Featured themes 15/02/2025

Surgeons, colds, coughs and furze
Ballinattin / Baile an Aitinn ‘the townland of the furze’
(see logainm.ie #55148)

Date: 15/02/2025

At the risk of readers of the weekly ‘featured theme’ thinking that we are slightly hypochondriac, we cannot leave our discussion of hereditary medical families in townland names until we have said one final word on the topic. Modern scholars have long been challenging the old-fashioned notions that these Gaelic medical families were the representatives of some inward-looking caste; on the contrary, it appears that they were very broadminded, actively seeking out the latest international developments in the field and pursuing the translation and transcription of medical texts from various European sources with vigour (see ‘Medical writing in Irish, 1400-1700’ by Aoibheann Nic Dhonnchadha).

That is not to say that the Gaelic medical experts necessarily ignored traditional native cures. We now find ourselves at the end of another long winter, and with many of us suffering from colds and coughs and other ailments so typical in this part of the world, it can happily be reported that there is a traditional cure right under our noses, derived from a plant of common occurrence both in the landscape and in townland names. At this very time of year the plant in question also raises our spirits with its eye-catching, coconut-scented yellow flowers. We are of course talking about the aiteann ‘furze, whin’. Two varieties exist in Ireland, the aiteann gaelach ‘Irish/native furze’ (Ulex gallii) and the aiteann gallda ‘English/foreign furze’ (Ulex europaeus). The Co. Kilkenny diarist Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin called this rugged little shrub the aiteann gearr géar goinideach ‘the short, sharp, stinging furze’ (27/12/1829), and indeed it is a painful plant to stumble across by accident. But it was also used in Irish folk medicine to treat a number of ailments: ringworm and botts in animals; jaundice, kidney disease, heartburn, asthma and all kinds of coughs in humans (Nicholas Williams, Díolaim Luibheanna (1993) p. 6). Moreover, furze has long been used as an alternative source of fodder and kindling, and in more recent times we have become aware of its great potential to enrich the soil with nitrogen (see Tony Locke, Tales of the Irish Hedgerow (2020); Máirín Uí Chonchubhair, Crainn & Toir (2024) lgh.478-479). With the recent passing of nature restoration laws in the European Parliament farmers might even choose to grow furze in some fields as part of the restoration programme.

Aiteann ‘furze, whin’ is found in over forty townland names spread quite widely throughout the country (see logainm.ie (Glossary) s.v. aiteann). Ballinattin in Cos. Waterford (logainm.ie #50312) and Tipperary (logainm.ie #47684), along with Ballynattin in Cos. Carlow (logainm.ie #3177), Cork (logainm.ie #9974) and Wicklow (logainm.ie #55148), are all from Baile an Aitinn ‘the town(land) of the furze’. Note that in these placenames aiteann ‘furze, whins’ has been treated as a masculine noun, gen. (an) aitinn. In some areas generall in the northern half of the country, the word was treated as a feminine noun, gen. (na h)aitinne: e.g. Baile na hAitinne ‘the town(land) of the furze’, the forerunner of Ballynahattina (logainm.ie #20328) in Co. Galway, and Ballynahattin (logainm.ie #33782) in Co. Louth.

As to collocation, aiteann occurs with quite a variety of generics with a slight tendency towards hills and other high ground. For example we have Ardattin / Ard Aitinn ‘height of (the) furze’ (logainm.ie #3121) in Co. Carlow; Knockattin / Cnoc Aitinne (*logainm.*ie #33739) and Mullaghattin / Mullach Aitinne ‘summit of (the) furze’ (logainm.ie #33842; #33931) in Co. Louth; Crocknahattin / Cnoc na hAitinne ‘the hill of the furze’ (logainm.ie #3631) in Co. Cavan; Knockanattin / Cnoc an Aitinn ‘the hill of the furze’ (logainm.ie #48471) in Co. Tipperary; Knocknahattin / Cnoc na hAitinne ‘the hill of the furze’ (logainm.ie #39022) in Co. Meath; and Tullynahattina / Tulaigh na hAitinne ‘the hillock of the furze’ (logainm.ie #39783) in Co. Monaghan.

