Irish language place names.

There are ways, however, to retrace spellings and place name parts back to the original so as to understand the area more. We look as ten of the most common words used and dissect their meaning."

IRISH CENTRAL: Definitive Guide to Understanding Irish Place Names