Hierarchy
county
barony
civil parish
town
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Hierarchy
county
barony
civil parish
Explanatory note
- English
place of assembly
Naas was an important stronghold of the kings of Leinster before the Norman invasion and there are many examples of the placename in Irish literature. In the pre-Norman genealogies of Laighin (Leinster) for instance, there are references to the stronghold of Nás. Dún Náis (‘the fort of Naas’) is referred to in the Annals of the Four Masters under the year 705. In the early Irish Annals (under the year 863), rí Náis (‘the king of Naas’) is mentioned and there are further similar examples.
When a longer form of the name is written (very occasionally) in Irish literature, Nás Laighean (‘Naas of Leinster’) is used more frequently than Nás na Ríogh. Therefore, both Nás without any qualification, and Nás Laighean are found in Irish documentation much earlier and more frequently than Nás na Ríogh. A letter written in Irish on behalf of the Earl of Desmond in 1579 for instance refers to Nás Laighean. Another example of the placename worth mentioning is An tÁs from the mid-17th century. In this instance the article, ‘An’, is used in initial position, as it is in the modern form An Nás. There are also examples of the placename as it was referred to by native Irish speakers in the 18th century, such as the following in a manuscript written by a scribe from Co. Dublin in 1730, ‘Nás b[arúntacht] agus baile a Laighean’ (meaning ‘Naas, a barony and a town in Leinster’) or, ‘a g[c]úirt in Náis’ (‘in the court of An Nás’) in 1739. The use of ‘An’ in the last example is also worth noting.
There are frequent examples of the placename in Anglo-Norman sources, such as le Nas (dated 1275), without any specific qualifiier (such as Laighean/na Ríogh) and occasionally preceded by the article le/the, similar to An Nás in Irish.
With the revival of Irish in the late 19th and early 20th century, two long forms and one short form of the name were recommended in a bilingual gazetteer of post-towns published in 1905 and in 1922, i.e. Nás Laighean, Nás na Ríogh and An Nás. The form Nás na Ríogh subsequently gained currency as a postal address and through its use in schools.
An Nás is the legal Irish version of Naas according to the Placenames (Centres of population and districts) Order 2005 which was made by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on the advice of the Placenames Commission under the terms of the Official Languages Act 2003. It has been the official Irish name since 1969, when it was included in the publication Ainmneacha Gaeilge na mBailte Poist -- a bilingual list of the post-towns of Ireland -- prepared by An Coimisiún Logainmneacha. Provisional lists of the placenames were published in book-form prior to the publication of the official list, in order to allow the public the opportunity to comment on the recommended Irish forms.
Centrepoint
Properties
Historical references
705 |
Dún Náis
|
ARÉ Imleabhar: I, Iontráil: 308
|
863 |
rex Naiss 7 Airthir Liphi
|
AU Leathanach: 318, Alt: 3
|
863 |
rex Naiss
|
AU Leathanach: 318
|
863 |
rí Nais
|
CScot. Leathanach: 158
|
904 |
flaith Náis
|
ARÉ Imleabhar: II, Leathanach: 572
|
904 |
fri Nás
|
ARÉ Imleabhar: II, Leathanach: 572
|
1100c |
do Nás
Lagin
|
CGH Leathanach: 27
|
1100c |
ó Nás
Lagin
|
CGH Leathanach: 339
|
1160c |
