Tá borradh mór tagtha faoin spéis sa Ghaeilge in Éirinn le blianta beaga anuas. Tá níos mó daoine á foghlaim ná riamh, tá fás ag teacht ar na meáin Ghaeilge, agus tá daoine óga ag úsáid na Gaeilge níos minice ar líne agus sa ghnáthshaol.
Ceann de na hiarrachtaí is nuaí a bhaineann leis an athbheochan seo ná Ath-Ghaelú, feachtas a sheol Conradh na Gaeilge le déanaí a spreagann daoine chun na leaganacha Gaeilge de logainmneacha a úsáid in áit na leaganacha Béarla a tháinig chun cinn thar na blianta.
Tá an feachtas seo is déanaí de chuid an eagrais tar éis dul i bhfeidhm go mór ar an bpobal. Is é príomhaidhm an fheachtais ná logainmneacha, lena n-áirítear bailte, cathracha, contaetha agus áiteanna éagsúla ar fud na tíre a chur ar ais i ngnáthúsáid an phobail athuair. In áit ‘Dublin’ mar shampla, tá daoine á spreagadh chun ‘Baile Átha Cliath’ a úsáid agus mar an gcéanna le ‘Cork’ a athrú go ‘Corcaigh’ agus ‘Belfast’ mar ‘Béal Feirste’ srl.
Tá bríonna doimhne ag logainmneacha na hÉireann sa Ghaeilge, agus is minic a chailltear na bríonna sin sa Bhéarla. Déanann na hainmneacha cur síos ar ghnéithe tírdhreacha, ar stair áitiúil nó ar sheantraidisiúin a bhaineann leis an gceantar. Mar shampla, tagraíonn “Baile Átha Cliath” do bhaile in aice le háth a deineadh le cliatha, agus ciallaíonn “Corcaigh” áit riascach.
Le himeacht ama, deineadh Galldú ar go leor ainmneacha Gaeilge chun iad a dhéanamh níos éasca do chainteoirí Béarla, agus sa chuid is mó de na cásanna cailleadh an bhrí bhunaidh ar fad. Níl sna leaganacha Béarla, i ndáiríre, ach brilléis gan chiall.
Ba é an tSuirbhéireacht Ordanáis na hÉireann an chúis ba mhó leis an bpróiseas seo. Sna 1820idí agus go háirithe sna 1830idí, dhein an foras seo tionscadal mór mapála ar fud na hÉireann. Ceann de na gnéithe ba thábhachtaí agus ba chonspóidí den obair ná logainmneacha Gaeilge a chaighdeánú i bhfoirmeacha a bheadh oiriúnach do mhapaí oifigiúla Béarla. Deineadh iarracht fuaimeanna Gaeilge a chur in oiriúint don Bhéarla. Deineadh amhlaidh le hainmneacha na n-aibhneacha agus na sléibhte.
I ndiaidh na hoibre seo ní raibh ann do na hainmneacha ársa seo go hoifigiúil a thuilleadh. Le meath na Gaeilge, a tharla go forleathan i ndiaidh thréimhse tubaisteach an Ghorta Mhóir, d’imigh na hainmneacha ársa ó chaint na ndaoine chomh maith.
In ainneoin go bhfuil na Sasanaigh imithe ón gcuid theas den tír le breis is 100 bliain anois, tá sé suntasach nár deineadh aon iarracht an scéal a chur ina cheart ó shin i leith, seachas an corr-áit anseo is ansiúd, ar nós Dhún Laoghaire i mBaile Atha Cliath agus Cóbh i gCorcaigh. Ach leis an togra seo, tá deis againn an scéal a leigheas ar deireadh.
