Did a man from Wexford give Killarney its name?
AN investigation into the origin of the name of Europe’s most famous tourist destinations – Killarney (Cill Áirne – translating as Church of the Sloe) – has uncovered a strong link with Adamstown.
Killarney historian Thomas O’Sullivan is calling for a twinning between the two areas based on their strong links with St Abbain. Thomas told this newspaper that his connection to Adamstown goes back to the 60s.
‘All this begins with being bundled into a Vauxhall Wyvern ZX 3639 in the early 60s where seven of us made the long trek to Wexford to visit my mother’s family home, Kelly’s farm at Doonooney, Adamstown.
There were no bypasses in those days, but still one savoured the flavour of the many towns on the way – a trip which took a full day and unknown to ourselves learning the geography of South Munster. As dusk approached out of New Ross the signpost for Adamstown (whoever Adam was, could it be Abbanstown?) loomed ahead to the bleary-eyed, with the cryptic Irish underneath reading … Magh Áirní’.
Having spent many years earning pocket money picking strawberries and drawing honey on the farm at Doonooney, Thomas discovered that Magh Áirní translated as Plain of the Sloes and the patron saint of the area was St Abbán.
There is a monolithic stone cross, up to 20 feet in height dedicated to him in the Adamstown graveyard and also a local nearby townland (Moyarney) again an anglicisation of Magh Áirní. The community hall, school and church in the village are named after St. Abbán.
St Abbán was a native of Adamstown. He was a pre-Patrician saint who travelled all over the south of Ireland in the 5th century founding many ecclesiastical settlements on his way.
While doing some research on a Killarney mythology - Tale of the Blackthorn Woods recently, Thomas stumbled across a reference in ‘Barrington’s Discovering Kerry’ to none other than St Abbán who seemingly founded Aghadoe (Ceall Achaidh Conchinn – of the two yew trees) in the 5th century. ‘Incidentally, the name Conchinn refers to the first of the ancient divisions/kingdoms of what we now know as Kerry and has a connection to Killagha Priory, Kilcolman near Milltown, County Cork.
He then prophesied that Aghadoe church would be dedicated to St Fionan in later times. Another theory is that Abban’s church was situated at Moyeighteragh – the lower plain now Lewis Road in Killarney.’
The Wexford native Abbán was buried in Ballyvourney.
Thomas said: ‘So it seems Abbán continued the theme of his dedication to the Sloe – Fruit of the Blackthorn Tree and so named his church in Killarney. This may prove to be a plausible explanation of the history and the name Cill Áirneand that the man from Wexford, ‘the Model County’ gave Killarney its name - Church of the Sloe.’
Thomas welcomes further discussion and opinions on the matter and can be contacted at kerryonwalking@gmail.com.
‘Having checked via Logainm. ie re placenames with Áirne in them yielding but two: Adamstown and Killarney as it turns out I have worked with Conradh na Gaeilge, Tralee branch with a company formed at the time called Ciarraí Beo and my work entailed a project of collecting place and fieldnames in the greater Mid-Kerry region.
This project ran in conjunction with Logainmneacha Chiarraí agus Corcaigh.’