Irish Town Name Generator

Press New town name for a made-up Irish town joined from two real parts of Irish place names.

Irish Town Name Generator: 20 towns

Tieveclare, an Irish town that stands along a quay of fishing trawlers, known for butter churned by hand.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

OpeningTieve
Second partclare
Standsalong a quay of fishing trawlers
Known forbutter churned by hand

Saved

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Every town you make is kept here, newest first, up to the last 20. The list stays in this browser.

Town of the day

Coomclare, an Irish town that stands around a market square with a pump, known for tin whistle lessons in the hall.
Coomdonagh, an Irish town that stands around a market square with a pump, known for ballads sung in Irish.
Cloghinver, an Irish town that stands beside a lake with a crannog, known for seals on the rocks at low tide.
Casheltry, an Irish town that stands around a market square with a pump, known for a currach race.
Turloughinver, an Irish town that stands in a hazel wood, known for a storytelling weekend.
Garvtry, an Irish town that stands at the far end of a tidal causeway, known for barmbrack baked every autumn.
Straderry, an Irish town that stands by an old bridge with nine low arches, known for a road bowling match.
Garvgorm, an Irish town that stands in a glen below a waterfall, known for its agricultural show.
Garvsally, an Irish town that stands beside a lake with a crannog, known for tin whistle lessons in the hall.
Mullaghross, an Irish town that stands among fields of rushes, known for its hurling team.
Owendore, an Irish town that stands on a river stained brown by the bog, known for a lighthouse open on Sundays.
Mullaghbue, an Irish town that stands among fields of rushes, known for barmbrack baked every autumn.
Cloghsally, an Irish town that stands within sight of a round tower, known for soda farls hot off the griddle.
Mullaghcool, an Irish town that stands along a quay of fishing trawlers, known for a currach race.
Turloughcorry, an Irish town that stands on the last headland before the ocean, known for a steam train that runs in summer.
Mullaghclare, an Irish town that stands where the road crosses a blanket bog, known for butter churned by hand.
Strasally, an Irish town that stands beside a towpath worn by barge horses, known for barmbrack baked every autumn.
Carrickross, an Irish town that stands by an old bridge with nine low arches, known for a steam train that runs in summer.
Tievedrohid, an Irish town that stands in the middle of turf country, known for tin whistle lessons in the hall.
Garvsally, an Irish town that stands in a hollow of fuchsia hedges, known for seals on the rocks at low tide.

Next step Name someone who lives there Pick an Irish last name

How it works

This Irish town name generator joins two real parts of Irish place names. Doon is from dún, a fort, and gorm is the Irish for blue, so Doongorm is the blue fort.

Read the full guide

Press, then lock the opening

Press New town name. The opening says what the place is: Doon is a fort, Carrick a rock, Owen a river. Tap it, press its padlock and press again for a new second part.

What the list under the tool shows

Each part has its Irish word, its meaning and a real place that carries it: gorm is blue, as in Galgorm, and inver is a river mouth, as in Rossinver. So Carrickinver is a rock at a river mouth.

Tips

Match the opening to your map: Owen needs a river, Carrick a rock, Mullagh a summit.
Spellings are anglicized. The Irish word for each part is in the list under the tool.

Questions and answers

What does Bally mean in Irish town names?

Bally is from the Irish baile, a homestead or settlement, as in Ballycastle and Ballymena. It is not an opening here because it spells a real place with nearly every second part.

What does Kil mean in Irish place names?

Kil is from the Irish cill, a churchyard, as in Kildare and Kilkenny. In some names it is from coill, woodland, instead.

Are these real Irish towns?

They are made up: no join is a place in GeoNames for Ireland and the United Kingdom or in the townlands.ie list of Irish townlands. Many stand one letter from a real townland, though (Carrickcool, Carrickcoola), so search a name before you use it.

Opening: all 14 openings

B 1

Borris From Irish buiríos: borough, burgage, as in Borrisokane.

C 5

Cappa From Irish ceapach: plot, tillage, as in Cappagh.
Carrick From Irish carraig: rock, rocky outcrop, as in Carrickfergus.
Cashel From Irish caiseal: stone ringfort, as in Cashelore.
Clogh From Irish cloch: rock, as in Clogheen.
Coom From Irish com: hollow, as in Coomkeen.

Show all 14 openings (8 more)

D 1

Doon From Irish dún: stronghold, fort, as in Doonbeg.

G 1

Garv From Irish garbh: rough, as in Garvagh.

M 1

Mullagh From Irish mullach: summit, as in Mullaghmore.

O 1

Owen From Irish abhainn: river, as in Owenbeg.

S 1

Stra From Irish srath: floodplain, as in Stranorlar.

T 3

Tieve From Irish taobh: hillside, as in Tievebulliagh.
Tir From Irish tír: territory, as in Tirconaill.
Turlough From Irish turlach: turlough, as in Turloughmore.

