In the 1830s, Ordnance Survey workers recorded local names as they mapped County Longford. Longford Library has made material from the field name books, generally compiled in 1835–36, available through its Placenames project.
The books note alternative spellings and sometimes earlier references. One townland can therefore appear under several names in maps, parish registers and census returns. A variation is not necessarily a mistake; it may show how the name was heard or written at the time.
The notes use abbreviations and refer to earlier sources, including the Down Survey and Edgeworth’s county map. The library’s guide explains the shorthand, including J. O’D. for the scholar John O’Donovan.
Read the landscape descriptions alongside the names. Acreages, neighbouring townlands and physical features can help distinguish two similarly named places. But a description written nearly two centuries ago does not settle today’s boundaries or place-name meaning.
Start with the townland
Search the library’s Placenames section by civil parish, find the townland and note each historic spelling. Then look at older maps and Griffith’s Valuation to narrow a family or property search.
It helps to record both the Irish form and historical English spelling when available, with the exact source for each.
Treat explanations carefully
Many place-name meanings are plausible reconstructions rather than settled facts. The local stories associated with a name may be culturally important without proving its linguistic origin.
If you find a promising match, write down the historic spelling and the townland or parish. It makes it much easier to find the same place in other records.
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