Ireland's 32 county names and their interesting meanings

Ireland's 32 counties all have names that tell you something about them . Each county name originates from the Irish language.

However, when Ireland was colonized by the British Empire, place names were changed and translated to suit English speakers. Still, though, even the Anglicized versions of these county names tell us a bit about them

We decided to list each of the 32 counties of Ireland and tell you what their names actually mean .

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Antrim

Co Antrim is one of the most scenic counties in Northern Ireland , home to sites like the Giant's Causeway . The name Antrim means 'lone ridge'. It is Aontroma in Irish.

Armagh

Co Armagh is also located in Northern Ireland. The name Armagh comes from the Irish Ard Mhacha and means Macha's height/Macha's high place.

Carlow

Co Carlow is located in the province of Leinster in the Irish midlands. Its Irish translation is Ceatharlach which means 'place of cattle' or 'place of herds', nodding to the county's farming traditions.

Cavan

Co Cavan is known for its extensive number of lakes and quaint towns like Virginia. Cavan in Irish is An Cabhán. It means 'hollow', perhaps nodding to the physical layout of the area.

Clare

Co Clare is one of Ireland's most famous counties for tourist attractions like the Cliffs of Moher . Clare comes from the Irish An Clár. Its name means 'level piece of land'.

Cork

Co Cork is Ireland's largest county and is located in the southwest corner of the island of Ireland. It marks the beginning of the Wild Atlantic Way and is home to some amazing scenery as well as Cork City .

Cork comes from the Irish Corcaigh. It means 'marsh'.

Derry

Made famous around the world by the hit comedy series Derry Girls , Co Derry is located in the very northern part of Ireland. The Irish name for Derry is Doire and means 'oak grove'.

Donegal

Co Donegal , located in the northwestern part of Ireland, is Ireland's most remote and rugged county, home to magnificent places like the Slieve League Cliffs and Glenveagh National Park. Donegal in Irish is Dun na nGall.

Its name means 'the fort of the foreigners or the fort of the strangers'. This perhaps tells us a bit about the people who historically lived in this corner of Ireland.

Down

Co Down is located in Northern Ireland and is home to scenic spots like the vast Mourne Mountains. Down comes from the Irish An Dún. It means 'fort' or 'castle'.

Dublin

The county of Dublin on Ireland's east coast is where you find Ireland's capital city, also called Dublin. The Irish name for Dublin is Baile Átha Cliath, which means 'town of the hurdle ford'.

Meanwhile, the English name Dublin comes from an old name for the ancient city, Dubh Linn, which translates to 'black pool'.

Fermanagh

Co Fermanagh is an underrated part of Ireland for tourists. It is home to places like the Stairway to Heaven Hike.

The Irish translation of Fermanagh is Fhear Manach which means 'Men of Manach'. This likely refers to an old settlement in the area.

Galway

The Irish for Galway is Gaillimh. It means 'stony' or 'stony river'.

Kerry

Kerry doesn't look like an Irish name because the Irish language actually doesn't contain the letter K. However, Kerry comes from the Irish Ciarraí which means 'people of Ciar'.

This name refers to a tribe of people who used to live here.

Kildare

Kildare is just one of many Irish place names that contain 'kil'. 'Kil' comes from the Irish cill, which refers to a church or cathedral.

The Irish for Kildare is Cill Dara. It means 'church of the oak'.

Kilkenny

Similarly, the name for Kilkenny refers to a church. Kilkenny comes from the Irish Cill Chainnigh which translates to 'Church of Cainnech'.

Laois

Laois is pronounced 'leesh' and comes from the name Laoise, pronounced 'leesh-a'.

The name of county Laois actually tells us a bit about the history of the small Irish county. Laois means 'people of Lugaid Laigne', referring to Lugaid, a chieftain who drove invaders out of Munster.

Leitrim

Leitrim is one of the counties in Ireland that tourists don't hear much about. However, there are some nice attractions here including Glencarr Waterfall.

The name Leitrim comes from the Irish Liatroim. It means 'grey ridge'.

Limerick

Limerick is located in the west of Ireland. It gets its name from the Irish Luimneach which means 'bare marshes' or 'bare land'.

Longford

Longford comes from the Irish An Longfort. It means 'fortress'. For centuries, this county was the stronghold of the O'Farrell Clan.

Louth

Co Louth is Ireland's smallest county, located just north of Dublin and Meath. Louth comes from the Irish Lú, which comes from Luagh.

Luagh was a God in ancient Ireland.

Mayo

Co Mayo 's Irish name is Maigh Eo. It means 'plain of the yew trees'.

Meath

Co Meath is home to some of Ireland's most important ancient sites such as the Hill of Tara and Newgrange. Meath gets its name from the Irish An Mí which means 'the middle'.

Monaghan

Monaghan is located in the Ulster province of Ireland. According to tourists, it is one of the most overlooked counties that visitors to Ireland should know about.

Co Monaghan gets its name from the Irish Muineachán, which means 'little hills'.

Offaly

Co Offaly is the ancestral land of many a famous individual including former US President Barack Obama. The name Offaly comes from the Irish Uíbh Fhailí.

The name comes from the ancient Uí Fhailge tribe. The name is thought to mean 'free tribe'.

Roscommon

Roscommon is located in the west of Ireland and is home to the country's National Famine Museum. Roscommon comes from the Irish Ros Comáin.

The name is inspired by Coman mac Faelchon who built a monastery there in the 5th century.

Sligo

Co Sligo is located along the Wild Atlantic Way and is known for its scenic coastline and sites like Benbulbin. Sligo in Irish is Sligeach.

Sligeach means 'abounding in shells' or 'shelly place'. This refers to the estuary in the county and the shelly beaches dotted around its coastline.

Tipperary

The Irish name for Co Tipperary is Tiobraid Árann. It means 'the well of Ara', referring to a tribe that likely lived there once.

Tyrone

Co Tyrone is in Northern Ireland. The Irish name for Tyrone is Tír Eoghain and means 'land of Eoghan'. Eoghan was the son of Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Waterford

Co Waterford's actually got its name from Vikings. It is believed the modern name Waterford came from the 9th-century Viking name of Vedrarfjord.

Many believe that it means 'windy ford'. Meanwhile, Waterford's Irish name is Port Láirge which means 'Lárag's port'.

Westmeath

The English name for Co Westmeath very clearly references its location to the west of Co Meath. However, its Irish name is An Iarmhí.

This comes from 'An Lar Mhí', which also refers to the west of Meath.

Wexford

The name Wexford also has its origins in Viking history. Wexford is thought to mean 'inlet of flat mud lands'. For Scandanavians, it would have been Waesfjord.

The Irish name for Wexford is Loch Garman and there is an interesting story behind this name. It means 'Garman's Lake' and it is believed that this name came from a thief named Garman who drowned in the harbor while escaping during a theft.

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Wicklow

Co Wicklow is lovingly known as the 'Garden of Ireland'. This name also comes from Norse settlers. It is believed that the name comes from the Viking Vykyngelo, which is understood to mean 'meadow of the Vikings'.

Meanwhile, Wicklow's Irish name is Cill Mhantáin and means 'church of the toothless one' This refers to a story that says St Patrick and his party of followers were attacked in the area, causing one of them to lose a tooth.

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