Nicknames in Gaelic Irish Society: Ugly, greedy, faulty, lame, snub-nosed…(Part I)
Ballymacahara / Baile Mhic Aodha Charraigh
‘the town(land) of the son of scabby, rough-skinned, mangy Aodh’
Date: 02/08/2025
Last week we noted the surname Ó Clabaigh (anglic. Clabby), borne by a professional Gaelic family who held hereditary office as airchinnigh (church-stewards) and as intergenerational (parish) priests at Oran / Órán in Co. Roscommon. We begin this week’s note with a closer look at the surname itself. Most native Irish surnames formed with Ó (earlier Ua, originally meaning ‘grandson of’) are based on the personal name of the family’s ultimate ancestor. For example, the family surnamed Ó Maoileoin (anglic. Malone) purport to trace their lineage back to a person named Maoileoin (< Maol Eoin ‘(tonsured) servant of (Saint) Eoin’). This is also true, though to a slightly lesser extent, for those surnames formed with Mac (originally meaning ‘son of’): the surname Mac Aodha (anglic. Hughes, McKay, etc.) harks back to a progenitor named Aodh.
However, in some instances, the basic element of the surname does not come from a personal name, per se. Ó Clabaigh is based on the epithet clabach ‘big-mouthed’ or ‘garrulous’, or even – as the editors of the Annals of Loch Cé translated it – ‘thick-lipped’ (eDIL s.v. clapach; Ó Dónaill s.v. clabach; Dinneen s.v. id.; cf. ‘Geróid clapach … thick-lipped’ (Annals of Loch Cé anno 1581)). The Irish annals and genealogies abound in nicknames and epithets. Further examples can also be found in English government documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, which record the names of Irish-speakers of both native Gaelic and Old English (gaelicized Anglo-Norman) descent. Hundreds of unique nicknames and epithets can be found in these sources, not even including repetitions of commonly used and relatively neutral adjectives such as beag ‘little’, mór ‘big, senior’, óg ‘young, junior’, etc. Not all of the epithets were as innocuous as these, of course; the word clabach is likely to have been a derogatory or at least mildly offensive nickname in any of its senses, notwithstanding the current fashion for fuller lips. Indeed, the nicknames found among the Gaelic Irish in these sources would be very unlikely to be recorded in modern-day official documents, to put it mildly, and most would be considered highly inappropriate outside the immediate family or intimate social circle of the bearer.
For example, there is no shortage of examples of the epithet gránna ‘ugly’. See for instance the official pardons given to ‘Gilpatrike Grane O’Morro’ [Giolla Phádraig Gránna Ó Murchú], i.e., Ugly Giolla Phádraig Ó Murchú (Murphy) of Kilpatrick near Crossabeg in Co. Wexford, in 1552 (Fiants [Ed.] §959); to ‘Diermod grana m‘Manus M‘Donogh’ [Diarmaid Gránna mac Mánais Mac Donncha], i.e, Ugly Diarmaid, son of Mánas Mac Donncha (McDonagh) of Bricklieve, Co. Sligo, in the 1580s (Fiants [Eliz.] §5805); and to ‘Shane Grana O’Carrolane’ [Seán Gránna Ó Cearúlláin], i.e., Ugly Seán Ó Cearúlláin (Carolan) of Co. Meath, in 1610 (CPR, p.183). The same epithet also occurs in great numbers in Irish sources: it is found among members of the Mac Diarmada and the Ó hAirt families in Mac Fhirbhisigh’s Book of Genealogies (LMnG) (c. 1666). We will not speculate whether the prevalence of gránna as an epithet implies that the Gaels were not generally very good-looking or, conversely, that they had extremely high standards of physical beauty.