sech Nás
|
LL Imleabhar: II, Líne: 13483
|
1160c |
oc Nás
|
LL Imleabhar: IV, Leathanach: 26250
|
1160c |
do Náis
|
LL Imleabhar: IV, Líne: 26294
|
1160c |
Nás
|
LL Imleabhar: V, Líne: 37714
|
1212 |
de Nas
|
Pont. Hib. Imleabhar: I, Leathanach: 150
|
1220 |
de Nas
|
Pont. Hib. Imleabhar: I, Leathanach: 150
|
1250c. |
dominum de Naas
|
Crede Mihi Leathanach: 69
|
1275 |
Le Nas
ii 213
|
|
1278-79 |
Naes
ii 299
|
|
1300 |
the Naas
Edw. I (1295-1303) 316
|
|
1410c |
Dún Nais
|
Lis Leathanach: 5a, 5b
|
1450 c |
Nás aga do hadnadh
|
Ir. Bard. Poet Leathanach: 156, Líne: 58, Véarsa: 1
|
1466 |
co Nás
|
AConn. Alt: 13
|
1478 |
le Naas
584
|
|
1479-80 |
þe Naase
680
|
|
1482c |
vile de Naas
346
|
|
1516 |
a Nas
|
Bk. Fen. Leathanach: 236
|
1516 |
a Nas Laigen
|
Bk. Fen. Leathanach: 246
|
1518 |
Naace
|
Kildare Rent. Leathanach: 291
|
1518 |
Nace
|
Kildare Rent. Leathanach: 291
|
1518 |
Nasse
|
Kildare Rent. Leathanach: 351
|
1579 |
Nás Laighean
|
JRSAI Imleabhar: V, Leathanach: 360
|
1580c |
Nás
|
Tadhg Dall Imleabhar: I, Leathanach: 37
|
1580c |
ó Nás Laighean
|
Tadhg Dall Imleabhar: I, Leathanach: 112
|
1599 |
go Nás Laighean
|
ARÉ Imleabhar: VI, Leathanach: 2110
|
1629-44 |
ecclesia S Davidis de Nasse
|
Cillsheanchas Chill Dara Leathanach: 2.32
|
1629-44 |
capella Sanctissimae Trinitatis de Nas
|
Cillsheanchas Chill Dara Leathanach: 2.32
|
1629-44 |
in oppido de Nas
|
Cillsheanchas Chill Dara Leathanach: 2.32
|
1629-44 |
hospitale Magdalenae de Nasse
|
Cillsheanchas Chill Dara Leathanach: 2.32
|
1646 |
An tÁs
|
O Mealláin Leathanach: 47
|
1650c |
Nás is Caisiol is Cruachain
|
LM Leathanach: 125
|
1650c |
Nás na ríogh ríoghdha an tulach
'do réir na duaine darab tosach ...'
|
LM Leathanach: 275
|
1650c |
i cCill Nais
|
LGen. Leathanach: DF 467.12
|
1689 |
Naase
|
|
1689 |
Naas
|
|
c1700 |
Nás na Riogh
|
|
1720c |
ó Nás na Rí go Laoi na leag
|
Seán Clárach (Ó hÓ) Leathanach: 45
|
1720c |
Nás na gceol
|
Seán Clárach (Ó hÓ) Leathanach: 50
|
1720c |
ó Nás na Ríogh
|
Seán Clárach (Ua D) Leathanach: 32
|
1730c |
anass Laighionn
"do shocraidh me shealead a gcoinbheint anass Laighionn"
|
Na Caisidigh Leathanach: 73
|
1739 |
in Náis [g.]
"...tré ar saora iad a gúirt [.i. i gcúirt] in Náis."
|
LN G135 Leathanach: 22
|
1739 |
gus in Nás
"& in lá roimhe a ttriathail do tugadh crochadóir Átha Cliath gus in Nás,..."
|
LN G135 Leathanach: 22
|
1750c |
an Náis [g.]
"the article is always used with this name, hence 'go taobh an Náis'; yet in defiance of the Irish idiom, the Claidheamh Soluis dared to write 'aonach Náis'!"—Nóta Laoide ibid. 147
|
Duan. na Midhe Leathanach: 2
|
1807 |
Naas
|
Stat. Surv. (CD) Leathanach: 213
|
1832 |
a Nás Laighean
|
Cinnlae Amhl. Imleabhar: III, Leathanach: 140
|
1975 |
Naas / An Nás - Dinnseanchas 6. 102-3.
|
Please note: Some of the documentation from the archives of the Placenames Branch is available here. It indicates the range of research contributions undertaken by the Branch on this placename over the years. It may not constitute a complete record, and evidence may not be sequenced on the basis of validity. It is on this basis that this material is made available to the public.
Archival and research material provided on this site may be used, subject to acknowledgement. Issues regarding republication or other permissions or copyright should be addressed to logainm@dcu.ie.
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