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Auburn County Westmeath Achadh na Gréine, 'field of the sunny place' The original Irish name for the village was Lissoy, i.e. Lios Uaimhe, fort of the cave'. The present name is from Oliver Goldsmith's poem 'The Deserted Village' (1770), about the depopulation of rural areas, with its opening line: 'Sweet Auburn! Loveliest village of the plain'. Goldsmith spent much of his childhood at Lissoy, and his 'sweet Auburn' cameto be identified with it. He is beleved to have taken the name from Aubrun, near Bridliiington, East Yorkshire, a coastal village that had been almost entirely washed away by the sea (and so 'deserted') as early as 1831. (Its name is nothing to do with the colour auburn, but means 'eel stream'.)
From the Appletree Press title: Irish Place Names. [ Back to Top ] All Material © 1999-2005 Irelandseye.com and contributors | ||||
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