Click here to access the Iona Place-Name map
About this resource
This resource allows you to search The Place-Names of Iona database. This has been compiled for the project ‘Iona’s Namescape: Place-Names and their dynamics in Iona and its environs’, based at the University of Glasgow, and funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council. THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS and the database is in the process of being refined, augmented and corrected. We welcome feedback on it: comments should be addressed to arts-iona@glasgow.ac.uk.
What it contains
The intention is for this resource to contain all or most of the place-names of the island of Iona, historically in the parish of Kilfinichen and Kilvickeon along with the Ross of Mull, but once a separate parish. These names have been primarily compiled from three main map sources: the Ordnance Survey maps, especially the 6 inch 1st edition of 1881 (and the Ordnance Survey Name Books of 1878 on which it was based); the map and name-list published in 1857 by William Reeves in his edition of the Life of Columba by Adomnán; and the map devised by Alec and Euphemia Ritchie for their publication Iona Past & Present (1928 and later dates), along with the appendix place-name list by D. Munro Fraser. These are supplemented by a large number of historical and antiquarian texts about Iona. We have also compiled names from oral tradition, including recordings in the School of Scottish Studies in Edinburgh, many of which are hosted on Tobar an Dualchais. What is does not currently contain, at least not comprehensively, are all of the house-names on the island, many of which are quite recent.
The head-names
The main form of reference for each place-name is the head-name. In Iona, most names are Gaelic in origin, and we have tried for the most part to provide head-names which conform with current standard Gaelic spelling and grammar rules. To this end, we have often lightly amended forms you may have seen on previous maps, for instance to supply accents, e.g. Dùn Ì rather than Dun I. However, where local forms are well attested and have seemed to us potentially to reflect local or dialectal forms, we have retained the dominant local form as the head-name, while discussing any apparent variations from Gaelic norms in the analysis. An example of this would be Tràigh Bàn (nam Manach), where usual Gaelic usage, and some historical records, would suggest Tràigh Bhàn, but where the former is very entrenched locally and may represent a dialect form. It has not always been easy to balance the different needs of reflecting names on the ground, and of providing head-names for use in current Gaelic.
Analysis
We have attempted to provide all names with some form of analysis: what language the name is (or seems to be); what elements it is made up of; what each of these means; and what the overall name probably meant when coined. We have opted for lower case letters for the translations of Gaelic names, to indicate that we do not see them as alternative names (for instance, Port a’ Mhuilinn, translation ‘port of the mill’). Some of the names have English language historical forms mixed in with others. There are, however, some very well-established English names which live alongside Gaelic ones, and these we have usually treated as, essentially, separate names with separate head-names. An example is Port nam Mairtir and Martyr’s Bay.
The analysis will also contain various other discussions on interesting points relating to both name and place.
Searching the database
The map
The main way of looking for names is by using the interactive map, through which all place-names in the database are visible by default. When you press on a place-name marker you will be presented with a record stub with basic information about the place and the name; if you press on the ‘view full record’ button all of the information relating to the place-name will be revealed in a larger pop-up.
You can use the Display options menu to change the appearance of the map and its data. Place-name markers are categorised by classification code by default, but you can change this to classify the data by date of first reference, altitude or by the languages found in a place-name’s elements.
You can also change the base map that the resource uses from the default satellite view to a variety of other maps, including historical and modern Ordnance Survey maps. In addition, you can select whether place-name marker labels are visible only when you hover-over them (the default) or whether they are always visible. Be aware that selecting the latter can make the map difficult to use when a lot of data is displayed on it.
Browse
Press on this menu item to access a variety of browse facilities. By default, the browse enables you to limit the place-names displayed on the map to those with current names beginning with a particular letter, and a count of the number of place-names for each letter is also displayed. Press on a letter to apply the limit to the map’s data. Using the drop-down list of options you may select an alternative browse method, such as earliest recorded date, source, or classification code.
Search
Press on this menu to access the search facilities. The Quick search allows you to search current place-names, historical forms and place-name elements for a string of letters. An asterisk wildcard can be used to find place-names/elements beginning with the string (e.g. poll*) or ending with the string (e.g. *ain). An underscore can be used to match any character (e.g. d_bh will find place-names containing dubh and dabh). Double quotation marks can be used to find an exact search (e.g. “port”). The search function is not accent sensitive, so for example, a search for Sithean Mor will yield results for Sìthean Mòr.
The Advanced search allows you to specify a range of parameters, which can be used in combination and through which the same wildcards as the quick search can be used. Further help relating to specific fields in the advanced search can be found in the tooltips on the advanced search form.
Element glossary
Press on this menu to access a glossary containing all place-name elements that appear in the data. By default, all elements are listed, but you can limit this to a specific language using the drop-down list. In the displayed elements, press on an element’s name to perform a search for it.
Further options
At the bottom of the left-hand menu are three further options. Cite allows you to cite your specific view of the map and any selected data. A variety of citation styles are offered any you may also copy, bookmark or share the URL to access the exact view of the map and its data at a later date.
Table view presents all of the place-name data that currently appears on the map in tabular format. You may reorder the table by any of the column headings.
Pressing on the Download CSV button downloads the place-name data that currently appears on the map as a CSV file that can be opened in Excel. Please be aware that due to a limitation with Excel, opening the file directly will result in display issues with accented characters. To avoid this issue, open a blank Excel spreadsheet, then in the ‘Data’ tab choose to ‘Get data’ from a Text/CSV file. Then navigate to the downloaded file and select it. Excel will display a preview. Ensure the ‘File Origin’ has ‘65001: Unicode (UTF-8)’ selected then press ‘Load’.