Town/Street name changes over last few hundred years

BarraOG

Here are some towns and villages that have changed names over the years:

Kingstown, Co. Dublin => Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Maryborough, Queen's Co. => Portlaoise, Co. Laois
Parsonstown, Kings's Co. => Birr, Co. Offaly
Queenstown, Co. Cork => Cobh, Co. Cork
Newtownbarry, Co. Wexford => Bunclody, Co. Wexford
Philipstown, Kings's Co. => Daingean, Co. Offaly
Cross Roads, Co. Donegal => Falcarragh, Co. Donegal

Do you know of any others with particular focus on those used to name DEDs in the 1901 and 1911 census, as listed here: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/ and here: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/.

Spelling changes are also of interest.

Please note that I am not interested in changes to DED's over the years, but rather I want to add a guide to help people establish that places like "Cross Roads, Co. Donegal" are generally referred to as Falcarragh today.

pinkypinky

Logainm does this already along with the 1851 townland index and the 1901 update.

For streets, there are a few different books out there. I use TF McCready's Streets of Dublin (published 1890s, reprinted in the 1980s) and have written in every street name change I uncover through the course of reading/genealogy work. Limerick's Life has an online street directory which gives name changes.

tabbey

The great majority of street name changes took place in the 1920-24 period, but some such as O'Connell and Parnell were earlier.

In Dublin the corporation voted to change the names of many strrets in 1920, but must have forgotten or found the original procedure was flawed, as they repeated the exercise in 1924.

One of the more offensive proposals at that time, which luckily did not go ahead was Grafton Street. Some councillor wanted it changed to Grattan Street, presumably ignorant of an existing Grattan Street a kilometre away When he was made aware of this, he suggested the existing Grattan St should become Little Grattan St, again he was ignorant of Grattan St being wider than Grafton St.

Of course there were earlier changes;
Cut Throat Lane, adjacent to Saint James Hospital, (where we could get our shaving cuts sutured).
Dirty Lane now known as Bridgefoot Street and many more.

spurious

This site has a few Dublin ones on it:
http://members.upc.ie/jr.whitfield/index06.html

Earnest

pinkypinky wrote: »

Logainm does this already along with the 1851 townland index and the 1901 update.

For streets, there are a few different books out there. I use TF McCready's Streets of Dublin (published 1890s, reprinted in the 1980s) and have written in every street name change I uncover through the course of reading/genealogy work. Limerick's Life has an online street directory which gives name changes.

Here are some not on logainm.ie:
Frankford, now Kilcormac Co. Offaly
Cove and Queenstown, now Cóbh, Co. Cork
Kingstown, now Dún Laoghaire

And logainm.ie doesn't include even the obvious street name changes like Sackville Street.

Earnest

spurious wrote: »

This site has a few Dublin ones on it:
http://members.upc.ie/jr.whitfield/index06.html

Two additions:

Marlborough Road was Bushfield Avenue (name survives on a road off Marlborough Road)

Sundrive Road was Dolphin's Barn Lane and before that Hangman's Lane

panchosanza

According to logainm, Maryborough remains the name of the townland, and Maryborough East/West of the baronies, while the DEDs are "Portlaoighise (Maryborough) Rural" and "Portlaoighise (Maryborough) Urban". I think many of the putative namechanges by nationalist councils were ultra vires according to the UK statutes in force at the time; the rules for renaming streets were clear enough for Sackville Street to be renamed de jure some decades after it was renamed de facto; however I'm not sure there was provision for renaming settlements or areas other than streets until ss76-79 of the Local Government Act 1946.

tabbey

panchosanza wrote: »

According to logainm, Maryborough remains the name of the townland, and Maryborough East/West of the baronies,

The baronies ceased to exist as legal entities from the 1898 Act.

Hence the baronies could not be given new names in the independence era.

sondagefaux

I'm not sure if these count as name changes, but Charleville in Co. Cork is (or was?, I'm not sure if it was changed back to Charleville) known also as Rath Lúirc (signposted as An Rath on some road signs), Edgesworthtown in Co. Longford is Mostrim (Meathas Troim), Bagenalstown in Co. Carlow is Muine Bheag.
These aren't just the Irish language names of these places, but were attempts (mainly unsuccessful it seems) by officialdom to get ordinary members of the public and people who lived in these places to replace the English language names completely with Irish language ones. 
As far as I can tell, the only towns where Irish language names successfully replaced English language names in popular usage are Cobh, Dun Laoighaire and Portlaoise.

pinkypinky

I'm of a mind to move this thread to the History & Heritage forum. It's all very interesting but more history than genealogy.

tabbey

sondagefaux wrote: »

I'm not sure if these count as name changes, but Charleville in Co. Cork is (or was?, I'm not sure if it was changed back to Charleville) known also as Rath Lúirc (signposted as An Rath on some road signs), Edgesworthtown in Co. Longford is Mostrim (Meathas Troim), Bagenalstown in Co. Carlow is Muine Bheag.
These aren't just the Irish language names of these places, but were attempts (mainly unsuccessful it seems) by officialdom to get ordinary members of the public and people who lived in these places to replace the English language names completely with Irish language ones. 
As far as I can tell, the only towns where Irish language names successfully replaced English language names in popular usage are Cobh, Dun Laoighaire and Portlaoise.

