Connectivity is not just about computers and mobile devices talking to each other locally and across the world, it is also about people and where they live and work and also about companies trading locally, nationally and internationally.

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Our largely rural community is hugely connected regionally, nationally and internationally by virtue of our location.

We are one and a half hours east to Dublin Airport with scheduled flights to 167 destinations: North America (includes ‘border preclearance’ for US-bound passengers), U.K., Europe and the Middle East. (https://www.dublinairport.com)

We are one and a half hours west to Ireland West Airport at Knock, Co. Mayo with scheduled flights to 14 destinations in the U.K. and Europe. (http://www.irelandwestairport.com/destinations)

We are on the Dublin/Sligo railway, accessed at Edgeworthstown station with morning/evening commuter trains to and from Dublin. (www.irishrail.ie)

We are also on the N4 main road from Dublin westward to Sligo and Mayo. The N4 is intersected at Edgeworthstown by the N55 which runs North/South (for example Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh is one and a quarter hours north and Thurles, Co. Tipperary is two hours south).

We have frequent daily bus services from Dublin to Sligo (No. 23) and Dublin to Ballina (No. 22). Edgeworthstown is also served by the Belfast to Galway service. (www.buseireann.ie)

For the commmuter Dublin is a one and a half hour trip. For the business person most of the population centres in the country can be reached within two and a half hours except the South and South West.

Center Parcs Longford Forest is a short twenty five minute drive from us. (http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/en-ie/villages/longford-forest)

There are over 64,000 townlands in Ireland. Townlands are the most basic unit of land division. They can range from just a few acres in size to several hundred, particularly in mountainous areas. Prior to their indexing and subsequent publication online at www.census.nationalarchives.ie the original census returns could be accessed only by reference to the 1901 Townland Index.

The townland system is of Gaelic origin, pre-dating the Norman invasion and most have names of Irish Gaelic origin. However, some townland names and boundaries come from Norman manors, plantation divisions or later creations of the Ordnance Survey.

In Ireland, a townland is (generally) the smallest administrative division of land and they form the building blocks for higher-level administrative units such as:
Civil Parishes
Electoral Divisions (in the Republic of Ireland) or Wards (in Northern Ireland)
Baronies
Counties
Provinces
Local, National & European Election Constituencies

Civil parishes are essentially similar to the ancient parishes of the established Church of Ireland. Most Roman Catholic parish boundaries were established in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and are generally larger in area than civil parishes.

For further research go to the Irish Genealogical Research Society website www.irishancestors.ie and the National Library of Ireland website www.nli.ie where parish records of some 300 years of records in over 1,000 Roman Catholic parishes have been digitised and are available to search and view. Check www.townlands.ie for maps of townlands in counties Longford and Westmeath.
 

County Longford, home of the Legend ‘The Wooing of Étain’, is a place of magic, myth and mystery. Steeped in ancient Irish mythology, Longford has several important and impressive heritage sites as well as a wealth of literary and musical tradition. Ancestral home of the Farrell Clan, Longford, historically known as ‘Annaly’ or ‘Anghaile’ is a tranquil and mainly low-lying county, renowned for its angling, boating and outdoor activities. It is ideally located in the heart of the ‘Lakelands and Inland Waterways’ region, making it a perfect place for those with a love of water sports. The recently restored St Mels Cathedral, ‘The Longford Phoenix’, acts as the focal point of Longford town, while ‘The Royal Canal Way’ which meanders for over 146km from Dublin to Longford, provides direct access to the town centre for both walkers and cyclists. Longford’s accessibility to many of Ireland’s main towns and cities make it a prime location as a holiday base. The true beauty of the county lies in its rural charm, the hospitality of its people and the breathtaking views of its quiet countryside of farmland, lakes, bogs and the occasional low hill.

Longford Tourism’s Facebook page is a great starting point for an exploration of all that County Longford has to offer.

Most placenames in Ireland are anglicisations of the original Irish language name i.e. adaptations of the Irish names to English phonology and spelling. However, some names come directly from the English language and a handful come from Old Norse and Scots. As we travel from west to east we find more of the towlands have English names, a consequence of County Westmeath being heavily planted. The study of placenames in Ireland unveils features of the country’s history and geography, and the development of the Irish language.

