Hierarchy
county
barony
civil parish
electoral division
townland
Hierarchy
county
barony
civil parish
electoral division
Explanatory note
- Gaeilge
Níl réamhtheachtaí an logainm seo soiléir ón chéad shracfhéachaint (ach oiread le Ballynerrin, par. Dhroim Catha agus par. Ráth Naoi), agus ní mór an fhianaise a thomhas go cúramach chun teacht ar réiteach sásúil faoi chúlra an logainm.
Sa chéad dul síos, tugann leaganacha stairiúla cosúil le ‘Bolinorhan’ le tuiscint go bhfuil an chéad mhír le díorthú ó buaile seachas ó baile. Ach, caithfear suntas a thabhairt don fhíric go bhfuil a leithéid de ‘Bollinorren, Killvarnoke, ballinehorren’ le fáil le chéile, agus dá bharr is mó an seans go raibh an dá rud, a leithéid de Buaile an ... agus Baile an ... le fáil anseo, agus gidh gur féidir le Ballyn- a dhíorthú ó Buaile an ..., bheadh Baile an ... ar aonghuth leis an fhianaise ina hiomlán sa chás seo.
I gcás an cháilitheora tá a réamhtheachtaí níos dóiléire fiú. Chaith Liam Price amhras ar Baile an Fhoirchinn “town(land) of the extremity, end”, toisc go mbaineann an focal sin foircheann le coincheapanna teibí, de ghnáth. Tá an chuma ann go raibh an ceart aige. Ina ionad, mhol sé Baile an Airchinnigh “town(land) of the steward”, ach níl an fhianaise ar aon dul leis an guta deireanach atá le fáil i gin. Airchinnigh. Ar ndóigh, d’aithin Price é sin, agus dá bharr sin chuir sé leagan giorraithe den sloinne Mac an Airchinnigh .i. Mac an Airchinn faoi bhráid an léitheora.
Mhol an Brainse Logainmneacha Baile an Oiriún “town(land) of the ploughman” mar leagan Gaeilge sealadach tráth, ina bhfuil malairt foirme de aireamh (gin. airimh, aireamhan) “ploughman”. Ní mhíníonn an leagan sin an -rh- atá le fáil i leaganacha stairiúla mar ‘Bolinorhan’, ‘Ballinorhan’, áfach, agus dá bharr sin caithfear an moladh sin a chur as an áireamh fosta. Is amhlaidh an scéal i gcás Baile an Fhearainn “town(land) of the domain, land” mar atá molta ag Liam Price i gcás Ballynerrin, par. Dhroim Cátha agus par. Ráth Naoi.
Agus é sin ráite, díol spéise an logainm Cill an Fhuarthainn/Killanoorin atá fianaithe i nGaeltacht Phort Láirge. Ní léir brí na míre deireanaí, ach is fiú é a chur i gcomparáid le fuarthan “cool place” ― bheadh Baile an Fhuarthain “the town(land) of (at) the cool place (poor ground)” ar aonghuth leis an fhianaise luath atá ann don logainm seo agus don Ballynerrin eile ag paróistí Dhroim Catha agus Ráth Naoi. Seans go bhfuil an fuarthan ag freagairt don talamh le gaineamh inti sa bhaile fearainn seo, agus is dócha nach chomhtharlúint é go bhfuil ‘matrix of Irish Sea Basin origin’ (féach epa.ie) le fáil ag Ballynerrin (par. Droim Catha) fosta. [C. Ó Crualaoich]
- English
The precursor to this placename (and to the other Ballynerrin, par. Dromkay/par. Rathnew) is not immediately obvious and the evidence must be analysed carefully.
Historical forms such as ‘Bolinorhan’ would imply that the first element derives from buaile rather than baile. However, note the two variant forms found alongside each other in ‘Bollinorren, Killvarnoke, ballinehorren’, implying that both Buaile an ... and Baile an ... were in use. Although Ballyn- could itself derive from Buaile an ..., the Irish form Baile an ... would agree with the overall evidence.
