Library to host talk on placenames of Athlone

Placenames are a vital part of local heritage which we do not often consider as being an intangible and important part of our heritage.

The origin of such names may be lost and they can tell us so much about how people viewed the landscape and its history. From holy wells to streams, the names we use now often came from the original description in the Irish language.

For the past number of years, Dr Aengus Finnegan of the University of Limerick has been co-ordinating the collection of field names and minor place names in Westmeath, in a project supported by Westmeath County Council and the Heritage Council.

On September 4, he will present and discuss townland names and other placenames associated with Athlone in a talk with Athlone Gaeltacht. The talk will be presented predominantly in Irish with some English translation and will present many well known names in a new light, such as Cornamaddy [Corr na Madadh – the round hill of the dogs] or Bunnavally [Bun an Bhealaigh – the bottom of the pass]. Commenting on the event, Mickey Moran, Chairperson of Athlone Gaeltacht said: “This event will be a fascinating insight into the Irish language origin of many place names we use every day, so whether you are interested in the Irish language, geography or history, I’d encourage you to attend this event.”

Collecting these field names and minor place names is an important part of preserving intangible heritage and once collected they can be viewed on an online map hosted by Logainm.

This talk is part of a series of activities and events supported by Westmeath Arts Office and Creative Ireland including classes and events supporting the Irish language in Athlone.

The event on field names in Athlone takes place on Thursday September 4 at 6.45pm in Athlone Library and places must be booked by emailing athlonegaeltacht@gmail.com