Below in the following three sections are the townlands that make up our parishes along with a translation of each and a translation/explanation for many of them. Note that this is a first version and it is hoped to add to it. Should there be any errors or if there are local variations of any of the townland names please e-mail me at cahilljohn23@gmail.com
 

Irish Gaeilge	English Bearla		Irish Gaeilge	English Bearla
ath	ford		garrán	island, river meadow
abhainn	river		gort	field
beag	small		gleann	glen
barr	top		glas/glaise	green, grey, stream
bán	white, lea ground, grassy		garrán	grove
baile	town, townland, homestead		log/lag	hollow
ard	height		leac	flat stone or rock, flagstone
aill/faill	cliff		leacht	gravestone, mound
achadh	field		leath	half, side
bealach	way, pass		léim	leap
binn	peak		leitir	hillside
bearna	gap		liath	grey, grey place, grey horse
bóthar	road		lios	ring fort
breac	speckled		loch	lake
buile	cattle fold, summer pasture		machaire	plain
bun	(river-)mouth, bottom(-land)		má/ma(i)gh	plain
caiseal	stone ring fort		mainistir	monastery
caisleán	castle		mín	smooth, mountain pasture
caol	narrow, a narrow marshy stream		muc	pig
carn	pile of rocks		muieann	mill
carraig	rock		muine	thicket
ceann/cionn	head, headland		mullach	hilltop
ceapach/ceapaigh	plot of land, tillage plot		nua	new
cill	church		oileán	island
cloch	stone, stone building		páirc	field
cluain	meadow		poll	hole, pool
cnoc	hill		port	port, bank, fort
coill	wood		ráth	ring fort
cora	weir, stone fence, ford		rinn	point, headland
dair	oak		ros	(wooded) height, wood, promontory
daire	red one		rua	red, red place
diseart	hermitage		sceach	hawthorn, thorn bush
doire	oak wood		sean	old
domhnach	church		sliabh	mountain
droichead	bridge		teach	house
droim	ridge		teampall	church, temple
dubh	black		tír	land
dún	fort		tobar	well
eanach	marsh		tóchar	causeway
fearann	land		trá	strand, beach
fionn	white		tuaim	mound. burial place
garbh	rough		tuar	paddock, (cultivated) field, pasture
			tulach	hillock
			uachter	upper

Source:
http://www.logainm.ie/scoil/pdf/logainm.ie-scoil1-00.pdf

 
 

TOWNLANDS IN EDGEWORTHSTOWN PARISH – PARÓISTE MEATHAS TROIM

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In Mostrim (Edgeworthstown) Civil Parish there are 34 townlands.
In St. Mary’s Edgeworthstown Roman Catholic Parish there are 38 townlands.
The additional four townlands are at the western end of the parish and are Corboy, Ballyhoolivan, Ballynagoshen and Lisnanagh. These are included in Killoe Civil Parish.