There are many other such ‘derogatory’ epithets found in these and other sources, some more well-known than others. Other examples include ‘Owen Loghtaghe O’Hairt’ [Eoghan Lochtach Ó hAirt], i.e., Faulty/Wicked(?)/Slightly Mad(?) Eoghan Ó hAirt (Harte), of Ballyconnell in Co. Sligo (Fiants [Eliz.] §4706); ‘John Kykeraghe Roche’ [Séan Cíocrach de Róiste], i.e., Gluttonous Seán de Róiste (Roche), of Kilcavan in south Co. Wexford (Fiants [Ed.] §317); ‘Cahir moddere’ [Cathaoir Modartha], i.e., Gloomy Cathaoir, of Ardamine, Co. Wexford (Fiants [Eliz.] §6789); ‘Edm. sallagh M‘Gillegallingee’ [Éamann Salach Mac Giolla(…)], i.e., Dirty Éamann [Mac Giolla(…)], of ‘Ratyhlie’ [now defunct] near Easky, Co. Sligo (Fiants [Eliz.] §5805).
Although extremely widespread in daily life, these derogatory epithets are not commonly found in modern townland names. (That is not to say that they never featured in placenames. Sometimes they occur in older forms before falling out of use: see for example Aghfarrell / Áth Fhearaíl ‘the ford of Fearaíol [< Fearghal]’ (#17417) on the Co. Dublin/Wicklow border, formerly Áth Fhearaíl Fhinn ‘the ford of fair(-haired) Fearaíol’: ‘Agherillin’ (c. 1578), ‘Aghferylin’ (1605), ‘Aghfarrellfin’ (c. 1660) → ‘Affarrell’ (1664).) But a handful of examples do survive. Carrach ‘scabby, rough-skinned, mangy’ is a very commonly occurring epithet, no doubt due to the prevalence of skin diseases in the absence of effective medical treatments. Example include ‘Tirrelagh Carrogh McPhellim O’Connor, gent’ [Toirealach Carrach mac Féilim Ó Conchúir], i.e., Scabby/Mangy/Rough-Skinned Toirealach, son of Féilim Ó Conchúir (O’Connor), of Co. Sligo (CPR p.20); ‘Wm. Carragh Bermigam, horsm[a]n’ [Liam Carrach Mac Fheorais], i.e., Scabby Liam Mac Fheorais (Bermingham) of Co. Meath (Fiants [Eliz.] §3952); ‘Brian carragh mcAlexander McDonill, galloglass’ [Brian Carrach mac Alastair Mac Dónaill], i.e., Scabby Brian son of Alastar Mac Dónaill (McDonnell) of Co. Wicklow (Fiants [Eliz.] §444); ‘Patrick carraugh Forlong’ [Pádraig Carrach Forlang], i.e., Scabby Pádraig Forlang (Furlong) of Glynn in Co. Wexford (Fiants [Eliz.] §61). This epithet carrach is unusual insofar as it is found in more than one townland name. In Co. Wicklow we have Ballymacahara / Baile Mhic Aodha Charraigh ‘the town(land) of the son of scabby, mangy, rough-skinned Aodh’ (logainm.ie #55479), while both Ballyshane in Co. Wexford (logainm.ie #53282) (‘Ballyshancarragh’, anno 1757, CGn. 205.48.135029) and Ballyshancarragh in Co. Carlow (logainm.ie #3225) are from Baile Sheáin Charraigh ‘the town(land) of mangy, scabby, rough-skinned Seán’.
These skin ailments were not confined to the southeast, however! There are two separate townlands in the Donegal Gaeltacht called Mín Ghiolla Charraigh ‘the mountain grass-land of (An) Giolla Carrach [(the) Scabby Fellow]’ (logainm.ie #14971; #16180). Here, (An) Giolla Carrach would seem to be a nickname: compare ‘Giolla Críost mac Aonghusa, aonmhac leis .i. an Giolla Carrach (Sithriug a ainm)’ [Giolla Críost son of Aonghas had one son, i.e., An Giolla Carrach “the Scabby Fellow” (Sithreag was his [real] name)], in the genealogy of a South Ulster family (LMnG §315.2).
(More next week.)
(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)