Date: 22/03/2025

This week’s contribution will conclude our discussion of Welsh surnames and settlers for the time being. Rice is a relatively common surname in Ireland. Although it can occur as an equivalent of the native Irish surname Ó Maolchraoibhe (Mulcreevy, Mulgrew, etc.), it is usually derived from an anglicized form of the Welsh surname ap Rhys ‘son of Rhys’. (The spelling Rice was originally pronounced as Reece.) The surname is well documented among the early Anglo-Norman colonists, particularly in the southern half of the country (see K. Muhr & L. Ó hAisibéil, The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Ireland). As P.W. Woulfe notes, families of the surname were very prominent in Limerick City and in Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúis, Co. Kerry (Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall s.n. Rís). A castle (now in ruins) in Baile an Ghóilín, just outside of Dingle / Daingean Uí Chúis, was called Caisleán na Ríseach ‘the castle of Na Rísigh (the persons surnamed Rís [< Rice])’ (logainm.ie #1393844) (cf. archaeology.ie KE053-011) and of course Bess Rice – notorious evictor of tenants – features in the folklore of the Kerry Gaeltacht down to the present day. In Co. Limerick, the townland name Ballymacreese / Baile Mhic Rís ‘the town(land) of the son of Rhys’ (logainm.ie #31166) appears to contain another gaelicized version of the personal name Rhys or its derivative surname.

This Anglo-Norman surname was not confined to Cos. Kerry and Limerick: just outside of Carrigaline in Co. Cork is Ballinreeshig / Baile an Rísigh ‘the town(land) of An Ríseach’ (logainm.ie #9330) (‘Ballynrisig’ 1573). In Co. Meath, far away from the province of Munster, the townland name Ricetown (logainm.ie #37666) is almost certainly an English-language coinage: in 1340, we find Richard Rys in receipt of a grant of land at Ryston from his father Eustace. The name local Irish-speakers used for Ricetown in their own language was the somewhat unusual ‘Baile Ís’ (1836), a development from *Bail’ Rís by assimilation of /r/ to the preceding /l/. (Assimilation is the change of a sound in a word so that it becomes similar or identical to a nearby sound. This often occurs with the consonants /d/, /l/, /n/, /r/, which have very similar points of articulation in the mouth. Note that the word baile ‘town(land)’ was often reduced to bail’ in the placenames of this part of the country.) Another slightly irregular gaelicized form of Rice is found in the Co. Kilkenny placename Ricesland (logainm.ie #27295), locally called ‘talamh a risti’ [Talamh an Rístigh] (1839). In this case, although the qualifying element in the Irish form is formally identical to An Rísteach ‘the person surnamed Ríste’ – from the unrelated surname AN Riche – we can be quite confident that the original placename derives from AN Rice. In 1312, this townland was held by Philip Rys as part of the manor of Knocktopher (Red Book of Ormond, p.127), and some 100 years later we find lands in the same manor in the possession of a John Rys (Calendar of Ormond Deeds II, p.307). Therefore, the /t/ in ‘a risti’ (1839) was almost certainly intrusive and not part of the original Irish name: compare Modern Irish aríst (< arís) ‘again’, téimist (< téimis) ‘let’s go’, etc. (An Rísteach / AN Riche does occur, however, in the placename Reechestown / Baile an Rístigh (logainm.ie #48066) in nearby Co. Tipperary, recorded locally as ‘baile ríste’ (1840).)

Other placenames in the environs of Knocktopher, Co. Kilkenny, also reflect Welsh settlement during the early days of the Anglo-Norman colony. As well as Ricesland / Talamh an Rístigh, we have mentioned in previous notes Ballyhale / Baile Héil ‘the town(land) of Howell [< Hwyel]’, Rossenarra Demesne / Caisleán Héil ‘the castle of Howell [< Hwyel]’ and of course the Walsh Mountains / Sliabh Breatnach ‘mountain of (the) Walshes’ (logainm.ie #1418629). It is no surprise, therefore, to find Walsh listed among the ‘Principall Irish Names’ of the barony of Knocktopher in the 17th century (A Census of Ireland, Circa 1659, p.423).

The examples discussed over the last few weeks do not represent an exhaustive list of Welsh surnames found in Irish townland names. Of the many more we could mention, some are familiar enough, such as Price, which occurs in the name of the townland Priesthaggard (logainm.ie #53472) in Co. Wexford. This is another surname usually derived from Welsh ap Rhys ‘son of Rhys’, and again, the spelling Price was originally intended to be pronounced *Preece. (Agard an Phrísigh is the official Irish version of the townland name. For other possible origins of the surname Price see Logainmneacha na hÉireann IV: Townland names of Co. Wexford, p.1428.) We find a more unusual Welsh name in Ballysize (logainm.ie #54758), the name of a townland in Co. Wicklow, which represents Irish Bealach Saghais ‘the way, pass of Saghas’. This contains a gaelicized form of the Welsh surname Sais ‘Englishman’ (see Sloinnte Gaedhal is Gall, p.666 s.n. Saghas). Many townland names contain Irish Madóg, a personal name and surname ultimately from Welsh Madog (angl. Maddock): e.g. Aghamaddock / Achadh Mhadóg ‘the field of Madóg (Maddock)’ (logainm.ie #28223), Garrymaddock / Garraí Mhadóg ‘the garden of Madóg’ (logainm.ie #28193) and the two townlands in Co. Laois called Ballymaddock / Baile Mhadóg ‘the town(land) of Madóg’ (logainm.ie #27731; #28222). We find other examples of Baile Mhadóg anglicized as Ballymadog (logainm.ie #13585) in Co. Cork; Ballyvaddock (logainm.ie #32104; #32111) in Co. Limerick; and Maddockstown (logainm.ie #26774) in Co. Kilkenny (with the unusual local Irish form ‘baile Mandog’ (!) 1839). In Co. Louth, we also have a Maddoxland / Fearann Mhadóg (logainm.ie #33929): ‘Madoxland’ (1655), ‘Ferrunmadocke’ (*c.*1661).

An Brainse Logainmneacha / Placenames Branch is actively researching the toponymic evidence for Welsh surnames or personal names brought to Ireland with the Anglo-Norman invasion and we hope to return to this topic in future notes. However, we must draw the discussion to a close for the moment and say hwyl! to Hwyel and Rhys and Madog. Hopefully the townland names we have discussed have given a good indication of the significance of the Welsh contingent among the early ‘Anglo-Norman’ settlers. And of course we must point out once again that many of the placenames mentioned provide further proof of the extensive gaelicization of the colonists – whether they came from English-, French- or Welsh-speaking backgrounds – even in such strongholds as Co. Meath and south Co. Wexford.

(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)

• Baile an Rísigh/Ballinreeshig
• Baile Mhadóg/Ballymadog
• Baile Mhadóg/Maddockstown
• Talamh an Rístigh/Ricesland
• Baile Mhadóg/Ballymaddock
• Garraí Mhadóg/Garrymaddock
• Baile Mhadóg/Ballymaddock
• Achadh Mhadóg/Aghamaddock
• Baile Mhic Rís/Ballymacreese
• Baile Mhadóg/Ballyvaddock
• Baile Mhadóg/Ballyvaddock
• Fearann Mhadóg/Maddoxland
• Baile Rís/Ricetown
• Baile an Rístigh/Reechestown
• Ráithín an Róistigh/Raheenarostia or Rochestown
• Agard an Phrísigh/Priesthaggard
• Bealach Saghais Íochtarach/Ballysize Lower
• Caisleán na Ríseach/Ballingolin Castle
• Sliabh Breatnach/Walsh Mountains

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