Click on the placenames in the table below to find their meanings and other information.

The notes below are the work of Dr. Beryl Moore, Trim, deceased, who devoted much of her life to finding the origin of the placenames of south Co. Meath. She used the Ordnance Survey Field Name Book for Co. Meath 1835..36, for details on the letting of land, the Down Survey and the work of John O'Donovan.

The Parish of Rathmolyon lies in the Barony of Lower Moyfenrath, contains 9783 acres, and is owned by the Bishop of Ossory, Lord Darnley, Mrs. McEvoy and Mr. Fowler.
 
 

Coolderry : Cul Doire means the "hill- back of the oak wood". Owned by Bishop Ossory. Contains 468 acres. Let at fifteen shillings to twenty-five shillings per acre. Good land and mostly under tillage.

Isaacstown: A man's name. Contains 468 acres and let at 24 shillings per acre. Owned by Bishop of Ossory. Good land and all under tillage.

Glebe:  Glebe was the land attached to the Rectory. One hundred and 70 acres. Property of Lord Darnley and Rev.Samuel Magee. Good land and well oultivated. Let at about 26 shillings per acre. Several roads pass through it. Some of Rathmolyon village and its houses are in these divisions. The parish church is in the first Glebe division . The Rev. S. Magee resides in division three.
 

Tandragee:  Tóin re Gaoith means a "hill exposed to the wind". Contains 273 acres, the property of  Mr.Fowler of Rathmolyon. Let in one large farm at twenty shillings an acre. ( Until the 1960's this land was owned by the Murray family who originally came from Trandragee Co. Armagh, bringing that placename to their new property in Meath.) Tóin re Gaoith brings to mind Pádraig Ó Conaire's first encounter with his donkey in "M'asal Beag Dubh"   .... a thóin le ghaoith, gan aird aige ar an saol ná ag an saol air".....
 

Rathmolyon: Dr. Berly Moore suggests that this could mean Molyon's Rath or Fort or perhaps Rath Máigh Laighin ..The Rath of the Plain of Leinster. Contains 198 acres and is property of the Bishop of Ossory. Let in small farms at 21 to 26 shillings per acre.

Cherryvalley: Contains 214 acres ,the property of  Bishop of Ossory. Good land let at 22 shillings per acre or more.
                        (Until recently some wild cherry trees still could be found growing in this townland).

Farmhill: Formael is a "round hill" in Irish . Contains 188 acres. Property of the Bishop of Ossory.Good land and well cultivated. Let at 17 shillings to 24 shillings per acre.

Gilbertstown: a man's name.....

Clonmowley: Cluain Mullaigh means the "meadow of the summit.".Contains 213 acres the property of Mr. Fowler..it is let in two farms 25/-an acre..there is no road except two lanes to the principal houses.

Kilmore:  Coill Mor which means the "big wood". 114 acres. Property of  Bishop of Ossory. Land good and mostly under tillage is traversed by Summerhill-Rathmolyon road.

Cloneycurry :  Cluain Uí Chomhraidhe is Irish for O'Curry's meadow or lawn.  371 acres owned by the Bishop of Ossory.  (There is also a townland near Enfield called Cloncurry with its monastic settlement  marked on one of the earliest maps of Ireland.)
Tobertynan : Tynan's Well. contains 747 acres the property of Mrs. McEvoy. About half the townland is laid out as parkland with trees etc. There is no other house in the townland except for the labourers and herds who work for her.

Ardanew: Ard na fhidh ..means The hill of the wood ''..Ard an Aodh ..means Hugh 's hillock .. which is it?...Contains 414 acreas of which 105 is waste..owned by Mr. Symth who lets one farm of 100 acres .. near the road on the west  side are two small limestone quarries , 5 or 6 lime kilns and a few houses . Near the centre of  this townland is a very old burial  ground and the gable of an old church called Ardenew church. (Ardanew  two-teacher school was amalgamated with Kill N.S. in 1973).

Castletown: Contains 689 acres. property of the Bishop of Ossory. Good land but mostly in grazing.

Trammon: A "place abounding in elder trees" is called in Irish Troman....632 acres , the property of Mr. Drake and let at 30 shillings per arce or more and it  is the best  cultivated  land in the whole  parish. Police station in this townland only half a mile from the village. ( The hill leading down to the school from here is still called "the barrack hill". (The narrow windows at the front porch trace there origin to the time when it was used as a barracks.)

Kilballyporter-Coill a' Bhealaigh  is Irish for  "the wood of the pass through a bog" . Contains  434 arces and is the  property  of  Bishop of   Ossory.Let in 2 large  and 2 small  farms  at 20 shillings  per acre. Mr.Fegan who has one of the large farms  in  his  townland  has a corn mill. Mr.Lane has the other large farm which he mostly grazes.

Rathflesk-In Irish Rath Fleisc which means "Flesk's Fort" contains 300 acres. Let at 21 shillings per acre and is owned by Bishop of  Ossory. Tillage and  grazing.

Monnamore-Muine Mhór is "a great brake or shrubbery". 200 acres. Owned by Bishop of Ossory and let at 18 shillings an acre. Contains one comfortable farm-house.   Land is good but the townland contains no road.

Straneymore- Means "big stream" 178 acres belonging to Bishop of Osssory . Flat land in tillage let to 4 tennents.(Has a stream running through it.

Straneybeg :  Means "small stream".

Moat -Contains  275  acres  and is  the  property  of  Bishop  of   Ossory.  Good  land  and principally  under tillage. 2  small  limestone  quarries. A large Moat  from  which  the townland  gets  its name.

Cullentra - Is a corruption of the Irish Cuileann (holly) and tree.....916 acres the   property  of  Mr.Fowler..it is let in one big farm of 200 acres and 4 or 5 others of 50 to 100...there are a few  small farms..Average rent is 25 shillings an acre..

Bramhall- A fancy name says John O'Donavan. Archbishop Usher also calls it Bram  Hall. There was a hedge school here in the 1830's.

Kilbeg - Means "a small wood" ..Coill Beag
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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