Yes, these were changed but were not used by the majority of the population, so reverted to the vernacular.

Other towns in this category include Newbridge (Co Kildare), Navan and Kells (Co Meath), known respectively as Droichead Nua, An Uaimh, and Ceannanas Mor.

tabbey

pinkypinky wrote: »

I'm of a mind to move this thread to the History & Heritage forum. It's all very interesting but more history than genealogy.

They are of greatest interest to people trying to find where an ancestor lived;

An Uaimh ?, where in $£*% was that?

ANXIOUS

tabbey wrote: »

They are of greatest interest to people trying to find where an ancestor lived;

An Uaimh ?, where in $£*% was that?

Navan

panchosanza

tabbey wrote: »

The baronies ceased to exist as legal entities from the 1898 Act.

Hence the baronies could not be given new names in the independence era.

Not true; the baronies ceased to be used for local government purposes but were not abolished.

• The 1901 and 1911 census sorted by district and electoral division rather than by barony and parish but did give the barony and parish of each townland in the report (e.g. Kells DED) and the topographical index
• Placenames Orders, specifying official Irish placenames under the Official Languages Act 2003, include the baronies; e.g. S.I. 520/2003; Schedule, Section A -Administrative units, Chapter 3 - Baronies

whisky_galore

tabbey wrote: »

They are of greatest interest to people trying to find where an ancestor lived;

An Uaimh ?, where in $£*% was that?

An Uaimh/Navan, one of those official/semi-official Irish language placename changes that never really caught on with the public.

Likewise Mostrim/Edgeworthstown, Muine Bheag/Bagenalstown, Binn Eadair/Howth.

More recently (and controversially) the whole Dingle/An Daingean linguistic/political football.



Interestingly, CIE flipped over and back between Maryborough or Maryboro/Portlaoise on internal and public publications before finally settling on 'Portlaoise'.

whisky_galore

Spotted a 'De Valera Street' in Youghal, can't be many of those.

sondagefaux

pinkypinky wrote: »

I'm of a mind to move this thread to the History & Heritage forum. It's all very interesting but more history than genealogy.

A lot of people who are interested in Irish genealogy are people who have never lived in Ireland and might have no idea that Queenstown became Cobh etc.

Vetch

whisky_galore wrote: »

An Uaimh/Navan, one of those official/semi-official Irish language placename changes that never really caught on with the public.

Likewise Mostrim/Edgeworthstown, Muine Bheag/Bagenalstown, Binn Eadair/Howth.

More recently (and controversially) the whole Dingle/An Daingean linguistic/political football.



Interestingly, CIE flipped over and back between Maryborough or Maryboro/Portlaoise on internal and public publications before finally settling on 'Portlaoise'.

I think Irish Rail use Muine Bheag more than Bagenalstown. Both are on the printed timetable but I think the notice boards in Heuston and the automated announcements on trains just use Muine Bheag. It's rare to hear people using the Muine Bheag name though.

Manach

Mod note:
As per a discussion with Genealogy's mod, it was agreed that the thread's subject matter would be more suited to the History's forum.

MixedMessages

ANXIOUS wrote: »

Navan

And the plural UAMHANNA is Ovens, Co Cork https://twitter.com/signsthereading/status/897013519585075200?s=21

MixedMessages

Kingwilliamstown was renamed on 1938

http://readingthesigns.weebly.com/blog/kingwilliamstown-where-is-that

Bus Eireann have contributed to the use of old Irish name of Baile na mBocht - town of the sick. They ditched Gort Alainn that they had for years

https://corkobviously.weebly.com/chapter-12---troughs-tolls--lepers.html

There are still a few references to Lepers in placenames

tabbey

[QUOTE=
Bus Eireann have contributed to the use of old Irish name of Baile na mBocht - town of the sick. [/QUOTE]

Baile na mBocht means town of the poor. The best known example is Ballybough.

MixedMessages

tabbey wrote: »

Baile na mBocht means town of the poor. The best known example is Ballybough.

In the case of Mayfield, ‘bocht’ translated as sick due to the leper colony

https://www.logainm.ie/ga/s?txt=Baile+na+mbocht&str=on

pedroeibar1

tabbey wrote: »

Baile na mBocht means town of the poor. The best known example is Ballybough.

Quite correct Tabbey. There are several 'baile-bocht's in Ireland, all meaning 'poor town' - e.g. townland of that name from Antrim to Bantry, where it is Ballynamought, being the Anglicized version of the tuiseal ginideacht Baile na Mbocht. FWIW a leper as gaeilge is 'lobhar' so Leperstown is correctly Baile na lobhar. (Gentrified - incorrectly - by the feline attribute in South Co. Dublin).

