Clare Placenames Brochure
Clare Placenames Policy

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Coiste Logainmneacha an Chláir (Clare Placenames Committee)

The Clare Placenames Committee was set up to advise and monitor the selection of suitable names for developments in the county. The group is representative of various cultural and historical bodies in the County and work in conjunction with Council officers. The groups represented include Clare Historical Society, Clare County Council, Conradh na Gaeilge, An Clár as Gaeilge, Ennis Town Council, Kilrush Civic Offices and Cairdeas Logainmneacha na Sionna.

Within the Townlands of County Clare

A townland is the smallest geographical unit in Ireland with over 60,000 such units recorded. According to the maps of the Ordnance Survey, there are
2176 townlands in Clare, each providing a rich resource of placenames information.

In 2008, funding was secured from Clare County Council and the Heritage Council, under the Clare Heritage Plan to establish a structure for the recording of Clare Placenames information that is to be found within the townlands of County Clare.

The development of the Clare Placenames Project has seen several townland studies currently being conducted by volunteers across the county. Comprehensive research has been conducted into existing studies and information collected to date can be viewed on
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/clare_townland_fieldname_survey.htm

Changing Names - The Dynamic World of Irish Placenames and Their Meanings was the title given to the first Placenames Conference held in County Clare. The papers address the origins, durability and evolution of Clare placenames, and the importance of their collection and preservation.

There are a number of Placenames projects in operation across the country. For anyone interested in further research, Coiste Logainmneacha an Chláir recommend the following links.
• Clare Library Placenames Page
• Oifig Gaeilge an Chláir
• Cork and Kerry Placenames
• Placenames Commission of Ireland
• Galway Placenames
• Limerick Placenames
• An Post
• Welsh Placenames
• Scottish Placenames
• Ulster Placenames
• http://www.ucc.ie/locus/

Further information and publication
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/heritage/pdfs/clare_placenames.pdf

Contact: Emer Ní Fhlaitheartaigh, Runaí,
Coiste Logainmneacha an Chláir
Telephone: (065) 6846512
Email: gaeilge@clarecoco.ie