Montiagh North and Montiagh South townlands minor placenames

The minor placenames of the townlands of Montiagh North and Montiagh South, Claregalway, Co. Galway

The townlands of Montiagh North and Montiagh South are located west of the village of Claregalway and cover an area of approximately 454 acres and 331 acres respectively. At the time of the Ordnance Survey in the 1830s, both townlands are recorded together as ‘Montiagh in the Ordnance Survey Name Books, and are described as being ‘ the property of Lord Clanmorris, 2/3ds. bog, the remainder under tillage and subject to winter floods’.  At the time of this survey Montiagh is recorded locally as Mointeacha meaning ‘bogland’ although today, many people consider that Mointeacha is derived from Móin Teach, meaning the house or houses in the bog. 

The village of Montiagh in the townland of Montiagh South has been greatly defined by its relationship with the River Clare to the north. Prior to extensive programmes of arterial drainage works along the River Clare (which began as early as 1812 with the work of The Commissioners for Enquiring into the Nature and Condition of Bogs in Ireland), the village of Montiagh was almost an island of raised land in the bog. It was frequently cut off from the village of Claregalway by the flood waters of the River Clare, a circumstance that can still occur today, although to a lesser degree and with much less frequency.

The First Edition Ordnance Survey 6-inch Sheet shows that even in the mid-19th century, the village of Montiagh was densely populated with at least 60 buildings in the village. The modern Montiagh road did not exist at this time, and Montiagh was accessed via the Cahergowan Road. No minor placenames were recorded within the townland at this time.

Our work in the townlands during 2020 identified 36 minor placenames and places of interest known locally. These are marked on the map below, and included in tabulated format. These placenames were collected by PJ Duggan from Sean Concannon. The placenames collected are almost entirely as Gaeilge, and refer to fields, wells, houses, canals, the River Clare, and other elements of the local landscape. The placenames collected often reflect the village’s close association with the River Clare and the impact of flooding on the area. Placenames like An Cé (The Quay), Oileán na Conáill (O’Connell’s Island) and Oileán na mBád (Island of the boats) refer to islands in the flood lands, and to navigation of the River Clare and the flood lands by boat. The placename Na Riasca is one which occurs frequently in the parish of Claregalway, and refers to land which is marsh, bogland or moor, which often floods. Particularly interesting in the village of Montiagh is the placename Bóthar na Bláth (the road of flowers).

This work is on-going. If you know of any other minor placenames in the parish of Claregalway that may be of interest, and you would like to contribute to our survey, please do get in touch.