About The Sallows/Áit Dúchais
Choosing a name involved reflecting on the complex and diverse uses of the land and property uncovered during the 6 years of planning and restoration undertaken to-date.
Their is a deep Gaelic underlying stratum, latterly overlaid with influences from the boom-time 18/19th C. Estate town which more recently evolved here, with it’s pre-famine census recording a c.40% English population.
Located in the village of Clogheen, with it’s anglicised name (a meaningless spell it as you hear it invention), versus it’s meaningful Gaelic name “Cloichín An Mhairgead” meaning “The Market Stone”, neither an English or Irish name could do full justice to the history and evolution of the site and property.
Thus a deeper underlying Irish connection to the land is conveyed in the intuited “Áit Dúchais”, that first came to me as I reflected on possible uses for our family of origin homeplace, that would honour the love our extended family, parents and grandparents have for the site. This name and it’s deeply felt meaning, resonates deeply with my mission and intent for the over-all development of the property.
While appreciating it could be difficult to market “Áit Dúchais”, internationally, on web-searches etc., the equally site inspired name “The Sallows”, arising as it did from “Overflow Sallows” found on the 1840's ordnance survey map naming of the land behind the house, became the preferred naming option.
However there was no-way that I was going to let “Áit Dúchais” slip into oblivion, and so over time a solution arose, an Irish solution to a peculiarly Irish problem. Thus we now have a double barrel name, “The Sallows” with a sub-text “Áit Dúchais”, one not being a translation of the other, no-more than Clogheen is a translation of “Cloichín An Mhairgead” but rather reflecting the English/Irish cultural clash that exists in our history.
Their is a deep Gaelic underlying stratum, latterly overlaid with influences from the boom-time 18/19th C. Estate town which more recently evolved here, with it’s pre-famine census recording a c.40% English population.
Located in the village of Clogheen, with it’s anglicised name (a meaningless spell it as you hear it invention), versus it’s meaningful Gaelic name “Cloichín An Mhairgead” meaning “The Market Stone”, neither an English or Irish name could do full justice to the history and evolution of the site and property.
Thus a deeper underlying Irish connection to the land is conveyed in the intuited “Áit Dúchais”, that first came to me as I reflected on possible uses for our family of origin homeplace, that would honour the love our extended family, parents and grandparents have for the site. This name and it’s deeply felt meaning, resonates deeply with my mission and intent for the over-all development of the property.
While appreciating it could be difficult to market “Áit Dúchais”, internationally, on web-searches etc., the equally site inspired name “The Sallows”, arising as it did from “Overflow Sallows” found on the 1840's ordnance survey map naming of the land behind the house, became the preferred naming option.
However there was no-way that I was going to let “Áit Dúchais” slip into oblivion, and so over time a solution arose, an Irish solution to a peculiarly Irish problem. Thus we now have a double barrel name, “The Sallows” with a sub-text “Áit Dúchais”, one not being a translation of the other, no-more than Clogheen is a translation of “Cloichín An Mhairgead” but rather reflecting the English/Irish cultural clash that exists in our history.