Townland names with other elements qualified by aiteann include Bán an Aitinn ‘the lea-field of the furze’, forerunner to Baunanattin (logainm.ie #27282) in Co. Kilkenny and Bawnanattin (logainm.ie #47289) in Co. Tipperary; Broughattin / Bruach Aitinne ‘the bank, brink of (the) furze’ (logainm.ie #33653) in Co. Louth; Boolatin / Buaile Aitinn ‘booley, summer-pasture of (the) furze’ (logainm.ie #46461) in Co. Tipperary; and the similar Boolattin / An Bhuaile Aitinn ‘the booley, summer pasture of furze’ (logainm.ie #49813) in Co. Waterford. In Co. Wexford there is Clonatin / Cluain Aitinn ‘pasture, meadow of (the) furze’ (logainm.ie #53040) along with Coolattin / Cúil Aitinn ‘recess of (the) furze’ (logainm.ie #52645), also found as a townland name in Cos. Limerick (logainm.ie #31614) and Wicklow (logainm.ie #55834). Inchinattin / Inse an Aitinn ‘the holm of the furze’ (logainm.ie #8965) in Co. Cork clearly reflects a riverside location, while Rathattin / Ráth Aitinn ‘ring-fort of (the) furze’ (logainm.ie #54779) in Co. Wicklow probably refers specifically to growth within the confines of the fort. Other examples of aiteann in townland names are Dernahattin / Doire na hAitinne ‘the grove of the furze’ (logainm.ie #40720) in Co. Monaghan. In Co. Kilkenny we find Mullaunattina / Mullán Aitinne ‘green field of (the) furze’ (logainm.ie #27522) – note that ‘green field’was the more common meaning of mullán (usually ‘little summit’) in the placenames of the Southeast – and Tigh na hAitinne ‘the house of (at) the furze’ (‘teigh na haitinne’ pl:AL (1838), the local native translation of Furzehouse (logainm.ie #27010). (The occurrence of the feminine form of aitinn in the last name is the most southerly example we have identified so far in townland names. O’Kelly, Kilkenny: A history of the county (1969), found both masculine and feminine forms in field names and other minor names.)

Although the occasional English townland name referring to furze may be a translation from Irish, most appear to have been coined in English after 1600. These include Furze / An tAiteann in Cos. Longford (logainm.ie #32681) and Tipperary (logainm.ie #47295); Furzypark / Páirc na hAitinne (logainm.ie #19187; #19613; #19732) in Co. Galway; Bishopsfurze / Aiteann an Easpaig (logainm.ie #27065) in Co. Kilkenny; Burntfurze / An tAiteann Loiscthe in Cos. Kildare (logainm.ie #26072) and Kilkenny (logainm.ie #27067); Furzeditch (logainm.ie #55358) in Co. Wicklow (the original name of which was actually Baile na Trá ‘the town(land) of (at) the beach’); Kingsfurze / Aiteann King (logainm.ie #25985), along with Frenchfurze / An tAiteann Francach (logainm.ie #11180) and Furze Island / Oileán an Aitinn (logainm.ie #13450) in Co. Cork. Research has not been completed on the townland names Greatfurze (logainm.ie #39249) and Furzyhill (logainm.ie #38725) in Co. Meath, nor on Bigfurze (logainm.ie # 52028) in Co. Westmeath, but as the evidence currently stands they too appear likely to be quite recent English creations.

A variant form of furze, namely furry, is also found in a couple of townland names, e.g. Furry Park / Páirc an Aitinn (logainm.ie #57145) in Co. Dublin and Furryhill / Cnoc an Aitinn (logainm.ie #25929) in Co. Kildare. The last example is attested as early as 1540, which indicates that furry was the usual adjective describing furze in this part of the Pale. Note that gorse, on the other hand, does not occur in any townland names. This word is a very late addition to the English spoken in Ireland, and has become quite popular in recent years due in no small part to its constant use in the English-language news media here. Even 40 years ago the word gorse would rarely have been heard in unaffected speech.

Finally, the townland name Furziestown (logainm.ie # 54435) in Co. Wexford might at first sight to belong in this category of names directly commemorating the furze bush, but the overall evidence suggests derivation from an English surname Furze, Furse (see Logainmneacha na hÉireann IV: Townland Names of Co. Wexford, p.887). That surname itself is ultimately derived from the name of the plant (cf. Oxford Dictionary of Family Names s.n. Furze).

(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)

Surgeons, colds, coughs and furze Ballinattin / Baile an Aitinn ‘the townland of the furze’ (see logainm.ie #55148)

Surgeons, colds, coughs and furze
Ballinattin / Baile an Aitinn ‘the townland of the furze’
(see logainm.ie #55148)