Date: 08/06/2024

Continuing on the theme of hurling from the previous article, it is important to note that iomáint “hurling” and camán “hurl, hurley” and not the only words found in the names of townlands and other places that can refer to the national game. The word báire has a number of meanings such as “match”, “contest”, “goal” [in any sport] or even “shoal (of fish)”, but it can also specifically signify a “hurling match” (see FGB s.v. báire; cf. the famous account given in An tOileánach of the comórtas báire "hurling contest" held on Christmas Day on the beach of An Blascaod Mór). Thus, the placename Buckwaria/Boc Bháire (logainm.ie #37593) in County Mayo may well refer to a hurling match. While on fieldwork in Buckwaria in 1838, John O’Donovan suggested the name meant ‘a hurling green; a place for playing at Commáns’ which may have been the understanding locally. The initial element boc in the placename is quite problematic. It would seem to be a variant of buac, itself a variant of buaic “highest point, ridge” (see FGB s.v. buac), in which case the placename may be translated as “ridge of the hurling contest”. The late Dr Fiachra Mac Gabhann discussed this name in some depth in Logainmneacha Mhaigh Eo 2 (Barúntacht Mhuraisce) pp 78–81.
Another placename featuring the element báire in a county not well known for hurling nowadays is Mullanwary/Mullach an Bháire (logainm.ie #4340) in County Cavan. This was recorded locally as ‘Mullaigh an bháire’ during the Ordnance Survey, which John O’Donovan explained as meaning ‘summit of the goal’. That may be so, but of course, it is also possible that it referred to a specific contest of local fame or notoriety, and therefore could be translated as “the summit of the (significant) hurling match”. In County Antrim, still a stronghold of the sport to this day, we find Lagavara, for which logainm.ie recommends the Irish form Lag an Bháire “hollow of the (hurling) match” (logainm.ie #61792), although derivation from ‘Lag an Bheara’ has also been suggested by the Northern Ireland Place Name Project (placenamesni.org s.n. Lagavara).
Camán is not the only word in Irish for the implement itself. (As mentioned last week it is variously known in English as a ‘hurl’, a ‘hurley’ and in the 19th century, a ‘hurlet’.) Ó Dónaill’s Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla explains camóg as a “camogie stick”, which of course is exactly the same as a hurl. However, being a derivative of the word cam “crooked, etc.”, just like the word camán, it too has a number of other meanings including “crook", "hooked stick"; "gaff-hook”, "comma ( , )" and even a “wisp” as in camóg dheataigh “wisp of smoke” (FBG s.v. camóg). It can also be found in general reference to “anything curved … a turn, a winding” (Dinneen. s.v. camóg). It is reasonable to suggest that more often than not camóg, when found in placenames, generally refers to a crooked or winding feature rather than to a hurl.
For example there is a well-known Cammock River/An Chamóg (logainm.ie #116701) in County Dublin. The same river-name is found elsewhere, such as the Camoge River/An Chamóg (logainm.ie #1165620) in County Limerick. Another river called An Chamóg in County Tipperary (recorded as 'Camoge'. 'the River called Cumog' (1654)) gave its name to the townland on the high ground which runs along its north bank, Dromcomoge/Drom Camóige “ridge of, at (the river) Comóg” (logainm.ie #48788). After the language shift to English, however, the townland renamed the river as the Dromcomoge River (logainm.ie #67197).
Finally, although O'Donovan stated in a note on the townland Commoge/An Chamóg at Kinsale, County Cork, that the name '‘is applied generally to winding rivers’ (logainm.ie #11059), in fact that topographical feature does not appear to be relevant in that case, nor indeed in the case of townlands anglized Cammoge in County Clare (logainm.ie #7290) and Commoge in County Kilkenny (logainm.ie #26154). (Note of course that O’Donovan did not carry out fieldwork in County Cork.) In all of those cases the name seems to refer to some other feature, but evidently not a hurl or a camogie stick.

(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)

• Mullach an Bháire/Mullanwary
• An Chamóg/Cammoge
• An Chamóg/Commoge
• An Chamóg/Commoge
• Boc Bháire/Buckwaria
• Drom Camóige/Drumcomoge
• Lag an Bháire/Lagavara
• An Chamóg/Drumcomoge River
• Crois na hIomána/Hurlers Cross
• An Chamóg/Cammock River
• An Chamóg/Camoge River

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