Co Gan chárta

"Pinkman: Cúla-bán = White back hill. Cowlbane; Collabaun (Fiant 5545 – Elizabeth). Cowlebane (Archdall, Monasticon, p.410) “cúl, ‘secessus.’ ‘angulus,’ ‘corner,’ ‘nook,’; a feminine noun; genitive cúle, cúla, cúile. There is, also, cúl, the poll or back part as étan (éadan) is the front or forehead. There are, too, cúla and cúlaibh” (Hogan, Onom. p. 317). In anglicised place-names it is often extremely difficult to say which word is used. For this name, Coolabaun, Joyce has Cúil-bán – a vowel souns inserted between the two words in pronunciation – and translates ‘white corner or angle.’ O’Donovan, as far as I can make out, has Cúle-bán, and renders “white back hill.” From what I know of the physical features I should say that O’Donovan is more likely to be correct. The adjective bán, white, when applied to land, denotes the bright green colour of a grassy surface, as opposed to Talamh dearg, red, i.e. tilled land, and to the darkness of bog or heath. Hence an Bán, the grassy turf; bái

'the white hounds'

"Is 'bán' understood here to mean a lay field?" [Nóta scriosta OD] "Cul a bhain" [dúch]