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Meaning of Irish Placenames Trivia Quiz

Common Prefixes of Irish Places

If you look at a map of Irish places, you will see many starting with the same prefix. Many of these are in English, but come from Irish words which have meanings relating to the place. Match the prefix with its meaning.

A matching quiz by Flukey. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
Flukey

Time
3 mins

Type
Match Quiz

Quiz #
414,260

Updated
Feb 16 24

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
65

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

Last 3 plays: mcpoorboy (3/10), GoodwinPD (10/10), klotzplate (10/10).

(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.

Questions		Choices
1. Irish: Cnoc / English: Knock		Rock
2. Irish: D�n / English: Dun		Meadow
3. In Irish: Cill / English: Kil or Kill		High
4. In Irish: Doire / English: Derry		Ridge
5. Irish: Cluan / English: Clon		An oak wood
6. Irish: Carraig / English: Carrick		Fort
7. Irish: Baile / English: Bally		Beach
8. Irish: �rd / English: Ard		Hill
9. Irish: Tr� / English: Tra		Church
10. Irish: Drom / English: Drum		A town or place

Select each answer

1. Irish: Cnoc / English: Knock

2. Irish: D�n / English: Dun

3. In Irish: Cill / English: Kil or Kill

4. In Irish: Doire / English: Derry

5. Irish: Cluan / English: Clon

6. Irish: Carraig / English: Carrick

7. Irish: Baile / English: Bally

8. Irish: �rd / English: Ard

9. Irish: Tr� / English: Tra

10. Irish: Drom / English: Drum

Most Recent Scores

Nov 11 2024 : mcpoorboy: 3/10
Nov 10 2024 : GoodwinPD: 10/10
Oct 16 2024 : klotzplate: 10/10
Oct 07 2024 : Guest 78: 10/10
Sep 27 2024 : Guest 2: 4/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Irish: Cnoc / English: Knock

Answer: Hill

Ireland has many hills. A lot of places are built on these. Knock in county Mayo is a famous example, where Our Lady is said to have appeared to some locals on the 21st of August 1879. Other examples include Knocklyon, Knocknagoshel and Knocktopher.

2. Irish: D�n / English: Dun

Answer: Fort

Examples include D�n Laoghaire - the Fort of Leary. Many fortresses are found around the coast of Ireland and some inland.

3. In Irish: Cill / English: Kil or Kill

Answer: Church

Examples include Names beginning with "Kil" or "Kill" are very common in Ireland, as many towns were built around churches. Kill, Kilcock, Kildare, Kilkenny, Killarney are some of the examples

4. In Irish: Doire / English: Derry

Answer: An oak wood

At one time Ireland had a very large amount of forests and these contributed to the names of places. The city and county of Derry are the best examples. The county of Derry is sometimes known as the Oak Leaf County and their Gaelic football and hurling teams use the oak leaf as a symbol on their jerseys.

5. Irish: Cluan / English: Clon

Answer: Meadow

Nature contributes to the naming of many Irish places. Meadows and fields gave their names to many places. Examples include Clonard, Clonfert, Clonaslee and many others.

6. Irish: Carraig / English: Carrick

Answer: Rock

Some of Ireland is very rugged and rocky, resulting in a lot of places being built near such places. Carrick-on-Shannon and Carrick-on-Suir, noting the rivers they are built on, are two good examples.

7. Irish: Baile / English: Bally

Answer: A town or place

One of the most common prefixes in Irish names is "Bally" coming from "town" or "place". Each of these can be though of as the town/place of someone or the town/place of something. Ballymun, Ballyclare, Ballyjamesduff, Ballygar and Ballyleix are amongst the large amount of examples.

8. Irish: �rd / English: Ard

Answer: High

Ireland is hilly in places, meaning that some places are built on hills or high places. The prefix "Ard" has become part of the names of these places. Ardboe, Ardrahan, Ardee and Ardfert are examples.

9. Irish: Tr� / English: Tra

Answer: Beach

As Ireland is an island, it has many beaches. Lots of towns are built on or near the coast. Tramore and Tralee are examples of such places.

10. Irish: Drom / English: Drum

Answer: Ridge

A common geographical feature in Ireland are ridges. Many places are built near ridges and the names of places reflect that. Drumcondra, Drumshanbo and Drumlish are examples.

Source: Author Flukey

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
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