Some place-names of St. Patrick

According to medieval place-name lore, the Mis who gave name to Slemish (Sliabh Mis ‘Mis’s mountain’) in Co. Antrim was a sister of Eochu mac Maireadha, the Munster king who gave name to Lough Neagh, although of course, Slemish in contemporary tradition is more widely associated with St. Patrick as the place where he spent the first years of his captivity in Ireland, herding animals. Of course, having escaped captivity in Ireland and made his way home to Britain, he returned to Ireland in order to preach the Christian message, where he is said to have arrived back in Ireland on the Slaney River (named from An tSláine ‘health’) via Strangford Lough (Strangr Fjörðr ‘strong sea-inlet’) in 432AD to Dún Lethglaise ‘fort of the side of the stream’ which was later renamed Downpatrick (Dún Pádraig‘ Fort of Patrick’), a name which first appears 17th century and is probably the most recognisable place-name attributed to Patrick. What is less known is the significance of the name of the Co. Down townland and parish of Saul (sabhall‘barn’), apparently a reference to a barn presented to St. Patrick on his arrival back in Ireland by the local chieftain Dichu as a site for his first church and in fact historical references refer to Saball Patraic Patrick’s barn as early as 1170. Close to Saul you will find the townland of Struell (An tSruthail ‘the stream’) named after an underground stream stream which supplies water to two holy wells and it is said that Saint Patrick travelled throughout Ireland using wells to baptize his new converts (hence St. Patrick’s well). In the parish of Saul you will also find Slieve Patrick (Sliabh Pádraig  ‘Patrick’s Mountain) which, hosts the tallest statue of St. Patrick in the world although is dwarfed in height by Croagh Patrick (Cruach Phádraig Patrick’s mountain stack) in Co. Mayo, where Patrick chose to complete his Lenten pilgrimage of 40 days and nights, and which was previously known as Cruachán Aighle ‘the little mountain-stack of Aighle’, referring to an older name of the district.

Armagh (Ard Mhacha ‘height of Macha’) contains Macha ‘pasture’, the name of a land-goddess who represents sovereignty in the myths of the ancient Ulstermen,  but of course it is in Armagh that Patrick built his great stone church in 445AD, making Armagh the Ecclesiastical Capital of Ireland, building his church on Dorsum Salicis ‘willow ridge’ which was previously a very important pagan hilltop site, where Queen Maeve had ruled from before moving to nearby Navan Fort (Eamhain Mhacha). In doing this, St. Patrick himself capitalised on the previous pagan significance of the area for his own cause. The townland is named Armaghbrague (literally ‘false Armagh’). Prior to the Christian era, Armaghbrague the site of a pagan temple, named Ard Macha ‘height of Macha’ close to which where,St. Patrick would normally have erected a church. Hechose to build his cathedral church in Drumsaileach ‘ridge of the willow’ due to its proximity to Eamhain Macha, the 600 year seat of the kings of Ulster. Drumsaileach then became known as Ardsaileach (in accordance with the tendency of the period to prefix the name of a religious edifice with ard-). St. Patrick then apparently altered Ardsaileach to Ard Machato secure, for his own foundation, the prestige previously attributed to the pagan temple. The name of the site of the pagan temple then became Ard Macha Breughaighe ‘the height of the false Macha’. The of St. Patrick’s church is now occupied by St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral; while the neighbouring Roman Catholic Cathedral (also named St. Patrick’s) has its roots in medieval times.

In Armagh, as well as throughout Ireland, there are numerous place-names dedicated to St. Patrick such as Moneypatrick (Múine Pádraig ‘St. Patrick’s thicket’) in Co. Armagh and a townland named Kilpatrick (Cill Phádraig ‘St. Patrick’s church’) on Rathlin Island, Crosspatrick (Cros Phádraig‘ St. Patrick’s cross’) in Co. Derry, Ballyligpatrick (Baile Leac Phádraig ‘townland of (Saint) Patrick’s flagstone’) in Co. Antrim, and two Templepatricks (Teampall Phádraig ‘Patrick’s church’). The first Templepatrick is in Co. Down where, according to tradition, St. Patrick landed after a journey from Scotland and left the imprint of his hand and foot on a rock near the shore. The second, and probably more well-known Templepatrick is in Co. Antrim, where the church was originally attached to a medieval priory, and the association with St. Patrick is a late one (1605).

Aside from the numerous barony, parish, townland and minor names that contain Patrick. There are a few more that are associated with the man who chased away the snakes that are not so obvious. There is a St. Patrick’s apple tree at Kinnegoe (Ceann Gabha ‘smith’s hill or headland’), whereas the parish of Clonfeacle which straddles Tyrone and Armagh is said to derive from Cluain Fiacla ‘the meadow of St. Patrick’s tooth’.

The personal name Pádraig ‘Patrick’ is a borrowing of Latin Patricius‘a patrician’, and although Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Theearly Irish, out of respect for St. Patrick, did not use the name itself but such forms of Gilla Pátraic ‘servant of St. Patrick’ and Máel Pátraic‘devotee of St. Patrick’, and as such, earlier place-names containing Pádraig are almost always in recognition of the saint. Patrick first came into use as a personal name among Anglo-Norman colonists in Ireland, before becoming among the native Irish and most likely didn’t rise in popularity until around the 17th century. It is not clear then if names such as the two Ballypatricks (Baile Pádraig‘ Patrick’s townland) in Co. Antrim and Ardpatrick (Ard Phádraig ‘Patrick’s height’) in Co. Tyrone originally referred to St. Patrick, or some other individual with Patrick as a personal name. Probably named, of course in a nod to (St. Patrick’s) Ireland more broadly!