NÓTAÍ CAINTE AN UACHTARÁIN SEOLADH CHARTLANN LOGAINMNEACHA CHORCAÍ DÉ CÉADAOIN, 10 MEITHEAMH, 2009
NÓTAÍ CAINTE AN UACHTARÁIN SEOLADH CHARTLANN LOGAINMNEACHA CHORCAÍ DÉ CÉADAOIN, 10 MEITHEAMH, 2009
A chairde,
Go raibh míle maith agaibh as fáilte chomh croíúil sin a chur romham féin is roimh mo chéile Máirtín; agus míle buíochas leis an Dochtúir Éamon Lankford as cuireadh a thabhairt dom a bheith libh inniu. Is mór an lúcháir atá orm a bheith ag seoladh Chartlann Logainmneacha Chorcaí – an chéad chartlann dá leithéid i gcontae ar bith sa tír.
Tá teanga na Gaeilge de dhlúth agus d’inneach shaol na hÉireann. Tá sí thart orainn inár saol laethúil: sna sloinnte atá orainn; sa seanchas agus sna hamhráin; sna seanfhocail agus sna traidisiúin. Ach níl gné ar bith de shaol na hÉireann a bhfuil an Ghaeilge níos láidre ann ná sna logainmneacha.
Má dhéanann muid staidéar ar ainmneacha áiteanna thart orainn, tugann na logainmneacha léargas dúinn ar chruth na tíre agus ar an chaidreamh a bhí idir an pobal agus an timpeallacht sna laethanta fadó. Faigheann muid tuiscint ar bhéaloideas, ar chreideamh, ar stair agus ar ghinealas ár sinsear. In áiteanna áirithe is féidir le logainmneacha léargas a thabhairt dúinn ar phlandaí, ar ainmhithe agus fiú ar aeráid an cheantair mar a bhí blianta fada ó shin. Is maith mar a thuig an Dochtúir Lankford na rudaí seo ar fad nuair a chuir sé tús leis an suirbhé logainmneacha roinnt mhaith blianta ó shin.
I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Lankford for his pioneering work over many years, and for his vision in establishing Logainmneacha Chorcaí – the Cork Place Names Survey, which forms the basis for this archive. This great initiative grew out of the early work that Dr. Lankford carried out in Cape Clear and West Cork. That study emphasised the abundance of local descriptions and local names for places and features, their general absence from written records, and the great fragility that the oral transmission of such local information has in our modern globalised era.
Dr. Lankford understood that what applied in Cape Clear and West Cork also applied in the rest of the country and so he decided to make a good and formidable start by tackling the place names of the entire county of Cork.
In 1996 Logainmneacha Chorcaí – the Cork Place Names Survey was formally established and has operated since then on a partnership basis, drawing on the skills and enthusiasm of talented young university graduates and the expertise and advice of a wide range of people from the educational, library and local government sectors which has made up an advisory council of experts. I note also that there has been substantial involvement by FÁS and the LEADER programme which have provided funding and assistance.
This has been, of course, a two way process with over 200 young graduates gaining research and IT skills and work experience from their involvement with the project. The result of all this hard work, organisational ability and academic expertise speaks for itself; a unique repository of priceless information which is now saved for future generations.
Is iomaí athrú atá tagtha ar ghnéithe fisiciúla beaga na hÉireann le blianta beaga anuas. Le méadaú na mbóithre agus na mbailte agus na gcathracha is iomaí páirc agus cnoc agus sruthán nach bhfuil ann níos mó. Ach maireann cuimhne na n-áiteanna seo sna logainmneacha. Tá mé cinnte go n-aithneoidh sibh na línte áille seo ón amhrán aoibhinn Ultach sin Úr-Chnoc Chéin Mhic Cáinte:
Dá siúlfá, a réalt gan smúid, liom féin
Ba súgach saor ár sláinte.
Gheobhair plúr is méad is
cnuasach craobh
Sa dún sin Chéin Mhic Cáinte.
Ach cá bhfuil Úr-Chnoc Chéin Mhic Cáinte – the Airy Hill of Cian Mac Cáinte? Bhí a fhios agam go raibh sé idir Dún Dealgan agus na sléibhte, ach ní raibh mé riamh in ann teacht air. Cúpla bliain ó shin fuair mé amach gur leagadh an cnoc álainn sin breis agus caoga bliain ó shin nuair a bhí bóthar nua á thógáil. Tagann seo agus imíonn siúd, ach tá sé tábhachtach go bhfanfaidh na logainmneacha.
To date your Cork archive has over 100 volumes containing more than 150,000 references to Cork place-names which will function within the existing Cork County library network. The establishment of the Cork Place Names Archive in 2009 will now surely act as a spur for other counties to engage in a systematic collection and mapping of their oral and documented place-name heritage and indeed further, on a national basis. What a great achievement that will be!
Rinneadh drochaistriú ar an-chuid logainmneacha thar na blianta, ar nós Abhainn na hÁille i dTír Chonaill. Bheifeá ag súil le rud éigin ar nós the River of Beauty, ach aistríodh Abhainn na hÁille mar The Oily River. Tá an t-ádh dearg oraibhse i gCorcaigh nár aistríodh ainm an chontae ar chor ar bith. Corcaigh is the dative case of corcach – meaning swamp. Can you imagine forty thousand voices at an All-Ireland final shouting: “Come on the Swamp!”.
Ach ní hé seo an lá le bheith ag magadh faoi mhuintir Chorcaí. Today is Cork’s day and I wish to congratulate all those who have been involved in this project. Comhghairdeas leis An Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta; le Comhairle Contae Chorcaí; leis na scoileanna, na grúpaí pobail agus na bailitheoirí logainmneacha ar fud an chontae a chuir an tionscadal seo i gcrích. Comhghairdeas libh ar fad. Tréaslaím an chartlann iontach seo libh.
Go raibh maith agaibh.