Field Name Project
On Monday evening last 16TH October,Historical SGK had a workshop in Glencorrib Kilroe Community Centre with archaeologist Dr. Eva Campbell in relation to our field name project.
This project has generated huge enthusiasm by the group and it will be a very interesting project over the next few months.
Some group members have already started and we have already discovered some wonderful field names like “Poll a’Mhadra Uisce” (the otters lair / low place of the otter), “Teach na Stile” (the Still House for making Poitín), “Crocán na gCnámh” (the hill of the bones – maybe an old burial site), “Crocán na Saighdiúirí” (the hill of the soldiers) ,“Cam Oiléan” (the crooked island, “Príosún” (Prison Island), “Crann Cam” (the crooked tree – a bad corner on the road in Ballynalty , “Sceach a’ Dúinín” (the bush by the fort) , “the Roinntín” (the little division / plot of land), “Oileán na mBráthar” (the priest’s island- on the Black river where the monks stayed for a while after the left Ross Abbey, “Garrai na frankach” etc.
Recording field names is a very valuable way to preserve the local heritage. Simple field names like “Barley Field,” “Potato Field,” “Shed Field,”, “Paddock”, “Craig”, “the field with the 20 trees”, “The Gardens” and others, offer glimpses into the agricultural practices and land use patterns of the past.
Since the arrival of the bulldozer in the 1970s and 1980s, the current landscape of the parish has changed a lot. However to recreate the old landscape and fields names before they are forgotten, we have been supplied with lots of old maps that we can use to trace where these old fields were and to name them. It would be a shame to lose this important piece of our heritage.
At our October meeting in Shrule, we allocated group members to each townland / village in the parish. This person will contact the land owners in that townland in the coming weeks with a view of recording some of your local field names.
You can get further details from Martin Ryan 085-8595085 or Kevin Flood 086-3782156. Our
next meeting takes place on Wednesday 8th November @ 8pm in Glencorrib Kilroe Community Centre. New members are welcome or you can drop in a see that we do.
