Irish townlands: What they mean and why they matter

Before modernity redrew our maps - more urban sprawl, housing estates and roads everywhere - people identified primarily with townlands.

Some were big and some were small, but from Tullychurry to Ballywatticock, it was your townland that defined who you were.

Townlands are areas based on old Irish land divisions, many of which existed before the arrival of the English language.

And before the mid-20th Century, our ancestors in rural areas identified themselves by townland only.

What are townlands?

No wonder that the Ulster Historical Foundation has described them as a fundamental unit of Irish life.

But while a strong connection to townlands still exists in many tight-knit rural communities, their use is no longer as official as it once was.

One man, who is passionate about preserving them, started an ambitious lockdown project, which has grown into the Townland Atlas of Ulster.

In Andrew Kane’s role as a research consultant with the Ulster Historical Foundation, he often helps those researching family history - and townlands are a primary building block for that work.

Why are townlands important in Ireland?

For anyone doing family research with a rural background, he said, “a townland name is the most important thing”.

Putting together the atlas is painstaking work - Andrew went through all 16,250 townlands in the nine counties of Ulster and 78 baronies (subdivision of a county).

He decided to base the maps on material from the early 17th Century estate system around the time of the plantation.

“Though owners have changed, that kind of settlement is the basis of everyone’s lives until the 1900s and the land purchase acts,” he explained.

In his research, he has come across leases going back as far as the 12th Century, which mention townlands that “haven’t changed much because the boundaries are based on natural features”.

Andrew has illustrated it all by colouring the maps to show who the landlords were back then - the civil, Anglican and Catholic parish boundaries, and the estates.

It’s a project close to Andrew’s heart - his mother’s family have been in the townland of Coolhill (Cul-Choill) Aghadowey, outside Coleraine in County Londonderry since the early 1600s.

“They reconnect you to your history,” he said.

“A lot of people these days do not live in the townland their ancestors lived in but it still gives you a sense that you’re part of something.”

So what does your townland mean to you? We’ve spoken to four people about their connection to these areas.

Liam Charlton-Killen - Clontaghnaglar, hamlet of Listooder; near Crossgar, County Down

Despite a time living in England, the 39-year-old choose to come home to raise his family there.

“My other half and I had been living in Manchester and when we wanted to move our family home we were fortunate - we found a house five fields away from my parents,” he said.

Growing up is Listooder is a huge part of Liam’s identity.

“A lot of the people have all grown up together and not a lot of people move into the area - so it’s very tight knit - everyone looks out for everyone else.”

For him, it’s important townland names are not forgotten.

"Often, they describe the topography or the history of the area - for example Listooder, Lios an tSúdaire - means fort of the tanner. I’m assuming whomever lived at the ring-fort was a tanner, so it connects us to the past.

“There’s no question that if there was a letter addressed to just my name and townland - I would get it”.

Hugh and Lorraine Mannix - Drumcullion, Ballinamallard; County Fermanagh

They live in Drumcullion (Droim Cuilinn - The Ridge of the Holly) and moved to a house built in the 1850s - the dower house of a bigger house, Crock-na-crieve - owned by the Archdale family.

“Neighbours and people here are lovely and were very good to us when we moved,” said Lorraine.

Hugh said the fabric of the landscape shows evidence of ancient man, dating back to pre-Christian times.

He described how those who lived there would dig a hole, fill it with water and then heat stones to boil the water before putting a deer in it (a Fulacht fiadh)

“When I go to the field at the end of my house, in my mind’s eye I can see these guys in deer skins cooking,” he added.

Hugh found a quern-stone - an ancient tool for grinding grain to make flour - when the Drumcullion drain was cleaned out.

When they moved, they were warned to be careful as they would be the only Catholics in the area.

"I went to see Harry West, then Enniskillen MP, to ask him about it, and was told: ‘You will be fine in Ballinamallard - they are decent people.’ And he was right.

“We have met with nothing but kindness - our children went to school here - so any foreboding we had vanished.”

Hugh and Lorraine’s local council has also been doing its part in preserving heritage, encouraging townland use when sending Christmas cards.

Averil Morrow, Ballywilly, Kilmore; County Armagh

“Ballywilly was called Ballywooley on old maps - from the Irish Baile an Mhullaigh - townland of the summit,” she said.

Her family lives in the heartland of the Drumlin (smooth hills) country, where she described the landscape as being little hills, dotted with small rivers, meadows and orchards.

“You often see tractors moving about with bins of apples on trailers - a particular feature of the place,” she added.

“Even the fields here have names here.”

Before cars, Averil said, an area wasn’t defined by the road, it was defined by the landscape - and how people moved around it - and that’s the importance of townlands.

She is worried that some townland names might be lost: “It frustrates me when I see new developments going up with a generic name which doesn’t recognise the townland on which they are being built.”

However there are encouraging moves from the council to put townlands on road signs, which is “a great way to preserve them”.

“Townlands are unique to Ireland so it’s nice for us to celebrate them.”

You can search Townland place names on placenamesni.org and on logainm.ie.