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Many place names in Ireland in the English language are either anglicisations of those in the Irish language, or completely different, such as the name for the capital of the Republic of Ireland, which in English is Dublin, but in Irish is Baile Átha Cliath.
The former means black hole/pool (anglicised from dubh and linn) and the latter means town of the hurdle ford. After the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922, some names were changed including Kingstown in County Dublin, which became Dún Laoghaire (pronounced 'dunleary' by English speakers, and 'doonlairah' by Irish speakers) and Queenstown in County Cork reverted to Cóbh (pronounced 'cove'). King's County and Queen's County were renamed County Laois and County Offaly in 1921.
In the Republic, both Irish and English names have equal status and are displayed on road and signs, although postmarks are only in Irish. In Northern Ireland, the new recognition of the status of the Irish language does not extend to bilingual roadsigns - it is down to individual district councils to decide to place them. At the moment, only Fermanagh has Irish language roadsigns, and is this case, it is only on indicative signs and not directional ones.
The name of Ireland itself comes from the Irish name, Éire, affixed to the Germanic root, '-land'. According to mythology, Éire was an ancient Celtic princess.
Etymology
Common words found in Irish place names include:
Ard- ard - 'high'
Bally- baile - 'town'
Bel- béal - 'mouth'
Kil- cill - church
Carry- carraig - 'rock'
Dun- dún - 'fort'
Glas- glas - 'green'
Names of Provinces
The four provinces (cúigí - singlar: cúige) are known as:
The word cúige originally meant 'a fifth', as in the fifth part of something, and comes from the fact that Meath, as seat of the High King of Ireland, was once a province in its own right. Meath was later absorbed into Leinster.
Names of Counties
The 32 counties (contaetha - singular: contae) of Ireland are known as:
Names of Cities and Towns
Names of Streets
- Shankill Road - Bóthar na Seanchille
- Falls Road - Bóthar na bhFál
- O'Connell Street - Sráid Úi Chonaill
- Grand Parade (Cork) - Sráid an Capaill Buí
- Patrick Street - Sráid Páidraig
Names of Countries
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