Name of Townland		Logainm	Meaning of Name
Abbeyland		Fearann na Mainistreach	Fearann = ploughland
	****	Probably the abbey was the Fransiscan friary of St. John the Baptist, Ballynasaggart which was destroyed by Richard Nugent, Earl of Westmeath in 1651
Aghadonagh		Achadh Donncha
Aughafin		Achadh Fionn	Fine field
Ballindagney and Cullyvore	****	Baile an Deagánaigh agus An Chúil Mhór (Coill Uí Mhordha?)	Town of the stronghold (Ballindagney)
Ballyhoolivan		Baile Uí Shúileacháin	O'Sullivan's town
Ballynagoshen		Baile na gCosánach	Town of the footmen
Barne		An Bhearna	Gap
Bracklon	****	Breac-chluain	Speckled town or Breac Linn (Speckled pool)
Cam	****	Camach	A winding As in a long winding lane
		From Cam is derived comma (because it is crooked) used in pronunciation. Caman, a hurly, a stick with a crooked head. Cambutta, a walking stick.
Camlisk Beg		Camlaisc Bheag	Camlisk = Winding of the lazy man
Canlisk More		Camlaisc Mhór
Clonca	****	Cluain Catha	Meadow of the battle
Clonwhelan		Cluain Faolain	Cloonwhelan = Meadow of the seagulls
Corboy	* ****	An Chorr Bhuí A byname composed of the elements corr ‘crane’ + buidhe ‘yellow’ Or Cor Buí = Yellow whin
Corclaragh		An Chorr Chlárach	A dyke with plank across
Cranalagh Beg	****	Crannalach Bheag	Cranalagh = trees or plantations
Cranalagh More		Crannalach Mhór
Culloge		Collóg	Little back – one who rides behind another on horseback
Curry	*	Na Curraithe
		Cuirreach or as it is written in modern Irish, currach, has two meanings, a racecourse and a morass. In it’s first sense it gives name to the Curragh of Kildare, which has been used as a racecourse from the most remote ages. In the second sense, which is the more general, it enters into names in the forms Curra, Curragh and Curry, which are very common through the four provinces -- Joyce (p.463)
Edgeworthstown		Meathas Troim - Mostrim	Edgeworthstown or Mostrim - Meathustruim means the fertile ridge
		This place-name is seldom seen except in Church Records. The place is better known by the name Edgeworthstown, after the Edgeworth family, who have been living here for the past two or three hundred years. Maria Edgeworth, a member of this family, wrote well in the English tongue. About twenty perches to the west of the ruins of the old Abbey (about which I could gather nothing) is St. Bearach's (Barry) holy well, now unknown and unheeded. He was the same who lived at Tarmonbarry. St. Bearach was probably the patron saint of Meathustruim. This parish is now (I think) under the tutelage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, feast 15th August. Dr. Healy tells us that every diocesan patron and almost every parochial saint had his holy well, of which the memory is now sometimes lost. I believe St. Barry and his holy fountain no longer hold a place in the memory of the people of Mostrim. Perhaps some pious person reading this might clear away the choking weeds and grass and place beside the well some memento of St. Barry. This simple act would revive some knowledge of the saint and help to perpetuate his memory, unhappily sinking into oblivion. (p. 180)
Garryandrew		Garraí Aindriú	Andrew's garden
Gneeve	*	An Gníomh	The twelth part of a ploughland
		Plowland = a measure of land used in the northern and eastern counties of England after the Norman conquest based on the area able to be ploughed in a year by a team of eight oxen
Keelogenasause	*	Caológ na Sás	Narrow ridge of the nets (snares) or engines
		Keeloges is the name of about twenty six-townlands scattered all over Ireland; it means “narrow strips or plots” and the Irish name is caelóga, the plural of caelóg – Joyce (p.33)
Kilcourcey	****	Cill Chuairsí	Wood of the racecourse
Kilsallagh	****	Coill Sallach	Dirty wood or Coitt Saiteac (Coill Saileac), wood of willow-trees but is more likely Cill Saileach = Church of the Sallow (willow tree)
Lacken	*	An Leacain	Side of a hill
Liscahill		Lios Cathail	Cahill's fort
Lisnageeragh		Lios na gCaorach	The fort of the sheep (caera)
Lisnagrish		Lios na Gríosa	Fort of the ember
Lisnanagh		Lios na nUamhanach	Fort of the troops, cavalry: or it might mean fort of the apparition -- T. Concannon
Lissanore		Lios an Óir	Fort of the gold
Lissanure	*	Lios an Iúir	Fort of the yew tree
		The yew ranked among the chief trees. The Druids regarded it as sacred, and used it in their ceremonies. Of its timber, which was very plentiful, vessels were made; it was also much used in the manufacture of furniture. Red yew looked well in carving and ornamental work -- Joyce
Longfield	*	Leamhchoill
		The conversion of Choill into Field seems a strange conversion but every step in the process in accounted for by principles examined in this and next chapter, namely the conversion of ch into f, the addition of d after l, and the tendency at present under consideration namely the alteration of the Irish into an English word - Joyce (p.32) d is added after l in the word “field” when this word is an anglicised form of coill, a wood, as in Longfield, Cranfield – Joyce (p.39)
Monadarragh		Móin na Darach	Bog of the oaks
Ringowney		Rinn Ghamhna	Calf's division
Rinnenny		Roinn Eithne	Enna's division - O'Donovan
Shantum	****	An Seantom	Old thicket Sean Tom = old thicket
Tinnynarr	****	Tigh na nDéar	Also Tigh Na n-Ár Tinaner = house of the slaughters e.g. the slaughter of the monks of the Fransiscan friary during the plantations (see Abbeyland)

 

Sources:
I have used spellings and descriptions as per the originals. In many cases this reflects ancient spellings, pronunciations and customs. In other cases manual transcriptions or digitisation have given rise to misspellings. I have not tried to correct these, rather I feel that they add to the experience of exploration and learning that this exercise engenders.

