Launch Of Third Exhibition On Kilnaboy Placenames

0:00Following another summer of intensive research cross country, trekking, careful photography and long local conversation, come on for Baja Fowl, Killin' Aineb, we will launch their third exhibition of local Kilnamoi place names in Kilnamoi school hall on Friday, this coming Friday from 2pm to tell us more and join in studio by Declan Keller, a Kilnamoi Community Development Association and also from the locality Francis Wheelan, Jens, good morning to both of you. Good morning, Anna. Thanks very much for being with us. We've had you into chat about the previous two exhibitions and declines, the third phase of the Kilnamoi place names project, which would suggest it is going very, very well. Can you just remind your listeners how the project first began and what your main goal is? Well, it is, it's going extremely well. And it's based on the fact that we've come across so many people who have such an in-depth knowledge of local place names, we didn't think that there was so much information out there. And our goal, Alan, really, and this year's exhibition is forms part

1:00to shock the Narelgei Gondertler. Our goal is really to seek to conserve the place names, to start a conversation around them, to get people in, to get them thinking and talking, to bring in the Irish language heritage, which is so fundamental in the place names, to preserve and record them, and to try and get them back into common usage once again, because we think that that would be really, really important. And what Liam Jones has done, Liam talks to people like Francis Whelan here beside me, we walk across the countryside, we look at the place that the local expert shows to us, Liam photographs it, tries to look at it in its setting. We have a conversation about the place name, the stair, and oftentimes, the meaning of the place name is answered by the setting. You can see the clues very, very clearly. And that's really our modest opportunity.

2:03OK, and Francis, I mean, Declan touched on Liam Jones, there he takes the photos. How important has that visual element been in bringing these place names and landscapes to life? I'm very important, definitely, yeah. There are heritage like, and it has been passed down from generation to generation. It's in my own case, my mother was born in 1921, and she grew up in a house where her grandparents were still living with her till she was 20, uprocks them around there, and they had been born back in 1860, so the names go back like for generations. That's a real link back in the past. And now we're passing the man, that's the idea, anywhere behind it. And that's so important, like, you know, you have to, you know, the identity of fields, even from a practical point of view, you know, we were young, if you were sent for the cows, will you have to know where they were, like? That could be impossible, yeah. That could be in parkour of today, or they could be in gari quail,

3:03or they could be in gari cocoon, or perhaps re-snah-haha, you know, examples, but that's what we're trying to do to pass it on, like. I mean, I'm sure before undertaking the project, Acklin, you would have expected local knowledge to be quite good, but one of the most striking things is the level of knowledge that still exists locally. I'm sure all of you involved, must have been a little taken aback by it. In a very pleasant manner, given you're trying to find out as many different place names as possible, have you been struck by that particular aspect of it? That's been the real keystone to the success of the project, is the actual quality and the level of local knowledge. We started off with Sean Roach, and he had been inspired by his uncle Paddy, who was an Irish speaker. Last year, the project was led by Tom Keating. Tom is a mine of information, not just within his own area, but all over the townlands of Kilnaboy.

4:03This year, we had Francis and Pat Fogarty, and there are more people now knocking on the door and saying, yeah, I'm interested. I know so many more. And that's, really, that's fundamental to where we want to go with the project, because you realize yourself coming into this, you're a learner. So every time you go out, you think you know this and that, but you're bowled over by the knowledge that Francis will have, or that Tom will have, and you're just, you're learning so much. And as I said, like the real key to this, the objective to this is to pass it on, and to try and get it back into usage again. I mean, last year Tom told us, like his father, John Keating, he never referred to the commons in Kilnaboy, except by its real name, Kuchin. I must go out to the Kuchin now. And like, to get that back again, that would be like a dream come true, to get that back into usage, because there's a, these places provide a mask for us, a link back to our rich, rich past.

5:06And we're so proud and so delighted to have so many people in Kilnaboy who value that past. And, you know, that's what we're inviting everybody to come in, take a look at the exhibition and the times and dates that it's available, or come to the launch by Tony Kirby, and Tony is a great contributor to culture and place names, and folklore, etc, in Kilnaboy. Come in and join the conversation and just enjoy it. Yeah, I mean, Francis, at this stage, you've all identified over 140 field and place names in the parish. This is the third exhibition, the way the direction and traffic is going here. I suspect this will not be anywhere near the last exhibition. I'm sure that a lot of other place names and feels to to uncover and given the level of knowledge that's out there, people who know lots about them. Oh, yes, definitely. And how can they get in touch with you if they want to share information?

6:07Oh, yeah, but they can come to the exhibition, sure, and meet us there. But I'm sure we'll go out to meet the people, and you know, we'll take it farther in the future, like, yeah. We have lots of talents to do all the time, really, yeah. And have you found that since people have been going to the first few exhibitions, have you heard, I don't know, in every day conversations, or in Kilnaboy, more usage of some of these place names, it is beginning to seep into people's consciousness. Yeah, yes. Hopefully, yeah, yeah, yeah. I suppose that that is the ultimate gold, Eklan. Yeah, it is. It is. Eklan's brought props and everything. Look at this. A big board to describe what you have in your hand, Eklan. I mean, a picture of a beautiful look and field, a well manicured. I love to have a visual aid with me. This is just one that shows the sort of puzzles that you're trying to uncover. In a townline called Crosard in Kilnaboy, and there was a place there called, locally, Kyldryl. And Quil, you can obviously identify that as the wood and the aisle, the cliff is there.

7:14So we've figured out that Dryl was the idler in the middle, because you have the cliff on both sides, and you have the wood, the gap, and you have the wood. So the Kyldryl, the penny drops, and it all falls into place. This one here for Bollyford on Crosard. Is this an example of what people can see on Friday? It is, absolutely. And you see their big plates, so you can stand on front, take a look, and so on. And look at, you never get a definitively right in relation to Loganumdaka, because there's always a bit of debate. But that's part of the journey, and that's part of the excitement in relation to it as well. Well, it should be a fascinating launch. So the exhibition is going to be launched tomorrow as I said, Kylnoboy's school hall, or rather on Friday, from 2pm. And in terms of dates and times, then, for people to see it from there on indexland? Well, it'll be open on the following day. On Saturday, March the 14th, 10th to 12th, on Sunday, March the 15th, from 10 to 12th, 30th. La Lepodric, after your events in the morning,

8:15and after your sausages for the traditional breakfast, call over to us from 11 to 11 to 1. And the following Sunday, again, 22nd, that'll be open from 10 to 12th, 30. And as I said, look, this is not anything. This is for everybody. It's not for those with specialized knowledge or anything like that. It's for everybody to come in, soak it in, be part of the conversation. Enjoy it. Agasem, Matafokil Gaelgat, the big photo of the Usage freshen. Yeah, it'll certainly take a few boxes in that regard. Fair play to you and everyone else. Fair play to you both, and everyone else involved with this particular venture. It's proven to be very successful and a great, great idea to, to bring these names back into everyday usage, hopefully a decking color, and Frances Wheel and Gents. I go for Margaret. And thank you for joining me in studio this morning.