Mapping city, town and country since 1824: the Ordnance Survey in Ireland - RIA Library/IHTA Lunchtime Lectures Lecture delivered by Paul Walsh on behalf of Prof. Ó Muraíle. This paper addresses the difficulties of naming places in Ireland, the work done by the OS Topographical Dept. and especially John O'Donovan to ensure that names used on the 6" maps were as accurate as possible. The difficulties presented by the Irish language, the methodologies used by Placenames staff and the tensions between accommodating the Irish language origins or versions of names and later Anglicised forms are discussed, as are the compromises which were made. The accuracy of O'Donovan's method is assessed

1. Translations? The Place-names Work of the Ordnance Survey in 19th
-century Ireland
Lunchtime Lecture, 8 October 2014 – Royal Irish Academy, Dublin.
Nollaig Ó Muraíle, Roinn na Gaeilge, NUI Galway.
1. OS established at Mountjoy Barracks, Phoenix Park, 1824. Thomas Frederick Colby
(1784-1852), Thomas Aiskew Larcom (1801-79).
2. Boundary Survey – (Sir) Richard Griffith (1784-1878) (> ‘Griffith’s Valuation’).
3. Administrative divisions – counties (32), baronies (273 / 331), civil parishes (c. 2,400),
and townlands (c. 62,000). ‘Townlands’ < ballyboes, ballybetaghs, ploughlands, cartrons,
tates, poles, pottles, etc.
4. Colby’s guidelines in the Blue Book, 1825:
33. The persons employed on the survey are to endeavour to obtain the correct
orthography of the names of places by diligently consulting the best authorities within
their reach.
34. The name of each place is to be inserted as it is commonly spelt, in the first
column of the name book; and the various modes of spelling it used in books,
writings &c are to be inserted in the second column, with the authority placed in the
third column opposite to each.
5. Edward O Reilly (1765-1830). John O Donovan (1806-61) (<Atateemore, Co. Kilkenny),
joined OS as ‘Orthographer and Etymologist’, September 1830; left for eight months in 1833.
On fieldwork for Survey 1834-41, beginning Co. Down; covered 29 counties (all but Antrim,
Tyrone and Cork). Professor of Celtic, Queen’s College, Belfast (now QUB), 1849-61.
6. OS Topographical Department headed by George Petrie (1790-1866) included O
Donovan, Eugene and Anthony O Curry, Thomas O Conor, Patrick O Keeffe, James
Clarence Mangan, et al.
7. OS Parish Namebooks; OS Letters (alias ‘O Donovan Letters’) – being published by
Michael Herity (20 counties in print). Fr Michael O Flanagan’s typescript edition, c. 1926-34.
8. Critique of OS and O Donovan’s approach – Brian Friel, Translations?, Terry Eagleton,
Stiofán Ó Cadhla, et al. Abp John MacHale, Philip Barron, John O Daly, Thomas Davis.
9. O Donovan’s use of derogatory ‘colonial’ terminology – ‘aborigines’, ‘kaffirs’, ‘Hottentots’.
• But critical of Daniel O Connell, friendly with Thomas Davis; initially critical of John Mitchel,
but spoke of him as ‘a second Emmet’ after seeing him on trial.
• Declared in 1848: ‘One thing is certain, that if we, the old Irish slaves, do not emancipate
ourselves now, we must remain slaves forever.’
• 1855: ‘Ireland [should] demand justice with the tongue, or fist or sword.’
• Three sons sworn into Fenian Brotherhood by O Donovan Rossa; had to be released
(more than once) from Mountjoy Jail by their guardian – Major-General Thomas Larcom,
KCB, Under-Secretary of State for Ireland, responsible for suppressing Fenianism!
10. OS did not favour translation, but sought a version that ‘came nearest to the original Irish
form of the name. ... an attractive compromise between the empirical and the antiquarian. ...
rational, scholarly and practical. It also showed a well-intentioned deference to the Irishness
of Irish place-names.’ (John H. Andrews, A Paper Landscape (1975; 2002), p. 122)
11. Map of the Maritime County of Mayo, by William Bald, surveyed 1809–16, printed 1830.
Where Bald has an English form and the Survey a semi-Irish one, Bald’s English form
almost invariably prevails to present day. OS form often not recognised even by people
living in the place!