Primary Source:
PLACE-NAMES OF THE COUNTY LONGFORD
REV. JOSEPH MacGIVNEY
©Dublin:
JAMES DUFFY AND CO. Ltd.,
38 Westmoreland Street.
1908.

Secondary Sources (marked * , ** , *** & ****):

*
THE ORIGEN AND HISTORY OF
IRISH NAMES AND PLACES
P.W. JOYCE
LONGMANS GREEN & CO.
1910

**
IRISH LOCAL NAMES EXPLAINED
P.W. JOYCE
1870

***
http://www.longfordlibrary.ie – Archives & Local Studies tab

****
Edgeworthsthown
Parish of Mostrim
O Theach to Teach
1901 – 2000
Mostrim Heritage and Historical Group
2003

Placenames as gaeilge have been taken from www.townlands.ie

A full list of townlands in County Longford in English and in Irish is contained in:
http://www.ahrrga.gov.ie/app/uploads/2015/07/Longfort_DreachtOL-2012_2.pdf

Additional reading:
http://www.libraryireland.com/Places.php
http://www.irish-place-names.com/meanings/
http://oracleireland.com/books/joyce/names-c.htm
http://oracleireland.com/Ireland/amenities/place-names.htm
https://www.johngrenham.com

 
 

TOWNLANDS IN STREETE PARISH – PARÓISTE AN tSRÁID

Streete:
Anciently called Sraid Mhaighe Breacraigh, i.e. the Street of Moybrackry. This parish occupies the north east corner of the Barony of Ardagh, bordering on Co. Westmeath and lies between the parishes of Granard and Mostrim. It contains 3,377 acres.
 

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In Street Civil Parish there are 18 townlands plus 35 in Streete Civil Parish.
St. Mary’s Streete Roman Catholic Parish includes all 51 townlands.
St. Mary’s church is in Boherquill townland.

Name of Townland		Logainm	Meaning of Name
Aghamore	***	Achadh Mór	Great field
Aghareagh	***	Achadh Riabhach	Grey field
Athenboy
Ballaghgowla and Froghan	*** ***	Bealach Gabhla agus An Fraochán	Bealach Gabhlach, forked road Fraochán, bilberry land or land abounding in whortle berries
Ballew
Balloo	***	Baile Lú	Bal Lugha, Lugh's, or Lewy's town
Ballykildevin
Barradrum
Behabane
Boherquill		Bóthar an Choill
Bottomy
Burgesland
Caherdague	***	Ceathar Déag
Chancery
Clonava		Cluain ??mha
Clonconnell
Clonkeen
Clonmore		Cluain Mhór
Cloonshannagh or Coolamber Manor Demesne	***	Cluain Seannach nó Mainéar Chúil Amra	Lawn or meadow of the foxes Hill-back of the trough
Coolamber (2)	***	Cúil Amra	Hill-back of the trough
Coolnagun		Cúil na gCon
Cornacrusk
Correaly
Culvin			Cut bin (now Culvin, in parish of Street) back of peak -- O’Donovan
Curry	**	Na Curraithe	A form of Curragh, a marsh
Derradd	**	Doire-fhada	Long oak wood
Drumann	***	An Dromainn	A ridge or long hill
Dunamon
Fearmore	**		Great grass (feur) or grassy place
Freaghmeen	**	An Fraoch Mín	Freagh, Freugh, Fraech = heath Mín = fine. Smooth Heath
Garriskill
Gortanear
Hospital Bank
Kilfintan	***	Cill Fhiontain	Fintan's church
Kilfintan Lower or Crancam	***		Cill Fiontain, Fintan's Church Crann Cam = croked tree
Kilmore
Kilshallow
Kiltareher
Lechurragh	***	An Leathchurrach	The half moor
Lisduff	***	Lios-dubh	Black fort
Lismacaffrey		Lios Mhic Gofraidh
Lisnagappagh
Lisryan		Lios Riain	Ryan's fort
Milkernagh		Miolcarnach
Moatavally	***	Móta an Bhealaigh	The moat of the road
Monagead
Moneyhoolaghan		Muine Uí Shúileacháin	Móin Uí Shúileacháin O'Sullaghan's bog
Queensland		Coill Fhiontain Bheag
Rath	**		A circular fort
Tinode

