Common elements in Irish Placenames
Ath. Agh. (ath):   a forde, shallow part of a river
Agha (achadh):   a field, level meadow.
Alt, (alt):   an eminence, high place, side of a glen.
Anna, Annagh, (eanach):   a moor, marsh, soft terrain.
Ard, (ard):   a height, top, summit, lofty, higher ground.
Bally, (baile):   town, village, homestead.
Ballagh, (bealach):   a roadway, passage, gap, pass.
Barn, Barna, (bearna):   pass or gap in hill or mountain.
Barr, (barr):   top, head, summit.
Bawn, Baun, (ban):   small field, enclosure, white coloured.
Beagh, (beithe):   abounding with birch trees.
Bell, (beal):   mouth, entrance, estuary.
Ben, (beann):   peak, pointed hill.
Boher, (bothar):   road, way, passage, lane.
Boley, (buaile):   place for milking cows, booley or dairy place.
Brack, (breac):   speckled, spotted, spotted (with stones, furze) hill.
Bun, (bun):   end, bottom, of hills or mountains.
Caher, Cahir, (cathair):   stone fort, abode, city.
Cam, (cam):   crooked.
Cappa, Cappagh, (ceapach):   plot of ground laid out for tillage.
Carn, (carn):   heap of stones, rocky summit.
Carrick, Carrig, (carraig):   a rock, crag or stone.
Carrow, Carhoo, (ceathramhadh):   quarter, measure of land.
Cashel, (caiseal):   wall, bulwark, castle.
Cavan, (cabhan):   a hollow plain.
Clar, (clar):   plain, flat piece of land.
Clash (clais):   furrow, deep ditch.
Clogh (cloch):   stone, rock, cliff.
Clon, Cloon, (cluain):   plain, lawn, meadow.
Cool, (cul):   back, corner, angle.
Cor, Corr, (cor):   a round hill.
Cosh, Cush, (cos):   leg, foot, at the foot of, beside.
Creeve, (craobh):   branch, bough, tree, bush.
Croagh, Crogh, (cruach):   rick, stack, piled-up hill.
Cross, (cros):   a cross.
Cull, Cuill, (coill):   a wood.
Curra, Curragh, (currach):   bog, marsh, soft plain.
Derry, (doire):   an oak, oak wood.
Doo, (dubh):   black.
Doon, Dun, (dun):   a fortress.
Dreen, Drin, (draighean):   blackthorn.
Drom, Drum, (druim):   the ridge of a hill.
Eden, (eadan):   the forehead, brow of a hill.
Esker, (eiscir):   ridge of sand hills, ridge of mountains.
Farn, (fearn):   alder tree, place abounding in alders.
Farran, (fearann):   land, ground, country.
Freagh, (fraoch):   heather, heath, a heathy place.
Gal, Gall, (gal]):   stranger, foreigner.
Garran, Garraun, Garrane, (garran):   grove, wood, copse.
Garrv, (garrdha):   garden.
Glas, (glas):   green; of mountain, stream or meadow.
Glan, Glen, (gleann):   valley, glen.
Gol, Goul, Gowl, (gabhal):   fork, the fork of a hill.
Gort, Gurt, (gort):   a field or garden.
Graigue, (graig):   village, manor.
Greenan, (grianan):   sunny place, bower, summer house.
Illan, Illaun, (oilean):   island.
Inis, Inish, Inch, (inis):   an island, a field near a river or lake.
Kell, (caol):   narrow, slender, straight.
Kil, Kill, (cill):   a church or small monastery.
Knock, (cnoc):   hill, hillock.
Lack, Leck, Lick, (leac):   stone, flagstone, slate.
Laght, (leacht):   a grave, pile of stones in memory of the dead.
Lis, Liss, (lios):   earthen fort, fortified place ancient place.
Lough, (loch):   a lake.
Lag, Leg, Lug, Lugg, (lag):   a hollow, glen.
Lear, Lyre, (ladhar):   a fork, forking of glens or rivers.
Maghera, (machaire):   a plain, level ground.
Maul, Meel, (meall):   a hillock, eminence.
Meen, (min):   a smooth spot on a hill presenting a green surface.
Mon, (moin):   turf, peat, bog.
Money, (muine):   brake, shrubbery, a hillock.
Moy, (magh):   a plain, plain of hills.
Muck, (muc):   a pig or boar.
Mullagh, (mullach):   top, summit, height, top of a hill].
Park, (pairc):   field, meadow.
Poll, Pol, Poul, (poll):   hole, pit, a measure of land.
Port, (port):   a harbour, bank or landing place.
Rath, (rath):   earthen fort with trees, fortress.
Ring, Rin, Rinn, (rinn):   a headland, promontory.
Roe, Roo, (ruadh):   red, gorse clad hill.
Ros, Ross, (ros):   a promontory, isthmus, a grove or wood.
Scart, (scairt):   a thick tuft of shrubs or bushes.
Shan, (sean):   old, e.g. Shanbally, "old town".
Sra, Sragh, Srah, (srath):   a field on the bank of a river. 
Tawnagh, Tawny (tamhnach):   a small field.
Temple, (teampall):   a church or temple.
Ti, (tigh):   a house.
Tir, (tir):   land, country, region.
Tober, (tobar):   well, fountain, spring, source.
Tom, (tuaim):   a grave or tumulus.
Ton, (toin):   backside.
Toor, (tuar):   a place for bleaching clothes.

Handbook on Irish Genealogy, How to trace your ancestors and relatives in Ireland.
Heraldic Artists Ltd, Dublin, published in the 1970'ties.
ISBN 0 9502455 4 2

Monaghan History
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