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Irish Place Names

The 6 counties of the Province of Munster

Old Irish name Mumhan (Mooan), which with ster added forms Mughan-ster (Moonster) or Munster.
Clare Cavan
Clar, 'a level piece of land'
A level piece of land (clar).

CorkCork
Corcagh, `a marsh'
The county’s city grew round a monastery founded in the sixth century on the edge of a marsh by St Finbar; ad even yet a part of the city is called the Marsh.

Kerry Kerry
The descendants of Ciar (Keer) were called Ciarraidhe, i.e. the race of Ciar.
They possessed the territory lying west of Abbeyfeale which was called from them Ciarraighe, and ultimately gave name to the whole county.

LimerickLimerick
Corrupted from the Irish form Liumnech (Liminagh)
By a change n to r: the name signifies a bare spot of land, from lom, bare.

Tipperary Tipperary
Tiobraid-Arann (Tibraud-Auran),
The well of Ara, the ancient territory in which it was situated. The well that gave this name to the town and thence to the county was situated in the Main Street but is now closed up.

WaterfordWaterford
Waterford, 'Vadrefiord'
A Danish name; old form Vadrefiord, the latter part of which is the northern word fiorda sea inlet. Old Irish name Port-Lairge or Portlargy.

From the Appletree Press title: Irish Place Names.
Also from Appletree: Irish Family Names, A Little Book of Irish Family Names and the Book of Irish Names.

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