12. Bald: Rookfield; OS Slievenabrehan (Sliabh na bPréachán)
Bald: Clarkfield; OS Cloonnagleragh (Cluain na gCléireach)
Bald: Iceford; OS: Iceford or Bellanira (Béal an Oighre). English form prevails.

2. Bald: Newtownbrowne; OS: Kiltamagh (Coillte Mach). OS form prevails.
Bald & OS: Hagfield (locally Hackfield) (Trian na Caillí)
Bald & OS: Midfield (Trian Láir)
Bald & OS: Stonefield (Ceathrú na gCloch)
Bald & OS: Greenwood (Coillidh Léith)
Bald & OS: Musicfield (Gort an Cheoil)
Bald & OS: Trouthill (!) (An Cnoc Breac) English form prevails.
Bald: Tovnynameeltoge; OS: Tawnynameeltoge or Midgefield (Tamhnaigh na
Míoltóg) English form prevails.
Bald: Oomeen Paddereevruddaan; OS: Peter Salmon’s Cove – Bald has Irish form
and OS an English; the latter form prevails.
OS: Fairymount (Mullach na Sí, ‘the summit of the fairies’), Co. Roscommon.
OS: Sugarhill (Cnoc an Chaca, ‘the hill of the excrement’: Knockahacka (1740);
Knockahaka alias Sugarhill (1794)), Co. Limerick.
Latin forms:
13. Insula Vaccae Albae (alias Insula Vitulae Albae) – Inis Bó Finne (Inishbofin – ‘island of
the white cow’); Mons Lapidum – Sliabh Liag (Slieve League – ‘mountain of flagstones’);
Vadum Duarum Avium – Snám Dá Éan (Swim-Two-Birds – ‘river-crossing of two birds’).
Semi-Latin forms:
14. Campus Mide, ‘the plain of Meath’, Maigh Mí; Mons Miss, ‘the mountain of Mes’,
Sliabh Mis (Slemish); Vadum Clieth, ‘the ford of wattles’, Áth Cliath.
Norse and ‘norsified’ forms:
15. Howth – Binn Éadair, Wicklow – Cill Mhantáin, Wexford – Loch Garman, Waterford –
Port Láirge, Strangford – Loch Cuan, etc.
‘Norsified’ versions: Dyflin – Duibhlinn (Dublin); Hlymrekr – Luimneach (Limerick).
Laxhlaup, ‘the salmon-leap’, Saltus Salmonis (al. Salmonum); gaelicised, Léim an
Bhradáin; anglicised, Leixlip.
16. Decree of Charles II, 1664: ... The barbarous and uncouth names of places in Ireland
much retard the reformation of the country, and directing the Lord Lieutenant and Council to
change such names into others more suitable to the English tongue, annexing the ancient
names in every grant so altered. [15 RCPRI (1825) 662].
17. Thomas Davis: ‘Whenever these maps are re-engraved, the Irish words will, we trust,
be spelled in an Irish orthography, and not barbarously, as at present.’
18. Post Office, 1812: 3,000 ‘post-towns’ – sites of post offices, towns, villages or hamlets.
PO: Dungloe, Mulrany, Spiddal, Schull, Kiltimagh, Enniscrone, Lahinch.
OS: Dunglow, Mallaranny, Spiddle, Skull, Kiltamagh, Inishcrone, Lehinch.
19. Catholic diocese of Clogher (Cos. Fermanagh and Monaghan): ‘official’ names of certain
parishes given in Irish forms: Bundoran : Magh Ene; Ederney : Cúl Máine; Derrygonnelly :
Botha.
20. c. 75% of O Donovan’s forms pretty correct (apart from orthography needing
regularisation and updating); c. 10% ‘fairly close’ to correct versions; c. 10—15% mistaken.
21. Irish forms on OS maps – in Roman or Gaelic script? in updated spelling? – more cans
of worms!