An excursion to Long Melford and Lavenham followed...

Abigail Lloyd gave a comprehensive overview of watery names and island sites - a comparison of Cambridgeshire, Ely and Essex.

Finally on Saturday, Keith Briggs introduced some street-names from Bury St Edmunds, prior to a walking tour later in the evening.

Chris Lewis shared Fashions in personal names and social mobility in late Anglo-Saxon England.

Shaun Tyas gave a presentation on the name of Redburga, queen of Ecgberht (802-839).

Paul Tempan talked about borrowing from abroad in Belfast street-names. Was Commemoration, marketing or other motivation?

Then @aofionnagain.bsky.social shared 'The fields of Athlone: town park and field names outside the walls'.

After lunch, Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich entertained us with Nicknames in working-class Wexford. Is this tradition likely to continue?

Following, @Eilidh NicGilleRuaidh shared her report on Gaelic place-names in Scotland - see www.ainmean-aite.scot

Collaboration! Plurality of opinions/interpretations based on material culture and textual records. Some texts: Hassall (2013), Gerrard (2013), Rippon el al (2015), Fleming (2021); Hill (2017), Green (2012/2020), Nature 610 (2022) DNA. Can't conclude anything re languages spoken from DNA (Coates).

First up this morning is Rob Briggs: recent work in archaeology and history concerning 5th and 6th centuries in lowland Britain/implications for English place-name studies...

Now Gavin Smith speaks about Social systems analysis and English place-names: example of cultural hegemonies of Kings Æthelberht, Rædwald and Sigeberht. Hãm, -ingas (one in each hundredral centre in west/central Surrey), stede names: models suggest exonyms surviving in legal land docs.

Edward Martin, landscape historian, shares place-names in a post-royal landscape - Rendlesham after Rædwald. Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia AD 400-800 (2024), Rendlesham and the East Anglian Kingdom. Pangle (1647 will) 'fenland', walk 'sheep pasture', went 'furlong' - complicated landscapes!

Now, Thomas Clancy shares 'A county of contrast: settlement names in Ayrshire'. See ayr-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk. Cunningham, Kyle, Carrick areas. Names containing Scots 'toun' largely have surnames as specific elements. Why are ' toun' names in the Kyle area different? Are they later?

Next, Lyn Boothman introduces prominent surnames, kinship, and stability in Long Melford. Agriculture and textile manufacturing. A family history for a place. Changes due to migration, infant mortality, local industries, changes in the Poor Law.

We're in Bury St Edmund's for our annual Spring Conference. This evening a keynote talk was given by Professor Mark Bailey on the estates of the Bury St Edmund's Abbey 1250-1450. Violent uprisings, intriguing data gleaned from manorial documents, and more... research-portal.uea.ac.uk/en/persons/m...

Loch Atraí, Loch na Brocaí agus na Beanna Beola

‘In am’ ag Rialtas na hÉireann an Ghaeilge in Éirinn Aontaithe a chur ‘ar an gclár oibre’ - Foras na Gaeilge

Fair play dhuit a Phádraig, ná hinis tada dhóibh 🤐

Lán an tí ann an tseachtain seo caite nuair a labhair an Dr Pádraig Lenihan le Cumann Bhaile Átha Luain Ársa: 'Sieges without Guns: Athlone and the midlands from December 1641 to February 1642’ Full house at last week's Old Athlone Society lecture by Dr Pádraig Lenihan.

Bhí cnoic Mhám Tuirc draoíochtúil inniu.

Why 🇮🇪 is missing its military manpower targets. Conor Gallagher is writing in todays @irishtimes.com As our 🇪🇺 partners significantly increase defence expenditure and recruitment, Ireland remains a laggard on both fronts. @micheal-martin.bsky.social @simonharrisireland.bsky.social

Our latest town published was Ballyshannon/Béal Átha Seanaidh by Angela Byrne in October 2025. Below are all 32 atlases published along with those that are in progress. You can browse more here: www.ria.ie/research-pro...

Tá sé thar am go dtógfaí arm, aerfhórsa agus cabhlach a mbeadh sé de chumas acu Éire a chosaint - níor mhaith linn a bheith sáite idir Farage agus Trump/Vance/MAGA faoi cheann cúpla bliain!

In this video, I have a conversation with @carlomasala1.bsky.social about the risk of war with Russia, the future of Nato, and the challenges to European security.

