BEGINNERS' BLAS 3

LOGAINMNEACHA/ PLACENAMES

We looked at the history of the logainm DOIRE.

Sé do bheatha, an tseachtain seo chairde, bheirfidh muid sracfheachaint ar c’ás a dtáinig an t-ainm ata ar an darna chathair is mo ar an taobh seo tire... the Walled City, the Maiden City..Stroke City , this week, I've decided to find out how Derry in iarthuaisceart Chúige Uladh got its name………..
I can start by telling you that Derry, nó Doire means ‘Oak- grove’ . Doire is commonly used in Irish logainmneacha or place-names, and translated as Derry eg ..... but a lot of the time, as we have seen before, this element of the area may have completely vanished and may not be relevant today.

Derry or Doire’s original name was Daire Calgaich translating as ‘oakwood of Calgach’. Calgach was an ancient warrior and Caledonian leader who claimed this area of North West Ulster to be his…

Before leaving Ireland to spread Christianity elsewhere in Britain, St ColmCille founded a monastery in the then Doire Calgaich. According to oral and documented history the site was granted to Colm Cille/ Coumba by a local King. The monastery then remained in the hands of the federation of Columban churches who regarded Colm Cille as their spiritual mentor. In the year 546 the area was rebaptised Doire Cholm Cille, Colm Cille’s Derry in rememberance agus in ómos don Naomh a bhunaigh an chéad mhainstir ann. So at that stage, in the 6th Century Derry as we now know it was a primarily a monastic settlement.

It’s reckoned that The monastery of Doire would probably have been quite small when first founded. Its thought that the location of the first monastery was where the Church of Ireland or Chapel of St Augustine stands today.
The Vikings don’t seem to have been too worried about Derry . As fond of attacking as they were, they only appeared to attack Doire Cholm Cille on one occasion and managed to destroy the foundations of the monastery.

Derry city as we know it today was founded by Sir Henry Docwra, leader of the Foyle Expedition during the Nine Year’s War.. the end of that war and the battle of Kinsale hailed the end of the Gaelic World In Ireland and made way for Derry’s most controversial baptism.

In 1613, as part of the Ulster Plantation, a charter was granted to the London companies who had settled in the Derry area. This charter allowed the prefix London to be added to the existing Derry. What a decision that was, to this day, the Derry natives and people further afield, can’t agree on the name of the city which sits on the River Foyle … Doire Calgaich, Doire Cholm Cille, The Walled City, the Maiden city, Derry, LondonDerry, Stroke City, biodh do bharuil fein agat!

Listen To Céara talk about Derry

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