As Ireland takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1 it may be worth reminding ourselves that the origin of the European Union goes back to the Treaty of Rome, signed in 1957, which created a common market among the six founding members, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. Ireland, Britain and Denmark later joined this European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973. This event can doubtless be viewed as a transformative event for the post-colonial Republic of Ireland which arguably allowed it to emerge economically from an over-reliance on Britain as an export market. Some might also argue that it allowed Ireland to slowly break out of cultural isolation dominated by the anglosphere, although the position of the Irish Language as the vernacular in Irish speaking areas (Gaeltacht) has actually further weakened since our joining the EEC (the percentage of Irish speakers had decreased: see cso.ie), even if legal protections for the language were admirably strengthened significantly by means of the Official Languages Act of 2003.

In any case, Ireland’s associations with Rome, and continental Europe in general, are long and deep since the predominance of Christianity in Ireland with the arrival of Saint Patrick in the 5th century. This, of course, was very much reciprocated by the significant role played by Irish missionary clerics in the reintroduction of Latin learning and Classical culture to much of western Europe subsequent to the collapse of the Roman empire. We need only remind ourselves of locations on the European mainland that have patron saints of Irish origin: Sankt Gallen, Switzerland (see Dictionary of Irish Biography s.n. Gallus (Gall)); Sankt Kilian in Würzburg, Germany (see Dictionary of Irish Biography s.n. Kilian (Cilian)); and the less well-known San Frediano in Lucca, Italy. Even the word for the horsedrawn coaches so ubiquitous in Vienna, der Fiaker, is derived from Saint Fiacrius (Fiachra), an Irish hermit monk who gave his name to Saint Fiacre in Brittany ((see Dictionary of Irish Biography s.n. Fiacre (Fiachra)) ─ he is considered the patron saint of gardeners and taxi-drivers, whence der Fiaker “cab -horse-drawn vehicle” (see leo.org). Then, we have John Scottus Eriugena, one of the more famous Irish theologians of the 9th century who was linked to centres of learning in the area of Reim, Soissons, Laon, and the palace of Charles the Bald at Compiègne who himself became Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (see Dictionary of Irish Biography s.n. John Scottus Eriugena). That said, there is probably no more famous among the Irish missionaries who headed to mainland Europe than Saint Columbanus (Colmán), the founder of monasteries at numerous locations in France (Luxeuil), Austria (Bregenz) and Italy (Bobbio), among others (see Dictionary of Irish Biography s.n. Columbanus (Colmán, Columba)) .

Be that as it may, the introduction of Christianity to Ireland through the Latin Church brought many loanwords associated with it and its culture into the Irish language. Some of these, such as sagart ‘priest’ (Lat. sacerdos), easpag ‘bishop’ (Lat. episcopus), teampall ‘church’ (Lat. templum) and cill ‘cell, church’ (Lat. cella), are readily recognisable, but others such as that which lies behind the placename Baslick in County Roscommon are much less obvious at first sight. In any case, given the importance of the Treaty of Rome in Ireland’s recent past, and no doubt its future, along with the historical importance of Irish Christian missionaries in early medieval Europe, we will look at some of the Irish placenames that contain references to Rome and Romans, even if they are not particularly numerous.

Kilnarovanagh / Cill na Rómhánach “the church of the Romans” (logainm.ie #23189) northwest of Killarney in County Kerry refers to an ecclesiastical foundation which lay, according to one account, in a ring-fort called ‘Lisnarovanagh’, doubtless from Lios na Rómhánach “the ring-fort of the Romans”, although other locations in the townland have been suggested (see heritagedata.map KE057-051002). A second townland of exactly the same name, Cill na Rómhánach “the church of the Romans” (logainm.ie #11501), is located south of Macroom in County Cork, and this most likely refers to the site of the ancient burial ground recorded here (see heritagedata.map CO083-007). It has been suggested that this placename may reflect adherence of the clerics at that site to the Roman method of calculating Easter rather than that of the native Irish church which originally used a different method (ibid.).