V proud supervisor! Congrats DR Gaëlle Clion who had a very successful viva today @unioflimerick.bsky.social. Pictured with Gaëlle are supervisors @gordonoriain.bsky.social @aofionnagain.bsky.social & examiners Sile de Cléir & Pádraig Ó Macháin (UCC). Thanks also to chair @drtinamorin.bsky.social

The latest volume of the Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie is now available www.degruyterbrill.com/journal/key/... @degruyterbrill.bsky.social

There's a lot of positivity about Irish at the moment in public commentary, but this inspectors' report on the teaching of Irish in national schools is damning: Summary: many teachers are unable to speak the language they are 'teaching': www.gov.ie/en/departmen...

Listen back to The History Show (RTÉR1) Labhair mé faoi chúrsaí teanga & Ainmleabhair na Suirbhéireachta Ordanáis - ba bhochtaide ar fad an tuiscint a bheadh againn ar log. na hÉireann gan na foirmeacha Ga a chuir Seán Ó Donnabháin (1806-61) agus a chomhoibrithe leo. https:// tinyurl.com/2zs8s4f8

Lán an tí i láthair aréir don chéad léacht i séasúr an Fhómhair de chuid shraith bhliantúil Chumann Staire Bhaile Átha Luain

Great to see such a big crowd of all ages attend a placename-themed walk of the beautiful Low Road along Lough Ree yesterday, as part of Heritage Week. Thanks to Minister Kevin 'Boxer' Moran for attending & for support from ‪@heritagecouncil.ie‬ & @westmeathcoco

A busy weekend ahead - I'll be giving two placenames related talks as part of Heritage Week: Cúpla lá gnóthach le cur isteach agus dhá chaint ar chúrsaí logainmneacha agus staire le tabhairt agam mar chuid de Sheachtain na hOidhreachta

Turas as Baile Átha Luain, thar Charraig Uí Bhraoin, Corr na gCloch go Bun Buidhre agus Currach Buí

Na Beanna Beola as Gob an Phuint, Cladach Dhumhaigh Ithir, Trá Mhaírois - parthas talmhaí inniu

Post buan ar fáil in Ollscoil Luimnigh - Ollamh Cúnta le Gaeilge (An Nua-Ghaeilge Mhoch go dtí an t-am i láthair)

The annual Irish Historic Towns Atlas (IHTA) seminar was back in the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) this week to a full house and convened with the Irish Walled Towns Network an initiative of @heritagecouncil.ie Read more here: www.ria.ie/2025/05/29/2...

I find some of the language in this article in 'Irish Educational Studies' very partial: 'students are subjected to learning Irish' etc. The repeated assertion of a strong connection between the Irish language and political outlook is also very odd: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... (1/3)

B'iontach an rud é deis a bheith agam caint a thabhairt ar ainmneacha coraí ar an tSionainn ag @ria.ie an tseachtain seo mar chuid den seimineár 'Water, Towns and Topography' de chuid #IHTA agus ‪@heritagecouncil.ie

Government report concludes Galway Ring Road will not solve city’s traffic problems connachttribune.ie/government-r...

Tha an leabhar A’ Ghàidhlig air Aghaidh na Tìre – Ainmean-àite ann an Iar-thuath na Gàidhealtachd air ais sa bhùth againn! ~ The book Gaelic in the Landscape – Place names in North West Scotland is back in our shop! 🤓 📖 buff.ly/ItlVHzL #AinmÀite #Gàidhlig #Cleachdi #Placenames #Gaelic

Beidh Scéal, forlíonadh nua Gaeilge, á fhoilsiú againn gach Máirt as seo amach. Welcome to Scéal, our weekly Irish language supplement.

Hot off the presses! I’m Delighted to have had the chance to discuss the use of #Gaeilge in #EarlyModern #Irish #towns and #parliaments. Míle buíochas @brendankanect.bsky.social for starting me on this path.

Happy to see my book in print! IGT V is the oldest surviving metrical tract of the Early Modern Irish period (13th/14th cent.), used to train students in poetry, language, and style. irishtextssociety.org/publications... Áthas orm go bhfuil IGT V i gcló!

And finally, before our afternoon excursions, Peter McNiven shares 'Place-Names of the Stirling area and Mentieth'. Carseland (flatland), Dumyat hill, Doune (dun), Dunblane (dol or dail, not dun, water-meadow). Cumbric, Gaelic, Scots boundary with Pictish, Gaelic, Scots en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumyat

Finally before coffee, Thomas Clancy of @uofglasgow.bsky.social speaks about 'Dark Waters and Bright: Place-Names of the Coalfield Communities'. The project will feed into Scottish place-name volumes ayr-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk

Next, Justin Ó Gliasain from Irish Place-Names Branch shares "Scottish Influence on Place-names in Inishowen and Raphoe, Co Donegal'. Language interactions - plenty to research further. Burns, mosses and more. Calfpickle - poss predicament? www.logainm.ie/en/