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form, are translations, and of these I shall give a few examples. Saint- 

 field, in Down, is a correct equivalent of the old name Tonaghneeve 

 (Camnac-naorh), which means the field of the saints. Watergrasshill 

 in Cork, is universally called by those speaking Irish, Cnoccm-na- 

 biolpaige, the hill of the watercresses. The Irish name of Cloverhill 

 in parish of Kilmacowen, Sligo, is Cnoc-na-peamap, the hill of the 

 shamrocks. Skinstown in parish of Rathbeagh, Kilkenny, is a transla- 

 tion of baile-na-5 cpoicecmri, and JSTutfield in parish of Aghavea, Fer- 

 managh, is correctly translated from the older name Aghnagrow (Gca6- 

 na-5-cno.) 



Among this class of names, there are not a few incorrectly trans- 

 lated. All such false translations are the result of confounding Irish 

 words, which are nearly alike in sound, but different in meaning. 

 Freshford in Kilkenny should have been called Freshfield, which is the 

 correct equivalent of its Irish name Qca&-tjp, while its present name 

 is a translation of Qc-up. The Irish name of Strokestown in Roscom- 

 mon, is not baile-na-Tn-buille, as the present incorrect name would 

 imply, but bel-aca-na-m-buille, the ford (not the town) of the strokes 

 or blows. In Castleventry, the name of a parish in Cork, there is a 

 strange attempt at preserving the original signification. Its Irish 

 name is Ccnpledn-na-saoice, the castle of the wind, which has been 

 made Castleventry, as if Ventry had some connexion in meaning with 

 ventus. 



In Meath great numbers of townland names end in the word town; 

 and those names derived from families are almost always translated so 

 as to preserve this termination, as Drakestown, Gernonstown, Cruices- 

 town, &c. But several names are anglicised very strangely, and some 

 barbarously, in order to force them into compliance with this custom. 

 Thus Teltown is the modern form of the ancient Tailltean ; the Irish 

 name of Mooretown, in parish of Ardcath, is baile-ari-cuppaig, the 

 town of the moor or marsh ; Crannaghtown, in parish of Balrathboyne, 

 is in Irish bcnle-na-5-cpcmnac, the town of the trees ; Tullaghanstown, 

 in parish of Clonmacduff, is baile-an-culcam, the town of the hil- 

 lock, &c. 



Many names again, of the present class, are only half translations, 

 one part of the word being not translated, but merely transferred. The 

 reason of this probably was, either that the unchanged Irish part was 

 in such common use as a topographical term, as to be in itself sufficiently 

 understood, or that the translators were unable to find an equivalent 

 for it in English. The name of Dalkey is a familiar example — the 

 first part, Balk, is merely the Irish beals, a thorn, and the second part, 

 ey, is the Danish equivalent of Imp, an island; the full Irish name was 

 Deil^imp, i. e. thorny island. In the parish of Ballycarney, Wexford, 

 there is a townland taking its name from a ford, called in Irish Scaipb- 

 an-bhpeacnaig, Walsh's scariffox shallowford, and this, with an obvious 

 alteration, has given name to the barony of Scarawalsh, Turkhead in 

 parish of Aghadown, Cork, means, not the head of a Turk, but the head 



