The Locus project

The aim of this project is to produce a new Historical Dictionary of Irish placenames and tribal names to replace Fr Edmund Hogan's Onomasticon Goedelicum. We have previously received funding from Toyota Ireland Ltd., from the Higher Education Authority, from the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) and from An Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta.
PUBLICATIONS
Pádraig Ó Riain, Diarmuid Ó Murchadha and Kevin Murray, Historical Dictionary of Gaelic Placenames / Foclóir Stairiúil Áitainmneacha na Gaeilge, Fascicle 1 [Names in A-] / Fascúl 1 [Ainmneacha in A-] (Irish Texts Society, London, 2003) xxxiv + 172pp. ISBN: 1-870166-70-1. REPRINTED (with addenda and corrigenda) in April 2007.
- Reviewed by Karl Horst Schmidt, in Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 54 (2004) 337-8.
- Reviewed by Paul MacCotter, in Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 109 (2004) 226-9.
- Reviewed by Pádraig Ó Macháin, in Éigse 35 (2006) 159-61.
Pádraig Ó Riain, Diarmuid Ó Murchadha and Kevin Murray, Historical Dictionary of Gaelic Placenames / Foclóir Stairiúil Áitainmneacha na Gaeilge, Fascicle 2 [Names in B-] / Fascúl 2 [Ainmneacha i B-] (Irish Texts Society, London, 2005) xxxii + 258pp. ISBN: 1-870166-71-X.
- Reviewed by Karl Horst Schmidt, in Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 56 (2008) 204-5.
- Reviewed by Mícheál B. Ó Mainnín, in Éigse 36 (2008) 217-21.
- (Vols 1-2) reviewed by Gregory Toner, in Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 55 (Summer, 2008) 69-70.
- (Vols 1-2) reviewed by Nollaig Ó Muraíle, in Ainm 10 (2009) 146-51.
Pádraig Ó Riain, Diarmuid Ó Murchadha and Kevin Murray, Historical Dictionary of Gaelic Placenames / Foclóir Stairiúil Áitainmneacha na Gaeilge, Fascicle 3 / Fascúl 3 [C-Ceall Fhursa] (Irish Texts Society, London, 2008) xxxii + 191pp. ISBN: 1-870-16672-8.
ONGOING WORK
- A complete digital copy of Fr Edmund Hogan's Onomasticon Goedelicum (Dublin, 1910), which is to be revised, enlarged and updated into the new Dictionary of Placenames, has been generated (available below)
- Lists of contents of manuscripts used by Hogan have been drawn up and checking has begun, to discover where texts, then excerpted from manuscripts, have since been published. Postgraduate students in the Department have been employed to carry out this very labour-intensive task.
- A new and expanded set of abbreviations for texts has been created.
- A complete bibliography of all known works on Irish placenames has been completed by Dr Donna Thornton. This is due to be published in 2010.
- At the same time a fachbibliothek (specialist library) of reference books relating to placenames is being built up.
- Two copies of the Onomasticon (those of the historians Fr Paul Walsh and Séamus Pender) have been obtained on loan by the project and have been gleaned for the additional information they contain.
- Consultations with specialists working in similar areas has been taking place on a regular basis. Among those consulted have been: Mr Peter Flynn, Academic Projects Manager, Computer Centre, University College, Cork; Mr Dónall Mac Giolla Easpaig, Director of the Placenames Branch, Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs; Dr Kay Muhr, The Northern Ireland Place-Name Project, Department of Celtic, The Queen's University of Belfast; Prof. Donnchadh Ó Corráin, Former Director of the CELT data-base project at University College, Cork; Mr Tomás Ó Canann, Mequon, Wisconsin; Dr Nollaig Ó Muraíle, Scoil na Gaeilge, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh, Dr Fiachra Mac Gabhann, Mr Liam Ó hAisibéil, and Prof. Thomas Charles-Edwards, Jesus College, Oxford.
- The Locus project would like to appeal to anyone who has new or additional information on any placename, whether cited by Hogan or not, to make this information available. Every addition or correction will be credited to the scholar who submits it. Any additional bibliographical information about placenames will also be very welcome
HOW TO CONTACT US
- Locus Project, c/o Roinn na Sean- agus na Meán-Ghaeilge, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Corcaigh, IRELAND.
- Phone: 353-21-4903192; Fax: 353-21-4903102.
STAFF
- Director: Prof. Pádraig Ó Riain.
- Editors: Prof. Pádraig Ó Riain, Dr Diarmuid Ó Murchadha and Dr Kevin Murray.
- Assistant editor: Mr Kenneth Nicholls.
- Doctoral student (funded by An Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta [2009-12]): Ms Olga Karkishchenko.
- Former doctoral student (funded by An Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta [2006-9]): Ms Emma Nic Cárthaigh.
- Former IRCHSS scholars: Dr Donna Thornton, Ms Emma Nic Cárthaigh and Dr Joseph Flahive (2004-5).
- Former HEA scholar: Dr Donna Thornton.
- Former Toyota scholars: Dr Petra S. (Tina) Hellmuth, Dr Aideen O'Leary and Dr Kevin Murray
- Post-graduate students (past and present): Dr Clodagh Ní Dhubhnaigh, Ms Emma Nic Cárthaigh, Mr Diarmaid Ó Lonargáin, Ms Jutta Libera, Ms Soili Lintunen, Dr Philip Bernhardt-House, Ms Jane Sullivan and Mr Michael O'Callaghan.
Page created by Kevin Murray, April 2, 1998. Last updated: November 18, 2009.