MixedMessages

Bocht does also translate as poor (of circumstances) which might well be applied to a leper and support local book http://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/bocht

"Bailenamought Cork Mayfield – A Sense of Place – Mayfield Local History & Folklore Group (2001 Published by Mayfield Local History & Folklore Group)

Chapter 1 – Mayfield from the Past to the Present – Mary Kenneally

‘The name-title of the townland of Ballinamought derives from the Gaelic compound – Baile na mBocht. In translation, it means the town of the poor. The prefix ‘Baile’ as with many place names in Ireland denotes ‘town’ or ‘land’, whilst the reference to poor (na mBocht) in this name place is not an explanatory remark on the fertile terrain of the area but rather the inhabitants at that time. It is evident from local oral traditions that Baile na mBocht was once a leper colony. With regards to the colony, it is said to have been located somewhere near the Village during the middle ages. The leprosy was a light type resembling a skin rash. The McCarthy family in Blarney Castle were the patrons of this settlement.

In fact there were two colonies of lepers, the other being at Glanmire (Glenmaggyr, Glenmaiur). The exact dates of these colonies are not known, but they existed before St. Stephen’s Leper Hospital, Cork City was built. This was founded in the mid 13th century. It is believed the Normans brought with them leprosy and other skin ailments when they returned from the crusades and the lepers were cared for at St Stephen’s Hospital.

The northside of Cork City was a remote and wooded area in those days. The lepers used to meet at the cross-roads of St Luke’s which is still known in Irish as Crosaire na mBocht and from there they would walk down a high walled route from the Montenotte ridge area to bathe in the River Lee. The route they took was known in Irish as Suil na Labhar (Lepers walk). But this has been incorrectly translated as Lovers walk. Midway in Leper’s walk overlooking the River Lee stood a mansion where stayed the legendary Sarah Curran. During her liaison with the Irish Patriot Robert Emmet, they used to confine their strolls to the area known as Leper walk, but because they were seen there often, it became known as Lovers Walk. The affair broke up later and Sarah Curran married Captain Henry Sturgeon, a member of the British Army. The Marriage took place in the small Protestant Church situated on Church Hill, close to Glanmire Village. Where to this day can be seen a stained glass window which was donated to the church by Sarah Curran."

pedroeibar1

MixedMessages wrote: »

Bocht does also translate as poor (of circumstances) which might well be applied to a leper and support local book http://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/bocht

Thanks Mixed M, interesting post. However, ‘bocht’ relates to poor in a pecuniary sense, not of a state of health. On the Logainm site for ‘Mayfield’ there are five pages of notes on the etymology of the Ballynamought name, going back to the Down Survey and lepers are not once mentioned.

I’d suggest that the author of that local history is stretching the meaning more than a little and inferring too much from the proximity to the leper colony. Yes, Siúlán na Lobhar is leper’s walk, but if the lepers / lobhair gave the name to the walk, surely the Cross too would have been Lover’s Cross?

Leprosy was shunned, nobody wanted to live in a place called after them and those places were renamed, such as Lepers’ town to Leopardstown in Sth. Co. Dublin. Another Dublin one is the corruption of Lazars’ Hill to ‘Lazy Hill. Lazar derives from Lazarus, he who the gospels say Jesus raised from the dead, supposedly died from leprosy. Hence the name of a knightly order, that of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem which was specifically established to build and run leper hospitals. Another ‘lazar’ link is the lazarette, a small storage locker in the stern of a yacht/ship. It derives its name from its medieval purpose, that of a quarantine.

LoughNeagh2017

Derry was expelled from Inishowen after partition which was ridiculous.

tabbey

LoughNeagh2017 wrote: »

Derry was expelled from Inishowen after partition which was ridiculous.

Not sure of the relevance to name changes, but the west bank of the Maiden City became a catholic / nationalist city after mass migration from Inishowen during and following the Great Famine.

BarraOG

pinkypinky wrote: »

I'm of a mind to move this thread to the History & Heritage forum. It's all very interesting but more history than genealogy.

I disagree. As mentioned in my post i’m trying to produce a guide to help people find the location of deds in the 1901/1911 census which have changed names since then. This is hugely relevant to Irish genealogy.

RevBlueJeans

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/moyvane-still-stuck-with-newtownsandes-1.1120634

Moyvane in Co Kerry used to be known as Newtownsands.

Growing up we always pronounced the co Dublin town dunleery unless speaking in Irish.

tabbey

[QUOTE=RevBlueJeans;106460025

Growing up we always pronounced the co Dublin town dunleery unless speaking in Irish.[/QUOTE]

There was a slight difference between the socio-economic groups on this one.

The working classes almost entirely pronounced it as you say, but the wealthier could use either Dunleary as in Michael O'Leary, or Dunleary as in Olivia O'Leary (Dunlerry).