2 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



it demands, finally, measurements and critical examination of historic and 

 pie-historic monuments, as well as much collation of ancient documents and 

 authorities. 



For convenience' sake and facility of subsequent reference, the writer 



proposes to follow the system of treatment by parish and townland, first 



adopted by him nine or ten years since, in his " Place-Names of Decies." 



Ba: irishes, and townlands will be taken alphabetically — parishes 



under their respective baronies, and townlands under their respective 



parishes. Under townlands will come townland sub-denominations, when 



there are any. In enumeration or record of Bub-denominations some dis- 



crimination There are thousands of sub-denominations not 



worthy such frequently occurring names - Big-Field," 



"Laos (or Fort) Fiel which may be regarded as merely generic or 



ive, and really common nouns or adjectives. 



Our plai naturally at mselves in strata, according to age, 



somewh it the manner of _ ~-ome of them are of 



the •■ of the last generation; between the two 



•me lay are more or less clearly defined. 



majority age, while most of the sub- 



nt. River, mountain, and territorial 

 names seem the oldest of all the surface, i.e. most recent, are, as a 



rule, proportion of sub-denomina- 



tion- are, however, undoubtedly old. Of the townland names probably nearly 

 fifty _ k to the thirl tury. Some of them indeed are 



older than fa ite from pagan times. Of all these various strata, 



and classes not enumi nth-east of Co. Cork 



ing, mountain and maritime 

 dis? i most (though not necessarily tl - interesting) names, 



and den; i urban areas the few 



wnt unit'! In-h land dr. the townland — a denomination 



now < and character. Strictly speaking, the area of a 



townlan 480 acres. The ancient Irish survey was by 



_h computation, and not by chain ; er, bog or mountain was not 



counted. At tl Ordnance Survey, however, many smaller 



divis denominations were raised to townland rank, and some amalga- 



•n of townlands was effected; hence, we have to-day townlands varying 



in ai an acre to thousands of acres. The chief ancient Irish land 



■divisions were, in ascending order, the gneeve (Gniomh gh, tate 



or ballybo, - _ iand (also called carrow, carucate, or quarter), 



the l>alh r townland. and the triocha-cead or barony. All these terms, 



