Place-Names and the Local Historian

The purpose of this small book is threefold. It aims to furnish an outline survey of the entire body of Irish placenames, giving details of the various categories of names - ranging over nearly two millennia and involving some halfdozen languages - and identifying the most significant sources. It offers an overview of scholarly work done to date in the field of Irish place-names, and advice on how this may be drawn upon to assist the student of local history. Lastly, it provides guidelines for the local historian who seeks to deal with the place-names of their locality (especially where these have not previously been the subject of an authoritative study) along with warnings of the more significant pitfalls.