There are no ruins recorded at Roman Island / Oileán na Rómhánach ‘the island of the Romans’ (logainm.ie #37588) next to Westport in County Mayo, and the reason for it name remains a mystery. In the case of Tobernarova / Tobar na Róimhe ‘the well of Rome’ (logainm.ie #1415373) in the townland of Oolahills East the name refers not to Romans, but to the name of the city itself. Little is known of its origin, but it was recorded as a ‘holy well’ in the archaeological inventory (see heritagedata.map LI025-023), and a local tradition of it being a holy well was recorded in the Ordnance Survey Name Book, along with a charming explanation as to the origin of the name:

This little well, which is regarded as sacred by the peasantry, is about 18 inches deep, 12 inches wide at its mouth, and 24 inches wide at the bottom. It is curiously formed by nature in a solid rock, having always a depth of 6 inches of water in it, and it is said that neither the greatest drought nor the heaviest rainfall decreases or fills it. Its formation, as told by the natives is as follows: The family of Oola Castle lacked water and appealed to the Pope, who consecrated a bottle of water for them. The property of this water was that, when poured on the spot where is now the well, a well of excellent water appeared, rendering enough at all times, though not supplied from any other source. The people also affirm that the water of this well cannot be made to boil by any heat. (see ibid.)

In County Roscommon we have Rathnarovanagh / Ráth na Rómhánach “the ring-fort of the Romans” (logainm.ie #43035). This is attested as (genitive) ‘Ratha na Romanach’ in the Annals of Connacht (1248), when ‘Fedlimid mac Cathail Crobdeirg’ gave this townland to the canons of the parish of Kilmore … ‘at the bidding an entreaty of Tadc O Mannachain [Tadhg Ó Manacháin], in honour of Mary and Augustine’. (Fedlimid mac Cathail Crobdeirg do thabairt Ratha na Romanach do chananchaib Cilli Mori … tre impide Taidc h. Mannachan, i n-onoir Mure & Augustin’. It is particularly interesting to note that there are no ecclesiastical remains recorded in this townland, so perhaps it was the dedication to Saint Augustine, a giant of the Latin Church, that gave this townland its name in the first instance. That said, Rathnarovanagh / Ráth na Rómhánach has been equated with defunct Dumha na Rómhánach “the mound of the Romans” (see dias - onomasticon #23282) where the burial of the son of the O’Conor Don was recorded at ‘tempall dúmha na Romhanach’ “the church of Dumha na Rómhánach (‘the mound of the Romans’)” in 1582 (Mac Ui Concobair Duinn .i. Toirrdhelbach mac Diarmada mic Cairbri dég, ocus a adnacal a t-tempall dúmha na Romhanach: ALC ii 1582.24). Should this identification be correct, the reference to “the church of Dumha na Rómhánach” implies that there was indeed a church in Rathnarovanagh / Ráth na Rómhánach right into the late medieval period. Another church with apparent ‘Roman’ associations in the environs of County Roscommon was at ‘Kilnarounanak’ (leg. Kilnaromanak), possibly from Cill na Rómhánach “the church of the Romans”, which was recorded in papal taxation records for the beginning of the 14th century for the diocese of Elphin (Calendar of Documents relating to Ireland, 1302-1307, ed. H.S. Sweetman). Unfortunately, its location remains unclear.

Elsewhere in the country we also have ‘Tech na Rómánach’ [Teach na Rómhánach] ‘the (religious) house of the Romans” (see dias-onomasticon) in today’s County Wicklow. This has been tentatively identified with Tigroney / Teach gCróinín (ibid.), but this is extremely doubtful as the evidence for Tigrony (logainm.ie. #55338) is not in keeping with derivation from Teach na Rómhánach.

Remaining on the theme of Rome and Romans, should one be lucky enough to visit Rome, there is little doubt that for many the utterly impressive Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City leaves an indelible mark in one’s memory. It’s unlikely, however, that many know of our very own basilica here in Ireland. The townland of Baslick / Baislic (logainm.ie #2056) in County Roscommon is an exceptionally rare Irish example of a placename deriving from Latin basilica (OIr. baislec < Latin basilica; see Historical Dictionary of Gaelic Placenames, Facsicle 2 s.v. Baisleac). The ecclesiastical foundation here, long a ruin, was according to Irish literature, very much connected with the Patrician tradition in early Ireland, it being a church of Soicheall, a protégé of Patrick himself (see: P. Ó Riain, A Dictionary of Irish Saints; C. Doherty, ‘The basilica in Early Ireland’, Peritia 3 (1984)). Little remains of this once-important foundation, but it still serves as an incredibly scenic graveyard for the locals.

