Irish Place Names M
MACOSQUIN, County Londonderry/Derry NAME ON MAP: Magh Cosgrain SOURCE: Annals MODERN IRISH NAME: Maigh Choscáin TYPE: Continental religious foundation MEANING: "magh `plain' of Coscán".
MACROOM, County Cork NAME ON MAP: Magh Cromtha SOURCE: Irish Authorities MODERN IRISH NAME: Maigh Chromtha TYPE: Manor or village MEANING: "sloping plain".
MAGHERA, County Londonderry/Derry NAME ON MAP: Machaire Ratha Luraidh FIRST RECORD: Rath Luraigh SOURCE: Four Masters MODERN IRISH NAME: Machair Ráthar TYPE: Celtic religious foundation MEANING: "machaire `plain' of the rath `fort' of St Lurach (Lowry)".
MAGHERAGLAS, County Tyrone NAME ON MAP: Machaire Glas SOURCE: OS TYPE: Continental religious foundation MEANING: "green plain".
MAHOONAGH, County Limerick NAME ON MAP: Mayntaueny DATE: c.1242 MODERN IRISH NAME: Maigh Thamhnach TYPE: Manor or village MEANING: "plain of thamhnach `clearings'".
MALAHIDE, County Dublin NAME ON MAP: Baile atha Thíd SOURCE: Joyce MODERN IRISH NAME: Mallach ‹de TYPE: Manor or village MEANING: a difficult name: from the early spelling "town of the ford of Teud" was suggested in the last century. Modern scholars favour "‹de's mullach `hilltop'", just possibly from a John de la Hyde in the 13th century. OLD ENGLISH hythe meant `landing place'.
MALLOW, County Cork NAME ON MAP: Magh Malla SOURCE: Annals MODERN IRISH NAME: Mala TYPE: Stone Castle MEANING: "magh `plain' of (the River) Allo".
MAYNOOTH, County Kildare NAME ON MAP: Magh Nuadhat MODERN IRISH NAME: Maigh Nua TYPE: Stone Castle MEANING: "plain of Nuadhat". He was a legendary king of Leinster.
MAYO, County Mayo NAME ON MAP: Maigh Eo SOURCE: Annals FIRST RECORD: Maighéo na Sacsan MODERN IRISH NAME: Maigh Eo TYPE: Celtic religious foundation MEANING: "plain of yews". Earliest records add "na `of' Sacsan", probably from Saxon monks living here in the 7th century.
MEATH (County) FIRST RECORD: Mide DATE: 9th century MODERN IRISH NAME: An Mhí MEANING: "the middle". It was the fifth and final ancient sub?kingdom to be formed, situated between Ulster, Connacht and Leinster. By 1300 the sub?kingdoms no longer existed as such and Meath County, with islands of the Liberty of Trim within it, then covered the area of modern Meath and Westmeath.
MELLIFONT, County Louth NAME ON MAP: Mellifont DATE: 1142 MODERN IRISH NAME: Mhainistir Mhór TYPE: Continental religious foundation MEANING: "source of honey". It was the name coined from LATIN fons mellis by the Irish monks who founded of the abbey in 1142. The first Cistercian foundation in Ireland, it was modelled on St Bernard's Clairvaux Abbey in France itself built in 1115, where the monks had studied.
MOHILL, County Leitrim NAME ON MAP: Maothla Manchain SOURCE: Annals MODERN IRISH NAME: Maothail TYPE: Continental religious foundation MEANING: "soft land". The earliest records commemorate St Manchan (Monaghan) who founded a monastery here in the 7th century. There was a later continental foundation here.
MONASTEREVAN, County Kildare NAME ON MAP: Mainister Eimhin SOURCE: Joyce MODERN IRISH NAME: Mainistir Eimhín TYPE: Celtic religious foundation MEANING: "St Eimhín's (St Evin's) monastery". St Eimhín, who lived in the 6th century, may have been the writer of the Tripartite Life of St Patrick.
MOONE, County Kildare NAME ON MAP: Maon Choluim Cille MODERN IRISH NAME: An Mhaoin TYPE: Manor or village MEANING: "Colum Cille's (St Columba's) maoin `wealth, gift'".
MOVILLE, County Down NAME ON MAP: Maghbile SOURCE: Calendar of the O'Clerys MODERN IRISH NAME: Maghbile TYPE: Celtic religious foundation MEANING: "the plain of the ancient tree". The monastery here was founded by St Finnian in the 6th century.
MULLINGAR, County Westmeath NAME ON MAP: Muilin Cirr SOURCE: Annals of Ulster as at 1306 FIRST RECORD: Muilenn Cerr DATE: 12th century MODERN IRISH NAME: An Muileann gCearr TYPE: Continental religious foundation, also manor or village MEANING: derived from muileann `mill' and cearr `wrong', thus `counter?clockwise'. Legend has it that the wheel's direction was miraculously reversed by St Colmán mac Luacháin in the 7th century. Actually Cearr may have been a personal name.
MUNSTER EARLY NAME: Muman MODERN IRISH NAME: An Mhuma MEANING: derived from the Celtic tribal name Mumu, the NORSE genitive ?'s and IRISH tír `land'. Now a province, it was one of the five ancient sub?kingdoms and no longer existed as such in 1300, although the name was still current.