How this list was compiled: 14 first elements of real Irish place names in their anglicized spelling. The Irish word, its meaning and the real place beside each were taken by script on 2026-10-03 from the table of name elements in the English Wikipedia article Place names in Ireland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_names_in_Ireland, CC BY-SA 4.0); the Placenames Database of Ireland, which the plan also names, was not read. Every name the Opening and Second part rows can spell was checked that day against every named place of Ireland and the United Kingdom in GeoNames with alternate names (139,115 named places) and places of 500 people and up worldwide (https://download.geonames.org/export/dump/, CC BY 4.0), against the open list of the 61,119 townlands of Ireland with their civil parishes, electoral divisions and baronies (https://www.townlands.ie/page/download/, drawn from OpenStreetMap, ODbL), against every list on this site, a rude-word list read across the join, and as an exact page title on English Wikipedia. Both rows are real, so the part behind a match, opening or second part, was cut, the one that freed the most names first: everyday parts such as Bally, Kil, more and beg spell a real place with nearly everything and are gone for that reason. 49 candidates were cut (35 a real place on the map; 7 a Wikipedia page title; 5 on another list of this site; 1 a real first name or surname; 1 a rude word inside or across the join), among them Cross, Kil, Cor, Drum, Dun, Termon, Bally and Lough, and in the finishing pass Cloon, Tully, Tulla, Ath, Caher and Mullin (eleven of their joins are real townlands, Athclare and Cloonmoney among them), Illan (Illaungorm is a real island) and Carrig (the same Irish word as Carrick; Carrigadrohid is a real place). No join left is on those lists, but 52 of the 266 stand one letter from a real townland, so search a name before you use it. Nobody who reads Irish has read this list. Licence: own selection; forms, meanings and examples from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Second part: all 19 second parts

B 1

bue From Irish buí: yellow, as in Boherbue.

C 3

clare From Irish clár: plateau, (of) level land, as in Belclare.
cool From Irish cúil: nook, corner, as in Cloonacool.
corry From Irish coire: corrie, as in Rockcorry.

Show all 19 second parts (15 more)

D 4

derry From Irish doire: grove, oak-grove, as in Edenderry.
donagh From Irish domhnach: church, as in Carndonagh.
dore From Irish doire: grove, oak-grove, as in Glandore.
drohid From Irish droichead: bridge, as in Carrigadrohid.

F 1

frack From Irish fraoch: heather, as in Letterfrack.

G 1

gorm From Irish gorm: blue, as in Galgorm.

I 1

inver From Irish inbhear: river mouth, estuary, as in Rossinver.

M 1

money From Irish móna: moor, turf, peatland, as in Ballymoney.

R 3

rea From Irish riabhach: brindled, speckled, as in Loughrea.
ross From Irish ros: wood, wooded promontory, as in Carrickmacross.
rush From Irish ros: wood, wooded promontory, as in Kilrush.

S 2

sally From Irish sail(each): willow(s), as in Ballysally.
skeagh From Irish sceach: (thorn) bush, hawthorn, as in Ballyskeagh.

T 1

try From Irish trá: beach, strand, as in Ventry.

V 1

veagh From Irish bheithe: (of) birch, as in Ballyveagh.

How this list was compiled: 19 elements that close real Irish place names, in their anglicized spelling. The Irish word, its meaning and the real place beside each were taken by script on 2026-10-03 from the same table of the English Wikipedia article Place names in Ireland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_names_in_Ireland, CC BY-SA 4.0). The screen of the joined names is described in the Opening row's source. 13 candidates were cut (13 a real place on the map), among them more, beg, duff, roe, boy, baun, brack, bane. Nobody who reads Irish has read this list. Licence: own selection; forms, meanings and examples from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Stands: all 30 sites

A 9

above cliffs full of nesting gulls
along a quay of fishing trawlers
among fields of rushes
among small fields walled with loose stone
around a market square with a pump
at a crossroads with a handball alley
at the far end of a tidal causeway
at the foot of a round-topped mountain
at the tip of a long peninsula

Show all 30 sites (21 more)

B 5

behind a shingle beach
below a gap in the mountains
beside a lake with a crannog
beside a towpath worn by barge horses
by an old bridge with nine low arches

I 4

in a glen below a waterfall
in a hazel wood
in a hollow of fuchsia hedges
in the middle of turf country

N 1

next to a ruined flour mill

O 6

on a drumlin above a lake
on a hill yellow with gorse
on a river stained brown by the bog
on a tidal inlet where the currachs are kept
on bare gray limestone cut by cracks
on the last headland before the ocean

W 5

where a boreen meets the main road
where a salmon river meets the tide
where the road crosses a blanket bog
where two green roads cross
within sight of a round tower

How this list was compiled: Our own list of 30 sites, written on 2026-10-03 to read after "an Irish town that stands". No line names a real place. Licence: own work

Known for: all 40 things

A 18

a ceili in the parish hall
a currach race
a duck race on the river
a festival of street theater
a fiddle session every Thursday
a football pitch on a slope
a harp school
a lighthouse open on Sundays

Show all 40 things (32 more)

A, continued

a pony fair
a regatta of rowing boats
a road bowling match
a set-dancing festival
a sky dark enough to see the Milky Way
a steam train that runs in summer
a storytelling weekend
a walking trail around the lake
a weekly cattle mart
an earthen ring fort

B 5

ballads sung in Irish
barmbrack baked every autumn
bog cotton in June
brown bread baked in a pot oven
butter churned by hand

G 1

gooseberry jam

I 3

its agricultural show
its hurling team
its lace makers

K 1

kites over the strand each spring

O 2

ogham stones
oysters from the bay

P 1

potato cakes

R 1

rhubarb tarts

S 4

seals on the rocks at low tide
seaweed gathered for the fields
soda farls hot off the griddle
sweaters knitted in cable stitch

T 1

tin whistle lessons in the hall

U 2

uilleann pipers
used bookshops

W 1

wild garlic in the woods each spring

How this list was compiled: Our own list of 40 things, written on 2026-10-03 to read after the words "known for". No line names a real place, a business or a drink. Licence: own work