Baslick / Baislic (Photo:© Mary Timoney)

Finally, the Latin word basilica also lies behind one other townland name in Ireland, namely Baslickaun / Baisleacán “little church (basilica)” (logainm.ie # 22209) next to Waterville in County Kerry. Baisleacán is a diminutive form of baisleac (< Lat. basilica) (see Historical Dictionary of Gaelic Placenames, Facsicle 2 s.v.v. Baisleac, Baisleacán). In regard to the basilica in question, that was likely the ecclesiastical remains recorded next to a burial ground, stone cross and possible beehive huts that are located in this townland (see heritagedata.maps KE098-049002/003-5). That said, a local explanation recorded in 1946 states that ‘there is a cave in this townland which in the olden days was called ‘an bhaislic’ or baislica – the only Greek name in Ireland that used be said’. It seems, then, that at least for some the name Baisleacán “little church (basilica)” had transferred from the ancient ecclesiastical site itself to a basilica or grotto-like natural feature in the landscape. Some might say that this reinterpretation somewhat parallels the Treaty of Rome ─ it has morphed from a body which created a common market among the six sovereign founding member states, to one with twenty seven member states, almost unrecognisable from the original.

(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Justin Ó Gliasáin)

We saw in previous notes how highly the domestic cat was valued in Gaelic Ireland, in the sense that a significant financial penalty was levied for unlawful killing or injury of the animal. Modern cat-lovers will be pleased to know, however, that cats had more than a monetary value in early Irish society, and that some Old and Middle Irish sources even record the names of individual pet cats. The most famous of these is undoubtedly Pangur Bán ‘white Pangur’, who features in a well-known Old Irish poem. (The poem is preserved in the 9th-century Codex Sancti Pauli, now held in Austria and apparently written by an Irish cleric in the abbey of Reichenau near Konstanz on what is now the border of Germany and Switzerland. Cf. Oskamp, Éigse 17 (1978); Toner, Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 57 (2009).) The first quatrain goes as follows:

Messe ocus Pangur bán,                           Myself and white Pangur
cechtar nathar fria ṡaindán;                      each of us at his special craft:
bíth a menma-sam fri seilgg,                     his mind is wont to be on hunting
mu menma céin im ṡaincheirdd.               my own mind on my special craft.

The 16th-century text known as O’Davoren’s Glossary contains explanations of some of the terminology in the early Irish law tracts. Here we find an entry beginning ‘Glasnenta .i. ainm do chat…’ [Glasnenta, i.e., the name of a cat…], which sets out the honour-price of a certain type of cat so called (Stokes 1862: 95). (Fergus Kelly (EIF p.123) takes this to be an extract from the legal tract Catṡlechtae ‘cat-sections’ which we mentioned last week.) The first element of the name is OIr. glas, which referred to a range of colours in the earlier language before becoming the standard Modern Irish word for the colour ‘green’. The editors of the Dictionary of the Irish language suggest that this cat-name should be understood as meaning ‘Nettle-Green’ (eDIL s.v. 2 glas), but Kelly (EIF p.123) suggests ‘nettle-grey’. The text itself explains the name .i. bís fon nglasnenaigh, nó gebar do nenaigh glais .i. don nenntóig “i.e. which is under the green nettle, or which is brought from a green nettle, i.e. from the nettle” (Murray, Celtica 25). In any case, it is the second element of this name, OIr. nenta = Mod. Ir. neanta, a collective noun meaning ‘nettles’, which concerns us this week.

