Townlands


Townlands - Bailte Fearainn

Why are they important? Why should they be displayed publically?

Everyone in Ireland lives in a townland but the question is do you know its name and meaning. The townland system has existed in Ireland for well over 1,000 years and is unique through out the world. The townland has had a special significance for Irish people during that time forming a major part of a person’s identity. These names were created at a time when the country was Irish speaking and the names reflect geographical features, family names, types of settlement etc. The townland system still exists in the Republic but in the north of the country the government, through the post office, shamefully undermined this ancient system in the 1970’s, claiming that it was inefficient and not fit for purpose. Thus at a stroke a thousand years of history was ignored and bland “official” addresses such as “999 Staffordstown Road” replaced the poetic and evocative traditional forms.

Click here to see our local townlands

Townlands in the wider Creggan area:

Townland
Gaelic
Meaning
Creggan An Creagán
The rocky place
Cranfield Creamhchoill
The wood of wild garlic
Creeve
Craobh
A large ( sacred?) tree
Blackrock
An Charraig Dhubh  
Ballealy
Baile Ó Ailche Townland of the descendants of Ailche
Gortagharn
Gort a’ Chairn The field of the Carn ( pile of stones)
Aghaloughan
Achadh a’ Locháin Field of the little lake
Leitrim
Liatroim The grey ridge
Mountshalgus
Móin Sealgais The hunting bog?
Greenan
An Grianán The elevated place, place with a view
Staffordstown
Baile Mhic Bheatha Mc Veigh’s town
Ballynacooley
Baile na Cúile Townland of the corner or angle
Killyfad
Coillidh Fhada The long wood
Ballynamullan
Baile na Mullan Townland of the small hills
Ballynaleney
Baile na Léana Townland of the wet meadow
Ballylurgan
Baile na Lorgan Townland of the long ridge
Ranaghan
Raithneachán 
Place of the ferns
Portlee
Port na Loinge 
Harbour of the large boat
Moneynick
Muine Chnoic
The thicket of the hill
Derryhollagh
Doire Shalach
The dirty (muddy) oakgrove