The original form of the qualifying element is even less clear. Liam Price was probably right to cast doubt on Baile an Fhoirchinn “town(land) of the extremity, end” on the basis that the word foircheann (a variant of foirceann) is usually used in abstract concepts. Instead, he suggested Baile an Airchinnigh “town(land) of the steward”; note, however, that the final vowel in gen. airchinnigh is not supported by the evidence. Price recognised this and drew attention to the surname Mac an Airchinn, an abbreviated form of Mac an Airchinnigh.
The Placenames Branch once proposed the provisional Irish version Baile an Oiriún “town(land) of the ploughman”, containing a variant form of aireamh (gen. airimh, aireamhan [airiún]) “ploughman”. However, this suggested form is no longer deemed satisfactory as it does not explain the -rh- found in historical forms such as ‘Bolinorhan’, ‘Ballinorhan’. (Price's suggestion of Baile an Fhearainn “town(land) of the domain, land” in the case of the other Ballynerrin, par. Dromkay/par. Rathnew, must be discounted for similar reasons.)
The placename Cill an Fhuarthainn/Killanoorin attested in the Waterford Gaeltacht is of interest here. The meaning of the final element *fuarthann is unclear, but cf. fuarthan “cool place” — Baile an Fhuarthain “the town(land) of (at) the cool place (poor ground)” would agree with the early evidence for this placename and for the other Ballynerrin in par. Dromkay/par. Rathnew. Fuarthan may refer to the sandy ground in this townland, and if so it is probably no coincidence that a ‘matrix of Irish Sea Basin origin’ can also be found in Ballynerrin, par. Dromkay (see epa.ie). [C. Ó Crualaoich]
Centrepoint
Historical references
1608 |
Bolinorhan
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1611 |
Ballinoran
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1613 |
Boylenurin
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1614 |
Ballinorhan & Cooldrasse
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1619 |
Bolynorhan
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1619 |
Ballinhorin?
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1619 |
Boolenoryn
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1619 |
Bollinorren, Killvarnoke, ballinehorren
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1620 |
Bolinorin
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1622 |
Ballynorhin
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1635 |
Ballynorkin als. Killnevernoge
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1641 |
Ballynornan
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1642 |
Ballinerin?
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1654 |
Ballinnorhin
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1655-7 |
Ballenoran
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1668 |
Ballynorin
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1685c |
Boylannurhonn
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1703 |
Ballynoran
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1703 |
Ballynoran
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1715 |
Ballynoran
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1760 |
B: norrin
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1824 |
Ballanoran
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1839 |
Ballynorrin
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Nevill Wicklow:AL Leathanach: CM053,11
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1839 |
Ballynorrin
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Allen Nevill Map:AL (CM) Leathanach: CM053,11
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1839 |
Ballynarran
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Cess Coll.:AL Leathanach: CM053,11
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1839 |
Baile an fhiorthain, 'town of the long grass'
"This meaning is very uncertain." [Nóta OD]
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OD:AL Leathanach: CM053,11
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1839 |
Baile 'n fearain
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pl:AL Leathanach: CM053,11
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1839 |
Ballynerrin
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OD:AL Leathanach: CM053,11
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1932 |
Some suggestions about Wicklow placenames made to me by Nioclás Toibín of Carlow (native speaker from Co. Waterford):...'Baile an fhearthainn' ('farm'). (172-3)
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Please note: Some of the documentation from the archives of the Placenames Branch is available here. It indicates the range of research contributions undertaken by the Branch on this placename over the years. It may not constitute a complete record, and evidence may not be sequenced on the basis of validity. It is on this basis that this material is made available to the public.
Archival and research material provided on this site may be used, subject to acknowledgement. Issues regarding republication or other permissions or copyright should be addressed to logainm@dcu.ie.
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