Just catching up with Friday's Times and page 2 tells me that in 2003 the Irish Place Names Commission renamed "Dún an Bleisce" (Fort of the Harlot) "Dún". It has taken the inhabitants a five year battle to regain their "Bleisce" - more than 1,000 signed a petition.

I recently enquired of the Commission whether their Irish take on the name Coolcotts. I was told it was directly translated as Cold Cottages.

What???

As a matter of interest, what is the Irish version of Coolcotts shown on street names, etc?

DeGaulle wrote:

As a matter of interest, what is the Irish version of Coolcotts shown on street names, etc?

Couldn't find one - thats why I went to the IPNC.

The cool I am presuming is Irish- the cotts may be a name? there is a Kats strand in Wexford not to far away? Any thoughts?

Cúl means back or rear in Irish but I can't come up with a suitable translation. If there is a strand called Kats nearby then possibly it could be translated as "Back of Kats Strand" or "Behind Kats Strand", but local knowledge would be required.

Perhaps the IPNC are saying that there never was an Irish name for the area and that Coolcotts is a corrupted version of the English name "Cold Cottages"?

Quote :

Perhaps the IPNC are saying that there never was an Irish name for the area and that Coolcotts is a corrupted version of the English name "Cold Cottages"?

That is precisely what I found so funny.

I believe that there's a place called Ballahack or somesuch that translates into Baile na Các which is the Town of the Excrement. How about that for a des res!

There a number of place names in Ireland that really do not bear repeating.

cactus flower wrote:

There a number of place names in Ireland that really do not bear repeating.

Definitely, perhaps they were given as a joke and now, for some strange reason, have stuck.

I know of an area that has 'cott' in it, but the story goes that it's a reference to a boat that was owned by a man who lived there, near the canal.

I like the cot connection, indeed I am a cotswoman of some repute myself. Unfortunately this place is up a hill.

Isn't the hill near Leenane called the Devil's Testicles always shown on maps as the Devil's Grandmother?

ibis wrote:

Isn't the hill near Leenane called the Devil's Testicles always shown on maps as the Devil's Grandmother?

Testicles, Grandmothers, same difference.

I know a hill in Wales called Twll Ddu n'y Mwnki

cactus flower wrote:

I know a hill in Wales called Twll Ddu n'y Mwnki

And does that mean the same as the Devil's testicles?

Something anatomical about a monkey. One might say - we are all going for a walk up the monkey's..etc.

cactus flower wrote:

Something anatomical about a monkey. One might say - we are all going for a walk up the monkey's..etc.

Right. And then there's places like Nobber and Muff whose road-signs are being continually stolen.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

ibis wrote:

Isn't the hill near Leenane called the Devil's Testicles always shown on maps as the Devil's Grandmother?

Testicles, Grandmothers, same difference.

Only if your grandmothers are knackers.

How PC is this ?

In an Irish lecture a few weeks back, we were given the Irish version of a couple of towns' names.... They were all rendered as -
Baile na mBocht (lit. Town of the Poor)
Needless to say, the English didn't quite match up

cactus flower you're a woman... it never occured even with that name... carry on.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

Something anatomical about a monkey. One might say - we are all going for a walk up the monkey's..etc.

Right. And then there's places like Nobber and Muff whose road-signs are being continually stolen.

Did you know that there is a Muff Crescent as you go into Nobber?

What were they thinkin'?

One of the littlest villages I saw in Bavaria last year


Sorry it's a bit off topic/nation

lostexpectation wrote:

cactus flower you're a woman... it never occured even with that name... carry on.

You missed the "Things Wimmin Have to Put Up With" thread then lostexpectation?

You are forgiven, as going by the statistical odds in fora you would have been right. I used to think Soubresauts was a fella, and was convinced NDS was a rather strict senior female civil servant.

cactus flower wrote:

lostexpectation wrote:

cactus flower you're a woman... it never occured even with that name... carry on.

You missed the "Things Wimmin Have to Put Up With" thread then lostexpectation?

You are forgiven, as going by the statistical odds in fora you would have been right. I used to think Soubresauts was a fella, and was convinced NDS was a rather strict senior female civil servant.

I always thought soubresauts was male as well. Mind you, MN has what may well be the highest proportion of female posters on any forum (bar Mumsnet etc).

ibis wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

lostexpectation wrote:

cactus flower you're a woman... it never occured even with that name... carry on.

You missed the "Things Wimmin Have to Put Up With" thread then lostexpectation?

You are forgiven, as going by the statistical odds in fora you would have been right. I used to think Soubresauts was a fella, and was convinced NDS was a rather strict senior female civil servant.

I always thought soubresauts was male as well. Mind you, MN has what may well be the highest proportion of female posters on any forum (bar Mumsnet etc).

I notice we even invade the only sports thread. This may not be good for the male karma. I would not be averse to a Men's Hut thread provided that Site Policy still prevails inside it.