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That Place We Call Home: A Journey Through the Place Names of Ireland
John Creedon has always been fascinated by place names, from when he was a young boy growing up in West Cork to traveling around Ireland making his popular television show. In this brilliant new book, he digs beneath the surface of familiar place names, peeling back the layers of meaning behind them to reveal stories about the nature of the land of Erin and the people who walked it before us.
Travel the highways, byways and boreens of Ireland with John and become absorbed in the place names such as ‘The Land of Robins’, ‘Patrick’s Bed’, ‘The Eagles Nest’, ‘Hidden Treasure’ and ‘The Valley of the Crazy’. All hold clues to help uncover our past and make sense of that place we call home, feeding both mind and soul along the way.
That Place We Call Home is an absorbing non-fiction debut from one of Ireland’s broadcasting national treasures.
Travel the highways, byways and boreens of Ireland with John and become absorbed in the place names such as ‘The Land of Robins’, ‘Patrick’s Bed’, ‘The Eagles Nest’, ‘Hidden Treasure’ and ‘The Valley of the Crazy’. All hold clues to help uncover our past and make sense of that place we call home, feeding both mind and soul along the way.
That Place We Call Home is an absorbing non-fiction debut from one of Ireland’s broadcasting national treasures.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published March 26, 2021
25 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 4, 2021
I quite enjoyed this book. He has unwound the overlap between major influences/events in Irish history to place names still present. I read this as a 'coffee table' book, with a few pages here and there, rather than reading a full chapter each time.
February 22, 2022
Great read about the story behind Irish place names.
November 6, 2022
A great little book on the origin of Irish placenames, ideal for someone like me who had surnames (Mac Giolla Mhaoil/Son of the Blind Servant/Bell) or place names (Clonkeen/Cluain Chaoin/pleasant meadow) explained in a similar way while growing up, in a way that shows how much the Irish version adds. Creedon expands on this - in a similar way to the excellent Creedon's Atlas on RTÉ - to add in the layers of Irish history too, from the Celts to the Vikings, the Normans to the British...and the Greeks.
While many of the names would either be known to the reader (ey/øy meaning island, as in Dalkey, Ireland's Eye, Fastnet, Skerries and apparently even Fota, though Creedon misses that one) or could be worked out with a little thought, some are completely left field. One story goes that Partholon, a Greek, landed in Ireland with 1000 followers around the time of Noah's Ark and the flood. 300 years later, the colony was up to 9,000, until plague wiped them all out in the space of a week. In the mid-19th century, the area they lived in was still known locally as Tamhlacht Muintir Partholón - the plague grave of the people of Partholon, or Tallaght.
There's plenty of other great insights - Eblana (as in Eblana Avenue in Dún Laoghaire) was Ptolemy's name for what is now Dublin, "Lax" is the Norse for salmon, explaining Leixlip (Léim an Bhradáin), and place names like Killybegs (na Cealla Beaga, the little churches) with St Catherine as their patron saint suggest Christianity may have come to Ireland from Egypt even before the arrival of St Patrick. The unusual name Irishtown - there's 29 in the country - marks where the Irish were resettled when the Anglo-Normans kicked them out of towns and cities. And Earl Henry Moore of Drogheda named five streets after him in Dublin city centre - (North) Earl Street, Henry Street, Moore Street, Drogheda Street (now O'Connell Street), and Of Lane (now Henry Place).
He maybe lets himself down right on the very last page when suggesting that a street in Gort might someday be renamed Goias Avenue "to mark the hundreds of Brazilians who moved to Gort from Goias to fill the need for specialist workers in the meat industry" - but in this era of sustainability and carbon reduction, should we really pat ourselves on the back for a high-carbon solution for a gap in "specialist" skills which amount to an ability to work in conditions which are effectively unacceptable to locals (as shown during the covid pandemic)?
It's only one page though. The rest is fantastic stuff.
While many of the names would either be known to the reader (ey/øy meaning island, as in Dalkey, Ireland's Eye, Fastnet, Skerries and apparently even Fota, though Creedon misses that one) or could be worked out with a little thought, some are completely left field. One story goes that Partholon, a Greek, landed in Ireland with 1000 followers around the time of Noah's Ark and the flood. 300 years later, the colony was up to 9,000, until plague wiped them all out in the space of a week. In the mid-19th century, the area they lived in was still known locally as Tamhlacht Muintir Partholón - the plague grave of the people of Partholon, or Tallaght.
There's plenty of other great insights - Eblana (as in Eblana Avenue in Dún Laoghaire) was Ptolemy's name for what is now Dublin, "Lax" is the Norse for salmon, explaining Leixlip (Léim an Bhradáin), and place names like Killybegs (na Cealla Beaga, the little churches) with St Catherine as their patron saint suggest Christianity may have come to Ireland from Egypt even before the arrival of St Patrick. The unusual name Irishtown - there's 29 in the country - marks where the Irish were resettled when the Anglo-Normans kicked them out of towns and cities. And Earl Henry Moore of Drogheda named five streets after him in Dublin city centre - (North) Earl Street, Henry Street, Moore Street, Drogheda Street (now O'Connell Street), and Of Lane (now Henry Place).
He maybe lets himself down right on the very last page when suggesting that a street in Gort might someday be renamed Goias Avenue "to mark the hundreds of Brazilians who moved to Gort from Goias to fill the need for specialist workers in the meat industry" - but in this era of sustainability and carbon reduction, should we really pat ourselves on the back for a high-carbon solution for a gap in "specialist" skills which amount to an ability to work in conditions which are effectively unacceptable to locals (as shown during the covid pandemic)?
It's only one page though. The rest is fantastic stuff.
January 28, 2022
A very nice summary of Ireland's history with some interesting facts and historicial stories told in an easy manner. This book talks about the various visitors to these shores and the impact these people, our ancestors, had on the island of Ireland and how they left their legacy in the place names on our map today.
From the monastic settlements in the middle ages, to the Vikings who named the places up and down out coasts, to the Normans who arrived after Strongbow and their English descendants every keen to name our city streets in their honour, this books gives a summary of them all. Some may prefer mre depth on the topics.
I think I preferred the exaplanation of the surnames to alot of the placenames. The places John talks about are often small villages that I not reference point for, however I recognised all of the surnames. Barrys, Roches and Butlers are all Normans. Byrnes, Higgins and Reynolds all dark strangers or something like that were Vikings.
A lovely read. I would recommend.
From the monastic settlements in the middle ages, to the Vikings who named the places up and down out coasts, to the Normans who arrived after Strongbow and their English descendants every keen to name our city streets in their honour, this books gives a summary of them all. Some may prefer mre depth on the topics.
I think I preferred the exaplanation of the surnames to alot of the placenames. The places John talks about are often small villages that I not reference point for, however I recognised all of the surnames. Barrys, Roches and Butlers are all Normans. Byrnes, Higgins and Reynolds all dark strangers or something like that were Vikings.
A lovely read. I would recommend.
September 6, 2021
Uncovering the secrets that lay in plain sight across the signposts of Ireland, John Creedon takes the reader on an insightful and enjoyable journey through the history of the island and the imprints that history has left on the place names of the country.
A book full of historical facts, trivia, insights, folklore, and appreciation. The meaning of regular town and place names like Buttevant, Nobber, and Moll's Gap turn out to be not so regular in their origins. A joy to read and a book that equips you with a new lens to use when travelling the roads of Ireland.
A book full of historical facts, trivia, insights, folklore, and appreciation. The meaning of regular town and place names like Buttevant, Nobber, and Moll's Gap turn out to be not so regular in their origins. A joy to read and a book that equips you with a new lens to use when travelling the roads of Ireland.
September 19, 2021
Brilliant book. I liked the structure and different chapter subjects. I'm fascinated by place names and John does an excellent job, full of great information, anecdotes, following the historical path through all the sources.
I think, however, he made a mistake on the meaning of Rosmuc. I was there recently and "the peninsula of rounded hills" which wiki has, is probably correct. The locals told me Ros was a peninsula although it can also mean wood. But that's part of the fun arguing over the different possibilities.
I think, however, he made a mistake on the meaning of Rosmuc. I was there recently and "the peninsula of rounded hills" which wiki has, is probably correct. The locals told me Ros was a peninsula although it can also mean wood. But that's part of the fun arguing over the different possibilities.
October 31, 2024
Forgot about reviewing this book but better late than never. It actually didn't take long to read. I could hear John Creedons familiar voice as he lead me through the Irish landscape and how the loss of our language is distancing us from our heritage. Anyone who has ever wondered how their town name changed so much from the Irish on the sign to the English on the same sign will enjoy reading this. Highly recommend
February 7, 2021
A beautiful, relaxed stroll through the highways and byways of Ireland. Loads of snippets of information woven through an excellent read. I’d highly recommend to anyone with even the slightest interest in history or place names
January 27, 2022
A brilliant book. There is the history of Ireland, the meaning of place names, anecdotes, great writing and a love of place shines through.
John O’Donovan’s writings are described as “peppered with as much wit as they were with detail. His passion for his subject still radiates from the page.” The same could be said of John Creedon’s writing.
A book to treasure. I recommend it highly.
John O’Donovan’s writings are described as “peppered with as much wit as they were with detail. His passion for his subject still radiates from the page.” The same could be said of John Creedon’s writing.
A book to treasure. I recommend it highly.
June 10, 2025
This was the bookcase for awhile now resting waiting to be taken up! It goes through the place names in Ireland with each chapter dedicated to a separate invader from the Vikings & Normans to the Georgians & Victorians. Interesting little facts to learn along the way.
January 19, 2021
A beautiful book.
July 25, 2021
Such a great journey through the importance of understanding the land around you in order to understand yourself.
July 15, 2023
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Creedon gets into the heart of a place.
May 24, 2021
With everything going on in the world now and the lack of ability to travel too far, it was beyond lovely to take a virtual tour of Ireland through John's words. Filled with a mix of funny anecdotes and fascinating explanations as to where some of our place names came from, I know this is a book I'll be coming back to time and time again in years to come!
March 11, 2022
An excellent and entertaining venture into the world of Irish place-names "logainmeacha" with the wit and wisdom of Cork's own John Creedon.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews