Cad is ainm dom?

Image by jodimarr via Flickr

One of those many organisations which exist to provide a necessary but oft-overlooked function is the Irish Placename Commission – An Coimisiún Logainmneacha. Initially established in 1946, to advise on the appropriate translation of placenames into the Irish language,  it recieved new terms of reference from the Minister for Community, Rural & Gaelteacht Affairs in 2003. Those terms of refernce can be found here, but include “specifying for purposes of law forms of placenames in the Irish language, as enacted in the Placenames (Irish Forms) Act, 1973″.

So if you ever wanted to know what the Irish name of your townland/street is, log on to the Commission’s website and search. If you can’t find your townland/street, you can submit it to the Commission for translation on the site. It is a work in progress, but it is something which is ongoing all of the time. Well worth it.

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