Carlingford Lough, County Down

Background

9km SE of Newry

par: Clonallan bar: Upper Iveagh, Upper Half

The old name for Carlingford Lough was Snám Aignech.  The element snámh ‘sea-channel, ford, swimming-place’ is treated in some detail under Narrow Water, whereas aignech is attested in Old Irish with the meaning ‘swift, spirited’ (DIL).  Snám Aignech, therefore, may be translated ‘swift sea-channel or ford’ or ‘swift swimming-place’.  Elsewhere in early Irish documentation the lough is referred to as (Cuan) Snámh(a) Ech which Flanagan translates `’bay of the horse-swimming’, with reference to a crossing point which could be swum by horses, probably Narrow Water' (Flanagan D. 1978c). 

Carlingford itself is a Scandinavian name which originally referred to the sea-inlet before it was applied to the town in Co. Louth on its south-western shore.  It is thought to derive from Old Norse kerling ‘hag’ and fjörthr (later fjord) ‘narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs or steep slopes’ (Longman Dict. sv. fiord).  Flanagan suggests that, by extension, kerling came to mean ‘rock shaped like a hag’ and that it may have referred to ‘the three mountain tops, locally called The Three Nuns, frequently used as pilot points on entering the lough.’  It is interesting, as Flanagan points out, that the Irish word for ‘a nun’ was caillech which also came to mean ‘a hag’ (Flanagan D. 1978c).  Our earliest surviving form Carlingeford is found in a Norman charter dating to c. 1192 and it is quite remarkable that a gaelicized form of this, An Carrlongphort, is found in the Annals of Loch Cé under the year 1213.  In later documents, however, the name is gaelicized Cairlinn/Cáirlinn and this is the form which was used by Irish speakers in Omeath at the beginning of this century.

References

McKay, P. (2007): A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, p. 33; Ó Mainnín, M. (1992): Place-Names of Northern Ireland vol. I p. 81-3; with additions PT, 2012.

Additional Information

Forms boundary between Cos Down and Louth

Historical name form

Old Form	Ref. Date	Reference
de Snam Aignech	0923	AU (Mac Airt) 374
oc Snam Aignech	0926	AU (Mac Airt) 376
co Snám Aignech	1100c	Cogadh GG 224
ic Snam Ergda	1100c	Cogadh GG 18
oc Snam Aignech (L)	1100c	Cogadh GG 229
Chuain Snama Ech, Cluain Dallain i fail	1125c	CSH 120
Snámha Ech, ó Clúain Dalláin i bfail	1170c	Mart. Gorm. Apr 2 p68n
Cuan Aidhneac[h]	1179	Miscell. Ann. 68
Carlingeford, aqua de	1192c	Cartae Dun. $8 421
Karlenfordiam, apud	1200c	Gir. Cambrensis
Kerlingefort, aquam de	1204	Pontif. Hib. i $60
Kerlingford, aquam de	1204	Pontif. Hib. i $59
Carrlongphort, an	1213	ALC i 250
Cairlinne, coblach ro mór do bí ar	1539	ALC ii 318
Cuan Snamha Aighneach	1600c	C. Conghail Cláir. 182
o Cluain (.i. Cluain Dalláin), i bfail Snamha Ech	1630c	Mart. Don. Apr 2 p92
imeall Cháirlinn na n-iasc	1760c	Mac Cumhaigh (b) 115 l.34
imeall Chairlinn	1760c	Mac Cumhaigh (b) 109 l.37
go Cairlinn	1835c	Mac Domhnaill 31 l.13
as Cairlinn	1840c	Mac Bionaid 7: 52 et pas.
Loch Cáirlinn	1901	Omeath Infs (GJ) 157
Cáirlinn	1905	Post-Sheanchas 41
i gCáirlinn	1905c	Sgéalaidhe Óirghiall 85
Cáirlinn	1925c	Omeath Infs (GJ) 11
Loch Cairlinn	1988	Éire Thuaidh
Loch Cairlinn	1989	GÉ 127
Cuan Snáma Ech ""bay of the sea-channel of horses""	1999	Dict. Ulst. PN 33
Kerling Fjorðr "" the hag''s fjord""	1999	Cel. Ulst. Tds 8
Loch Cairlinn	1999	Dict. Ulst. PN 33
Snám Aignech ""swift sea-channel or ford""	1999	Dict. Ulst. PN 33
O.N. Kerlingfjorthr ""narrow sea-inlet of the hag""	1999	Dict. Ulst. PN 33
do Shnamh Aighnech	852	AU (Mac Airt) 310
do Shnamh Aighnech	852	AU (Mac Airt) 310
de Snam Aignech	923	AU (Mac Airt) 374
oc Snam Aignech	926	AU (Mac Airt) 376
Kerlingeford [castle]	1221	CDI $1015
Karlyngford,	1260c	Great Rolls Pipe xxxv 41
Carlyngford	1366	Reg. Sweteman $181
Carlyngford	1369	Reg. Sweteman $59
Carlynforde	1375	Reg. Sweteman $140
Carlingford, the castle or town of	1506	CPR Hen. VII ii 443
Carlyngford & Cowly, the manors & lordships of	1506	CPR Hen. VII ii 443
Carlingford & the Green Castle, the castle of	1535	Cal. Carew MSS $70 85
The castles of Carlynford & Grene Castle	1536c	CPR (Tresham) ii 7
The castles of Carlyngford & Grenecastell	1537c	CPR (Tresham) ii 9
The castles of Carlyngford & Grenecastell	1537c	CPR (Tresham) ii 8
Carlingford & Green Castle	1538	CSP Ire. 45
Carlingford Castle & The Green Castle	1549	CSP Ire. 104
Carlingford	1552	CSP Ire. 126
Carlingford & Cowleye, the castle & manor of	1562	CSP Ire. 192
Carlingford, the Friar-house of	1562	CSP Ire. 192
Carlyngford	1564	Mercator's Ire. (1564)
Carlingford hauen	1567	Goghe's Map
Carlinforde	1570c	Fiants Eliz. $1736
Carlingforde	1570c	Nowel's Ire. (1)
Cralingford	1570c	Nowel's Ire. (2)
Carlyngford	1573	Ortelius Map
Carlingford	1583c	Fiants Eliz. $4312
C. Carlinford	1590c	Jobson's Ulster (TCD) 16
Carlingforde	1590c	Jobson's Ulster (TCD) 17
Carlinford hauen	1591	Hondius Map
Carlingford hauen	1595	Mercator's Ire.
Carlyngford hauen	1595	Mercator's Ulst.
Hauen of Carlingford	1599	Boazio's Map (BM)
Hauen of Carlingforde	1602c	Bartlett Maps (Hayes McCoy) i
Carlingforde Hauen	1603	Bartlett Maps (Esch. Co. Maps) 1
Carlingforde Hauen	1603	Bartlett Maps (Esch. Co. Maps) 2
Hauen of Carlingford	1609c	Boazio's Map (NG)
Carlingford hauen	1610	Mercator's/Hole's Ire.
Carlingford haven	1610	Speed's Ireland
Carlingford haven	1610	Speed's Ulster
Carlingforde hauen	1610c	Norden's Map
Lake Lir now Loch Carling	1645c	MacCana's Itinerary 45
Carlingfoard, Sea of	1657	Inq. Down (Reeves1) 89
Curlingfoard, the sea of	1657	Inq. Down (Reeves1) 83
Carlingford Bay	1744	Harris Hist. map

Barony

Iveagh Up., Up. Half/Mourne

Parish

None

Parish in 1851

None

Townland

None

Place name ID

16188

Place name type

M:W:X