 
Additional note:

Tupperfintan, St. Fintan’s well
Rev. Wm. Monaghan, P.P., Street, put a stop to the Pattern at St. Fintain’s Well about 40 years ago.
— 0′ Donovan who wrote the above about 1837.
This is a holy well in a place called Queensland, parish of Street. Stations are performed at it on the first Sunday of harvest. Of the Saint’s Church no trace now remains. It is traditionally told that the Saint is interred in a small mound, called on the Ordnance Survey Map Kinard (recte, Ceann-drd)* high head; which mound is to be seen on the bank of a rivulet to the east of Lismacaffrey.
The Saint’s holy well was much neglected till the late Mr. Con Fagan, of Lismacaffrey, erected a cross and pailing around it, and left beside it an At), for drinking its pure water.
* ” There was a nunnery called ‘ Kenard,’ on the lands of Clonmore, parish of Street.” — O’Donovan.
 

 
 

TOWNLANDS IN RATHOWEN PARISH – PARÓISTE RÁTH EOGHAIN

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In Rathowen there are two civil parishes.
In Rathowen (Russagh) Civil Parish there are 9 townlands plus 26 in Rathowen (Rathaspick) Civil Parish.
St. Mary’s Rathowen Roman Catholic Parish includes all 35 townlands.

Name of Townland		Logainm	Meaning of Name
Ballycorkey (part of)
Ballydorey
Ballygarran	**		The town of the garran or shrubbery
Ballygarvey
Ballygarveybeg
Bardanstown
Barratogher
Cappagh	*	An Cheapach	A plot of land laid down for tillage
Carrigagh
Clonaboy
Corry
Corrydonnellan
Cross
Crumlin or Rockfield	**	Cruim-ghlinn	[Crumlin](Four Masters), curved glen
Curristeen
Derrydooan Lower		Doire Dhubháin ??ochtarach
Derrydooan Middle		Doire Dhubháin Láir
Derrydooan Upper		Doire Dhubháin Uachtarach
Henfield
Joanstown
Killinagh
Kilmacahill or Caraun
Loughanstown
Loughanstown Lower or Slkievelahan
Mace	**	Más	[Mauce], the thigh, a long low hill
Newpass Demesne
Rathaspick	**		The fort of the bishop (easpug)
Rathclittagh
Rathowen		Ráth Eoghain
Rathowen (Edward)
Russagh			Wood of the steeds
			This place is in the parish of Rathowen, or rather Russagh was formerly joined to Rathowen. "MacRustaing, a famous jester, was buried in Russagh. It is said no woman can look at his grave without uttering a foolish laugh." -- Kuno Meyer. MacRustaing was the maternal brother of St. Coemain Brec, and was probably an ecclesiastic, as he is spoken of as one of the eight distinguished scholars of Armagh, about the year 740. St. Coemain Brec, Abbot of Roseach, died 14th September, 615 A.D. — Dr. Todd. There are at Russagh the ruins of an old church and graveyard, also a mount on which grows a bush said to be the centre of Ireland -- O’Donovan. The horse. We have several words for a horse, the most common are each and capall. Each [agh] is found in several families of languages; the old Irish form is ech; Each is very often found at the beginning of names, contrary to the usual Irish order and in this case it generally takes the modern form of augh. For example Aughinish, an anglicisation of Each-inis (Four Masters), horse island. In the end of names it commonly forms the postfix -agh; as in Russagh in Westmeath, which the Four Masters write Ros-each, the wood of horses – Joyce (p.474)
Stongaluggaun
Windtown
Windtown North
Windtown South