Spring
Bolinarra/Buaile an Earraigh “the boley, cattle-fold of spring”
(see logainm.ie #50846)
Date: 22/01/2024
The end of January sees us move toward spring, according to the Irish calendar, and so we can take a look at some townland names which refer to the season known in Irish as earrach. Examples include Bolinarra/Buaile an Earraigh “the boley, cattle-fold of spring” (#50846) in Westmeath, and Cnoc an Earraigh “the hill of spring” which is the forerunner to both Knockanarrig in Cork (#13621) and Knockanarra in Mayo (#36039). As seen last week with regard to Irish placenames containing …an tSneachta “of the snow”, the anglicized forms of placenames often reveal interesting information about the local Irish dialect. For instance, in Cork, as well as Knockanarrig/Cnoc an Earraigh we also find Glananarig/Gleann an Earraigh “the valley of spring” (#11325). Both of these anglicized forms reflect the general realization of final palatal (‘slender’) -(a)igh/-(a)idh as /gʹ/ in the spoken Irish of much of Munster. This pronunciation often — though not always — comes through in the local forms of placenames. In contrast, Srahanarry/Sraith an Earraigh “the river-meadow, holm of spring” (#35336) in Mayo, like the abovementioned Knockanarra in the same county and Bolinarra in Westmeath, contains no reflex of the final consonant in ‑(a)igh. (These Mayo names are discussed in detail in the late Dr. Fiachra Mac Gabhann’s essential ten-volume work Logainmneacha Mhaigh Eo.)
Cnoc an Earraigh “the hill of spring” may have been named because of a tendency for spring growth to be unusually advanced at that location. Alternatively, the hill may have been the place where a certain assembly was held at springtime. (There will be more said on the Irish tradition of assemblies in the forthcoming note on Easter.) However, there can be no doubt about the meaning of Buaile an Earraigh “the boley, cattle-fold of spring”: it clearly refers to a location where the land usually became suitable for cattle-grazing in spring. The cow was, of course, the most important animal in native Irish culture, as evidenced by the frequency with which references to cattle and cattle husbandry occur in Irish townland names.
(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)