The word neanta – diminutive neantóg, neantán (see FGB s.vv. neanta, neantóg; see also Dinneen s.v. neannta) – occurs in many placenames around the country. It usually found as a qualifying element, as in the townland name Tornant [Upper, Lower] / Tor Neanta ‘tall rock(?) of nettles’ (logainm.ie #54717) in Co. Wicklow. (The precise meaning of the generic element tor is unclear in this name; its various senses in Modern Irish include ‘bush, clump, tuft; tall rock, steep rocky height; tower’ (FGB s.v. 1, 2 tor). Note that the hilltop in Tornant Upper features a standing stone, a megalithic tomb and a stone circle: cf. archaeology.ie WI0-15-039; WI0-15-036; WI0-15-037.) Another Co. Wicklow example is Ballinanty / Baile an Neanta ‘the town(land) of the nettles’ (logainm.ie #55267). There is a Creggananta / Creig an Neanta ‘the rock, crag of the nettles’ (logainm.ie #19383) in Co. Galway. Our colleagues from the Northern Ireland Placenames Project have researched the townland Ballynant (logainm.ie #60183; placenamesni.org) in Co. Fermanagh, and their conclusion is that it derives from Baile an Neanta ‘the town(land) of the nettles’ or Baile Neanta without the article.

Note that the examples just mentioned treat neanta as a masculine noun, gen. an neanta ‘of the nettles (coll.)’. However, neanta is more usually found as a feminine noun in placenames: thus, in Co. Limerick we have Ballynanty / Baile na Neanta ‘the town(land) of the nettles’ (logainm #30825), Cappananty / Ceapach na Neanta ‘the plot of the nettles’ (logainm.ie #30529) and Knockananty / Cnocán na Neanta ‘the hillock of the nettles’ (logainm.ie # 31222). In Co. Galway there is Srahaunananta / Srathán na Neanta ‘the (little) river valley of the nettles’ (logainm.ie #20068) and Cornananta / Corr na Neanta ‘the round hill of the nettles’ (logainm.ie #20361). Further north we have Carrownananta / Ceathrú na Neanta ‘the quarter of the nettles’ (logainm.ie #45027) in Co. Sligo and Derrynananta / Doire na Neanta ‘the (oak-)wood, grove of the nettles’ (logainm.ie #1371793) in Co. Cavan.

There are few examples of the derivatives neantóg and neantán, however. One fairly certain exception is Kilnantoge / Coill Neantóige ‘wood of (the) nettle’ (logainm.ie #41640) in Co. Offaly. And the townland name Nantinan / Neantanán ‘place of nettles’ (logainm.ie #23369) in Co. Kerry gets a mention in Dinneen’s Dictionary (s.v. neanntanán), where he explains it as “a nettle shrubbery”. The same name Nantinan / Neantanán is borne by a civil parish and townland in Co. Limerick (logainm.ie #1584; #32235).

Research has not been completed on Glasnant (logainm.ie #15942) in Co. Donegal, but preliminary work also reflects the presence of neanta ‘nettles’ or a derivative thereof in the Irish precursor. (The similarity to the Old Irish cat-name Glas Nenta mentioned above can safely be presumed to be coincidental!)

It is likely that neanta ‘nettles’ flourished in many locations prior to the introduction of more modern agricultural practices and the 17th-century mania for ‘improvement’ of land (a word that occurs almost 200 times in The Civil Survey, A.D. 1654-1656 ... County Wexford alone!). Apart from referring to its simple prevalence and visibility in the countryside, however, these placenames may also reflect the utility of the nettle in Gaelic society. Early Irish texts refer to the nettle’s use as a seasonal food (EIF p.311), and in the modern era it is also known for medicinal properties. The Schools’ Folklore Collection of the 1930s recorded a Co. Roscommon tradition that drinking three portions of brután neantóg (a type of nettle soup) during the month of March would ward off illness for the rest of the year (BNS 0015.144). A recipe for nettle broth and dumplings was collected in Phibsborough, on the doorstep of Dublin City (BNS 0799.209). But the schoolchildren of Co. Meath went one better, providing a detailed recipe for nettle beer (BNS 0684.238). Many people in Ireland still make nettle soup today. For a twist that is both traditional and modern, you can infuse the neantóg ‘nettle’ with the creamh ‘wild garlic’ – discussed in a previous note – to make a very good pesto.

Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill