The
subject is very close to my heart. Let
me begin by stating the danger inherent in the practice of curtailing
place names, a practice which has become all too prevalent in the past number
of years. One case in point is the Irish
for the city of Newry. Unfortunately the name has been so curtailed
that, as far as I can discern, the "HEAD OF THE STRAND" element of
that place name has been consigned to redundancy.
This
is to my mind a very sad lack, as in another fifty years people will not know
at all about this element and will question the meaning of the Irish words
on the City's coat of arms.
Similar
curtailment has occurred in the case of the place name of FORKHILL with - to my
mind - disastrous consequences. When
I was a boy no person who had even the merest smattering of IRISH would
have recognised the place name "FOIRCEAL" without its important and
integral latter part.. "na CLEIRE". It is all the more
lamentable that this curtailment has taken place (in this manner) because,
while there is doubt about the meaning of the first part of the place name (as
pointed out elsewhere on this site) there is no possible doubt about the
meaning of the latter part.
The
second part of the name translates into ENGLISH as "of the PRIESTS"
or "of the CLERGY" and is of course a direct reference to the
fact that during penal times the FRANCISCAN ORDER founded in the townland of
SHEAN a locus refugii. The reader will
now understand the piece of important history which has been omitted and become
redundant by the unfortunate expedient of curtailment. The first part of the placename FOIRCEAL has
always been open to debate as to its meaning, but by far the most common
translation into ENGLISH is..... COLD WOOD (fuar coill). I would tend
to favour this translation, but I would also not rule out the possibility of
the validity of others..... eg.... SUB-CELL.
As
my authorities for most of the opinions stated here I would cite my first two
IRISH TEACHERS...... (1) THE LATE PAUDRAIG McNAMEE of CARRICKASTICKEN
(and latterly of HOLLYWOOD Co. DOWN) who did his best to impart a few words to
me when as a small child I lived right beside him in Carrickasticken. This man was a world renowned authority on
IRISH and dedicated his life to the furtherance of all its
aspects.
(2)
The late WINIRFRED LARKIN who taught me Irish in CARRICKASTICKEN HALL and in FORKHILL
P.E.S. There you have it.
If
you are a betting person, the odds are 11/10 fav.... COLD WOOD OF THE
PRIESTS. 3/1 SUB-CELL OF THE PRIESTS. 7/1 bar.
History 
