What’s in a name? Part II

By Adrian Cusack

In the early 1970s, a man who had just arrived to take up a role at Athlone Apparel was sifting through job applications which had been submitted to the company.

He had little knowledge of the locality and was amazed by the number of young applicants who had previously worked in Italy.

Coincidentally, it seemed, they had all been based in the port city of Genoa.

Eventually the penny dropped and it became clear that references to “Genoa” under the heading of work experience actually referred to employment at the Genoa Cafe in Athlone’s Custume Place!

This wasn’t the first or last time that the names of areas, streets or indeed businesses caused confusion in the town or its surrounding areas.

Last week, in the opening part of this feature on local placenames, a laneway on the west side of Athlone, The Shambles, was discussed. This was known as the butchers’ quarter and we stated that it would be interesting to learn how the words 'The Shambles’ became attached to it.

Librarian and historian Gearoid O’Brien, who has been very helpful in supplying reference material for this feature, clarified the matter.

“The answer is quite simple,” explained Gearoid.

“The word shambles is now more often used to describe a mess or a muddle - as in 'the place was in a right shambles’ - but the original meaning of the word shambles was a butcher’s slaughtering house.

“The word is derived from the Latin scamellum which describes a small bench – presumably the bench used by butchers to prepare the meat. In 1821 there were twenty-one butchers operating in The Shambles, killing their beasts and offering meat for sale.

“We can only assume that the site was chosen because of its proximity to the Shannon and that the waste was disposed of by putting it into the river just south of the town. Many living in the general area have known that lane as Cat’s Alley - one wonders was it associated with scavenging cats from its time as a working shambles.”

He added: “The proximity of Pudding Lane suggests some enterprising residents in that street collected blood and other waste products from The Shambles to make pudding which they then offered for sale.”

Slaughter of a different kind resulted in Gallows Hill being used as a placename on both the east and west sides of Athlone.

A gallows was once located on the site of what is now St Mary’s Church / St Mary’s Place. This area was known as Gallows Hill and Gallows Green on deeds which date from 1715 and 1789 respectively.

Another Gallows Hill is located in Baylough, near Battery Heights.

The origins of Preaching Lane - a laneway off Church Street in Athlone - date from a similar era. Archive material states that this was known as Preaching Lane in 1777 and Swaddling Lane in 1784. The earlier of the two names obviously had more staying power, as it is the one displayed on the council’s name sign today.

The lane leads to Court Devenish, where both Presbyterians and Methodists had chapels or meeting houses in the eighteenth century. The methodist presence is believed to have prompted the name Preaching Lane.

An intriguing (but long defunct) placename in the same general area is Little Hell.

A reference to it is included in a 1946 article by the late Fr William Quinn, who was then Adm. of St Mary’s Parish. Fr Quinn does not go into detail about Little Hell, simply saying the name is “no longer used, but well remembered.”

Fr Quinn’s writing also touches upon another defunct and surprising Athlone placename: Tangier Lane.

This was once the name of what is now Griffith Street. The Moroccan city of Tangier was once under British control and it’s thought that there may have been a connection with Athlone due to its status as a garrison town.

We are also left to speculate on the origins of Love Lane - a route in the area where St Mel’s Terrace was later built.

Almost 70 years ago, Fr Quinn wrote: “Where St Mel’s Terrace now stands was then green fields and Love Lane was a narrow pass-way scarcely wide enough to accommodate a donkey and cart.”

The name survived until the construction of St Mel’s Terrace in 1933. Rumours that The Righteous Brothers’ hit single 'You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling’ was inspired by the demise of Love Lane have not been confirmed!

There was music and merriment atop a hill in Drum, South Roscommon, in times past. As a result, the hill, which bordered the townlands of Kilmacormac and Crancam, became known locally as Cnoc a Damhsa (Hill of the Dance).

The name dates from a time when the entire population of Drum was Irish-speaking. The hill was probably used as a site for dancing long before the Great Famine, and it later became known as 'The Steps’.

The manufacture and transport of alcohol was also an inspiration for local placenames. In Athlone, Distillery Lane was a small lane which ran from Excise Street to the Shannon. A whiskey distillery was owned there by a late 18th century property owner, John Potts.

On the banks of Lough Ree in Glasson, Portaneena (Port-an-fhiona) refers to 'the landing place of the wine’. Wineport, now best known for the Wineport Lodge hotel and restaurant, is a similar local name.

In 'The Latin Lives of St Ciaran’ there are references to wines from France being brought to Iseal Chiaran by boat on Lough Ree. It’s presumed that these wines landed at Portaneena or Wineport.

The tenor John McCormack, Athlone’s most famous son, was born at The Bawn. This name derives from the Irish bo-dhun, meaning a place to keep cattle.

An animal of the equine variety became immortalised in the village name of Horseleap.

The horse that leapt is said to have been ridden by Hugh De Lacy, the Lord of Meath who died in 1186. It’s said that De Lacy was being pursued by his enemies when he reached a castle which once stood at the site of the village.

De Lacy reportedly coaxed his horse to successfully jump from the northern to the southern pier of the castle’s drawbridge, thus managing to escape from his foes.

Sli an Aifrinn, an Athlone housing estate, means 'the way of the Mass’ and dates from penal times when Catholics were not permitted to worship in public. There was a 'Mass rock’ at Sli an Aifrinn where Masses were celebrated.

For all their intrigue and variety, placenames in this region tend to be reasonably succinct. We can’t match the extravagance of the County Mayo placenames Dereendafderg, Dereenascoobe and Kiltharsechane. 

That said, the amalgamation of Gaelic football teams from neighbouring areas in Westmeath has thrown up some interesting name combinations.

Sports journalist Daniel Carey, who was based in Athlone for over two years, said his great unrealised hope during that time was to hear just one fan shout: “Come on, Castletown/Finea/Coole/Whitehall!”