Léiríonn Ath-Ghaelú treocht níos leithne ar fud an domhain. I go leor tíortha, tá pobail dhúchasacha ag tabhairt ainmneacha traidisiúnta ar ais mar chuid d’iarrachtaí teangacha agus cultúir dhúchasacha a athbheochan. Tá gluaiseachtaí chomhchosúla le feiceáil sa Bhreatain Bheag, in Albain, i gCeanada agus sa Nua-Shéalainn, áit a bhfuil na teangacha dúchasacha ag fáil níos mó feiceálachta arís sa saol poiblí.
Dúirt Uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin;
“Níor aistríodh ár logainmneacha – athraíodh iad trí phróiseas coilíneach a scar daoine ó bhrí a dtírdhreacha féin. Is é atá i gceist le hAthGhaelú ná na hainmneacha sin a thabhairt ar ais in úsáid laethúil agus iad a aithint mar chuid bheo dár bhféiniúlacht. Féachann muid pobail eile, sa Bhreatain Bheag mar shampla, ag glacadh céimeanna lena logainmneacha dúchasacha a fhréamhú sa ghnáthshaol chomhaimseartha agus ní mór dúinn amhlaidh a dhéanamh anseo.
Trí logainmneacha Gaeilge a úsáid inár saol laethúil, táimid ag athcheangal leis an teanga, leis an tírdhreach, agus leis na scéalta a mhúnlaíonn muid ar fad.”
Chun tuilleadh eolais a fháil faoi do logainm féin, tabhair cuairt ar logainm.ie nó PlacenamesNI.org. Chun Gealltanas Logainmneacha a shíniú nó chun páirt a ghlacadh san fheachtas, tabhair cuairt ar cnag.ie/athghaelu nó déan teagmháil le athghaelu@cnag.ie.
National campaign calls on the public to use Irish placenames in everyday life
A new campaign, AthGhaelú, was launched last night at the Third-Level Student Irish Language Awards, marking a major step towards reclaiming and restoring the use of Irish place names across the country.
AthGhaelú aims to encourage individuals, businesses, and organisations to use Irish place names instead of English ones in all aspects of life – from sending post, to interacting with public bodies, to everyday conversations. At the heart of the campaign is a simple but powerful call to action: use the original Irish names of the places where we live.
As part of the initiative, the public is invited to sign up to the Placenames Pledge, committing to using Irish placenames in their daily lives.
Ireland’s placenames are among the oldest in Europe, and it is estimated that 95% of them originate from Irish. Rich in meaning, they reflect landscape, history, and stories – meanings that are often lost in English. While names like Béal Feirste or Cill Airne tell us about the land and its history, their English versions tend to obscure this.
AthGhaelú aims to bring those meanings back into everyday use and to make the Irish language more visible, relevant, and widespread in modern Ireland. The campaign also connects with a growing global movement to restore indigenous placenames and challenge the legacy of colonial naming practices.
Speaking about the campaign, Aodhán Ó Deá, Director of Development and Deputy General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge, said:
“More than 100 years after independence was achieved in the south of this island, isn’t it shameful that we are still widely using colonial, gibberish placenames? It is well past time for us to take inspiration from other countries that are decolonising their placenames, such as India reclaiming names like Bombay → Mumbai and Calcutta → Kolkata. With that in mind, we are extremely proud to launch AthGhaelú. This campaign is about more than just using Irish – it’s about identity, ownership, and reconnecting with the meaning of the places around us. Using Irish placenames is something everyone can do, and it’s a powerful way to keep our heritage alive.”
The President of Conradh na Gaeilge, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, said:
“Our placenames were not translated – they were changed through a colonial process that separated people from the meaning of their own landscape. AthGhaelú is about bringing those names back into everyday use and recognising them as a living part of our identity. We have witnessed other minortised language communities, in Wales and other places, taking measures to give prominence to their native placenames and we should do the same. By using Irish placenames in our daily lives, we reconnect with the language, the landscape, and the stories that shape us all.”
The campaign builds on ongoing efforts across the island to promote the use of Irish place names, from Gaeltacht areas to community campaigns advocating for bilingual signage in the North.