235 



and a person unacquainted with the present peculiarity might be puzzled 

 by this prefix, or might perhaps consider it an anglicised form of Cpuac, 

 a rick or piled up hill. But all these Crocks are really Knocks, dis- 

 guised by the change of this one letter. In these counties also, the 

 termination nagrow or nagrew is often found in townland names, as in 

 Tullynagrow in the parish of Muckno, Monaghan ; this termination has 

 been similarly corrupted, Tullynagrow being properly Culai 5-110-5- 

 cno, the hill of the nuts. 



The change of the I to r is not very common, but it is found in 

 some names. Tirerrill, a barony in Sligo, is altered from Cip-Oiliolla, 

 i. e. the district of Olioll son of Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin [ohy- 

 moyvane], monarch of Ireland in the fourth century. Dromcolliher in 

 Limerick is 'properly t)puim-collcuille, the ridge or hill of the hazel 

 wood ; and Ballysakeery, a parish in Mayo, is baile-eapa-caoile, the 

 town of the narrow cataract. 



The change of m to n, or vice versa, is of somewhat rare occurence. 

 In Bathangan in Kildare, the first n should be m, the correct name 

 being "Rac-lmgain, Imghan's rath. N is changed to m in Kilmainham, 

 i. e. St. Maighnenn's church; Boate calls it Kilmanan, which shows that 

 it has been corrupted within the last 200 years. The same change has 

 been made in Rathfarnham, i.e. Earannan's rath, and in Multyfarnham 

 and Tyfarnham in Westmeath, the former signifying the mills (muil- 

 lecmn, a mill, pi. muilce), and the latter the house (cig) of Earannan 

 or Arannan. The termination of the last four names seems to have been 

 formed in imitation of the common English topographical postfix ham, 

 home. In Moyacomb, the name of a parish in Wicklow, there is a 

 genuine change of n to m, the Irish name being TTlag-ba-con, the plain 

 of the two hounds; and the same in Slieve Eelim the name of a moun- 

 tain range east of Limerick city, which is Sliab-Giblmne, Evlin's 

 mountain. 



Several of the letter changes now examined have been evidently 

 caused, or at least facilitated, by the difficulty of articulating the same 

 letter twice in immediate succession, and this is a principle of considerable 

 influence in corrupting language. It is easier to say Tirerrill than the 

 right name Tirellill, Aghaviller than Aghavirrer, and so on, in"several 

 other cases. 



III. Change of 6, 5, 6, and t, to f. The guttural sound of c aspirated 

 (c), as heard in loc (lough), cannot be pronounced at all by a speaker 

 of mere English, and as it constantly occurs in names, it is interesting 

 to observe the different ways in which English substitutes are provided. 

 When it comes in the end of words, it is often passed over altogether, 

 being neither represented in writing nor in pronunciation, as in Bally- 

 mena (baile-mea&onac, middle-town). Sometimes, both in the middle 

 and end of words, it is represented by gh, which is often sounded by 

 the English speaking natives, like the proper guttural c, as in Lough, 

 Lughany, while those who cannot sound the guttural, pronounce it as k or h 

 {Lock, Luhany) ; but if this gh occur at the end of words, it is commonly 



