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Featured themes 01/03/2025

Saint David and Welshmen
Ballynabrock / Baile an Fheamrógaigh
‘the town(land) of An Feamrógach (< AN Pembroke)’

(see logainm.ie #12849)

Date: 01/03/2025

We noted this time last year that 1st March is the feast day of the patron of Wales, Saint David [Dewi Sant]. Despite the proximity of Wales to Ireland, David does not appear in any native Irish calendar of saints, nor is he commemorated in the name of any surviving townland or medieval parish. However, he was the patron of the parish church in Ballynaslaney / Baile na Sláine (logainm.ie #52433), near Oilgate in Co. Wexford, where Saint David’s Well is still visited every year on 1st March.
Although there is a dearth of references to Saint David in Irish townland names, the same cannot be said of other names and elements of Welsh origin. At times the ‘Welshness’ of these elements is quite obvious, at others it only comes to light in the course of meticulous research. A good example is the anglicized townland name Ballynabrock (logainm.ie #12849) in Co. Cork. At first glance this name might be assumed to share the same origin as Baile na mBroc / Ballynabrock (logainm.ie #45202) ‘the town(land) of the badgers’ in Co. Sligo. However, research carried out by Dr. Pádraig Ó Dálaigh, former Higher Placenames Officer, revealed that Ballynabrock in Co. Cork was recorded as ‘Pembrokyston’ in 1301, being the abode of a David Pembroke. This man’s surname was clearly derived from Pembroke [Penfro] the name of a place in South Wales. Later historical examples clearly reflect a gaelicized version of this townland name: ‘Ballynembrokie’ (1610), etc., represents Baile an Fheamrógaigh ‘the town(land) of An Feamrógach’ (logainm.ie #12849) [Feamróg (~Peambróg) < Pembroke; compare Feoras (~Piaras) < AN Piers]. Of course, anglicized Ballynabrock derives from this Irish version. Another example of Baile an Fheamrógaigh / Pembrokestown (logainm.ie #50439) is found in Co. Waterford: once again, historical forms such as ‘Ballemembroke’ (1567) reflect the local Irish version of the placename.
The same locative surname is also preserved in the townland name Pembroke (logainm.ie #9585) in Co. Cork. That name appears to be of English-language origin, earlier attested as ‘Penbrockstoune’ (1602). We have two more townlands called Pembrokestown (see logainm.ie #54001; #54524) in south Co. Wexford, where the surname is attested among the early colonists (see Logainmneacha na hÉireann IV: Townland names in Co. Wexford (LnÉ IV), pp.1457–8).
The Welsh origins of Pembrokestown and Pembroke are immediately transparent. However, most of the toponymic evidence for the presence of settlers from Wales among the early colonists is heavily disguised, as in the case of Ballynabrock. In most cases this is due to the widespread gaelicization that occurred in the centuries following the initial Anglo- (and Cambro-)Norman colonization, when the descendants of the English- and Welsh-speaking settlers adopted the majority language of Ireland. (Note: We have already discussed the conventional use of the term Anglo-Norman to include Cambro-Normans in the context of the early colony in Ireland.) In the same parish as Saint David’s Well mentioned above – Ballynaslaney in Co. Wexford – we find the townland Rahale (logainm.ie #52401). This is an anglicization of Ráth Héil ‘the ring-fort of Héil’, where the qualifying element Héil is a gaelicization of the Welsh personal name Hwyel (angl. Howell) (see LnÉ IV, p.1491). As Saint David was not venerated in the native Irish ecclesiastical tradition, it is reasonable to presume that it was the Welsh contingent among the early generations of settlers who dedicated the parish church and holy well in his name. This was the group to which the same Hwyel or Howell whose name occurs Rahale / Ráth Héil belonged. Further south in Co. Wexford, the parish church of Mulrankin near Kilmore – where there was also very substantial Anglo-Norman settlement – was also dedicated to Saint David (see E. Culleton, Celtic and Early Christian Wexford, p.130).
Howell / Hwyel also appears to occur in gaelicized form in Cúirt Héil / Courthoyle (logainm.ie #53374) and possibly Cill Haighil / Kilhile (logainm.ie #53350) in Co. Wexford. In neighbouring Co. Kilkenny, the Irish forms of the townland names Ballyhale / Baile Héil (logainm.ie #27121) ‘the town(land) of Howell’ and nearby Rosenarra Demesne / Caisleán Héil (logainm.ie #26338) ‘the castle of Howell’ also contain the same name, as does Ballyhale / Baile Héil (logainm.ie #21814) in Co. Galway. Note that the well-known surname Mac Héil / McHale, most common in Co. Mayo (Sloinnte Gaedhael is Gall s.n. Mac Héil), also derives from a gaelicized form of this Welsh personal name.
Clearly, this onomastic evidence – i.e., the information contained in these placenames and personal names – indicates strong Welsh participation in the early ‘Anglo-Norman’ colony. We will discuss many more similar examples over the next few weeks.

(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)