Featured themes 01/04/2024

Tiromedan/Tír Amadán “land of (the) fools” (see logainm.ie #41133)

Date: 01/04/2024

Although the origin of the custom of making fools out of people on 1st April is unclear, it would appear that Ireland, like everywhere else, has always had its share of individuals who have managed to earn that name for themselves — so much so that amadán, one of the many Irish words for “fool” (see eDIL s.v. ammatán), even features in Irish townland names. We have Ardamadane/Ard Amadán “height of (the) fools” (#9258) in Cork, Lisomadaun/Lios Amadáin “ringfort of (the) fool” (#30066) in Leitrim, and Tiromedan/Tír Amadán “land of (the) fools” (#41133) in Monaghan. The word is also found in a number of minor names (names below the level of the adminstrative townland) such as Asnanomedan/Eas an Amadáin “the waterfall of the fool” (#1395279) and Altanamadan Stream/Sruthán Allt an Amadáin “the stream of the cliff of the fool” (#1395230) in Donegal, and a couple of interesting translations such as Beggarman’s Lough/Loch an Amadáin “the lake of the fool” (#1397495) in Galway and — one for the music lovers — Giants Steps/Steipeanna an Amadáin Mhóir “the steps of the big fool” (#1394447) in Kerry. It is safe to say that none of these are likely to be chosen as the names of new housing developments in the near future. Amadán was almost exclusively used in the sense “foolish man”, but in the interests of balance it is important to note that not all fools in Gaelic Ireland were male. The Irish language also has a word usually only used in the sense of a “foolish woman”, namely óinseach (see eDIL s.v. óinsech). Although this word does not occur in any townland name, it does not necessarily follow that there were fewer foolish women than men in Gaelic Ireland. Examples survive from minor names, such as Carrignanonshagh/Carraig na nÓinseach “the rock of the foolish women” (#49787) in Waterford and Lackannoanshagh/Leac na nÓinseach “the flagstone of the foolish women” (#1398247) in Galway. While it is not certain that the name of the Kerry river Owenshagh/An Óinseach (#116521) was originally intended to be identical to this word, it was certainly interpreted as such by later native speakers. (Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)