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Swords
FingalThe town of Swords is in Fingal. The name derives from the Gaelic, Fine Gall, (pronounced “finna gall”) and originally meant the tribe of foreigners. This was the name given to a force of Danish invaders who settled in the area along the coast in the 9th century, but in time, the name, Fingall, came to mean the strip of land which these people occupied, and as the invaders conquered more and more land, the district was extended, and Fingall came to mean the territory of foreigners or of strangers. Fingall continued to be a distinct district until 1210 A.D. when King John assigned it to the County of Dublin. About the close of the 16th century, the name, Fingall, ceased to be used officially, but it remained in use among the people because it was seen as being indicative of their origins as a distinctive community, and the people of the area continued to be known as Fingallians. [Source: Patrick Archer, Fair Fingall, An Taisce Fingall, 1975]. Home ¦ Class Photographs ¦ Dates for Diary ¦ General Interest |Information ¦ Local History ¦ Newsletters ¦ Our Work ¦ Sporting Activities ¦ Useful Links ¦ Web Safety |
© St. Colmcille's B.N.S., Chapel Lane, Swords, Co. Dublin |
According to the legend of the Milesian invasion, there was a settlement in
Swords at the time of Alexander the Great (356 –323 B.C). In Irish, Swords is
known as Sórd Cholmcille, the Swords of St Colmcille. The name means “pure or
clear ”, and it relates to the well which was near the spot where the church
of St Colmcille was founded. The original word is pronounced “Soord” in
Irish. The “w” came into the word after the English settlement, and they
wrote Sewerd because the verb shew has the sound of show. How did Sórd become
Swords? Patrick O’Neill, the renowned historian and teacher provided the
following explanation. The old town was west of the Ward River and the later
town, Main Street and North Street was built to the east when the new roads
came. There were then two Sewerds. [Source: Patrick O’Neill, An Macalla, 6, 11
March 1962.]