Date: 13/01/2025

We continue from last week’s discussion of 16th century English-language account of the hierarchy among Gaelic troops, by the rather anti-Irish historian Stanihurst. In that source the lowest rank mentioned was the dalteen [dailtín], possibly in the sense of a young military cadet. This low-status term is found in only a few Irish townland names such as Knockadalteen/Cnoc an Dailtín (logainm.ie #45183; #44588; #42886). In the same military heirarchy cited grooms or horseboys were named in second place, and it notable therefore that we seldom find Irish equivalents of these terms in townland names. Examples of ara and eachaire, two terms for ‘horseboy’, include Knockanarra/Cnoc an Ara ‘the hill of the horseboy’ (logainm.ie #19023) in Co. Galway and Cornagher/Corr an Eachaire ‘the round hill of the horseboy’ (logainm.ie #30362) in Co. Leitrim.

The influence on townland names increases as we move up the military hierarchy. Third position was occupied by the kern, an anglicization of Irish ceithearn ‘band of (foot-)soldiers’. The same word was also used in the singular (corresponding to Irish ceithearnach), describing an individual soldier belonging to such a band (see eDIL s.v. ceithern; FGB s.vv. ceithearn, ceithearnach). These kern were no ordinary conscripts, but often highly skilled professional troops (“commonly so good marksmen as they will com[e] within a score of a great castle” CPCR I (Morrin), p. 298, note a). Stanihurst’s false etymology of ceithearn as “shower of hell” (as if cith + ifreann) mentioned last week is echoed his description of these soldiers as rakehells (“or the Devil’s blackguards”), an archaic English term referring to a ‘licentious or dissolute man’ (dictionary.com s.v. rakehell).

As companies of kern were so common among Gaelic Irish troops, it is unsurprising to find frequent references in townland names. There is Ballaghnagearn/Bealach na gCeithearn ‘the pass of the kern-companies’ (logainm.ie #39434) in Co. Monaghan; Tinnagarney/Tigh na gCeithearnach ‘the house of the kerns’ (logainm.ie #3392) in Co. Carlow; Croaghnakern/Cruach na gCeithearn ‘the rick(-shaped mountain) of the kern-companies’ (logainm.ie #14290) and Cronakerny/Cró na Ceithirne ‘the hollow of the kern-company’ (logainm.ie #16111) in Co. Donegal; Kiltycarney/Coillte Ceithearnaigh ‘woods of (the) kern’ (logainm.ie #29168) in Co. Leitrim; Knocknakearn/Cnoc na Ceithirne ‘the hill of the kern-company’ (logainm.ie #28317) in Co. Laois; and Knocknacarney/Cnoc na gCeithearnach ‘the hill of the kerns’ (placenamesni.org s.n. Knocknacarney) in Co. Tyrone. The majority of these placenames are likely to predate the semantic development of the English borrowing kern to describe outlaws who had taken to the woods (Irish ceithearnach coille ‘wood-kern’).

As research progresses on the county surveys carried out by An Brainse Logainmneacha in preparation for placenames orders, it is likely that more examples of ceithearn or ceithearnach will be identified in other townland names. Note also the derived surname Ó Ceithearnaigh, one of the few Irish family names to reflect the profession of the progenitor. Examples of its occurrence in placenames include Ballykearney/Baile Uí Cheithearnaigh ‘the town(land) of Ó Ceithearnaigh’ (logainm.ie #12876) in Co. Cork and Cloonykerny/Cluain Uí Cheithearnaigh ‘the pasture, meadow of Ó Ceithearnaigh’ (logainm.ie #43381) in Co. Roscommon. Although it appears that the Ó Ceithearnaigh families in those counties became quite significant in their own right (see Woulfe s.n. Ó Ceithearnaigh), these specific lands bearing their surnames were quite likely originally granted due to their original military pedigree. The usual anglicization of Ó Ceithearnaigh as Kearney, Carney, or similar, can lead to problems: as well will see next week, the same anglicized forms occur for the entirely unrelated surnames Ó Cearnaigh and Ó Catharnaigh.

(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)

• Tigh na gCeithearnach/Tinnagarney
• Baile Uí Cheithearnaigh/Ballykearney
• Cruach na gCeithearn/Croaghnakern
• Cró na Ceithirne/Cronakerny
• Cnoc an Ara/Knockanarra
• Cnoc na Ceithirne/Knocknakearn
• Coillte Ceithearnaigh/Kiltycarney
• Corr an Eachaire/Cornagher
• Bealach na gCeithearn/Ballaghnagearn
• Cnoc an Dailtín/Knockadalteen
• Cluain Uí Cheithearnaigh/Cloonykerny
• Cnoc an Dailtín/Mount Town
• Cnoc an Dailtín/Knockadalteen

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