Ballymore, Ballybeg, Ballyduff. Three different places, but one little word is doing the same job in all three names. Can you spot it?
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Break open an Irish placename and say what it first meant
- Notice that many towns are named after something you could once see there
Watch a town open on the map. Listen to the Irish pieces, then say them together with the class before the next town.
We will open three countries together on the map. In each one we are hunting for a place named after something people could once see: a river crossing, a hill, or a fort.
- Oxford (United Kingdom): a ford used by oxen
- Lyon (France): named from an old hill fort
- Frankfurt (Germany): a ford used by the Franks
When a country opens, listen for the languages spoken there, then say the matching find with the class and what the name is describing.
Write two full placenames we opened today. Beside each, write the picture the name paints (what it first meant).
In your copy:
- Placename: ________ Picture it paints: ________
- Placename: ________ Picture it paints: ________
Examples: Ballymore → a big town | Ballyduff → a dark (shady or black-soiled) town
Word bank (pieces, not full names): baile = town (BAL-ya); mór = big (MORE); beag = small (BYUG); dubh = dark / black (DOOV), often dark soil, dark water, or a shady spot
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