Macha the Red – Ireland’s Female High-King
Macha was daughter of Aedh Ruadh (Ayrooa), or Red Hugh, who was at this time in an agreement to share the sovereignty of Ireland in rotation every seven-years with another…
place names
12 Name Meanings of Ireland’s Major Rivers
Here are the name meanings for 12 of Ireland's major rivers with a few myths thrown in along the way. River Shannon Abhainn na Sionainne River of Sionann Ireland’s longest…
Irish Place Names and Families
This series explores Irish Place Names and Families from the four provinces of Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Connaught.
From Éire to the Republic of Ireland
The name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland. - Constitution of Ireland, Article 4. Ireland was once called Ériu after a goddess queen of the…
Ireland, The Land of A Thousand Welcomes
Céad Míle Fáilte, this common Irish greeting for travellers arriving at these shores literally translates to mean ‘a hundred thousand welcomes’. But this affectionate name for Ireland is due in…
Ireland: The Emerald Isle
The Emerald Isle The following verse contains the first printed example of the term ‘Emerald Isle’ being used in reference to Ireland. William Drennan, a Belfast born poet, was also…
14 Ancient Names for Ireland (Video)
The Names of Ireland An Ainmneacha na hÉireann With a land as ancient as this, it should come as no surprise to learn that the place we call ‘Ireland’ was…
Dublin or Baile Átha Cliath? Blackpool or the or the Ford of Hurdles? On the name origins of Ireland’s capital city.
Ireland's capital city gives us an interesting example of an Irish place-name where the commonly used English form and the native Irish form bear no relationship to each other. Unlike…