Armaghbrague, County Armagh

Background

The first part of this name is identical to the anglicised form of county name Armagh which derives from Ard Mhacha ‘height of Macha’. According to previous proposals, this component is then qualified by the element bréag ‘lie, untruth’ which is most likely interpreted as ‘false Armagh’.

Armaghbrague is the location of St.Patrick's first church in Armagh, now the site of an 18^thcentury church & graveyard. Prior to the Christian era, Armaghbrague was the site of a pagan temple, named Ard Macha (Glancy 1956, 78). According to Glancy, St. Patrick would normally have erected a church in the vicinity of this pagan temple, but chose to build his cathedral church in Drumsaileach due to its proximity to Eamhain Macha, the 600 year seat of the kings of Ulster. Drumsaileach then became known as Ardsaileach (in accordance with the tendency of the period to prefix the name of a religious edifice with ard-). St. Patrick then apparently altered Ardsaileach to Ard Macha to secure, for his own foundation, the prestige previously attributed to the pagan temple. The name of the site of the pagan temple then became Ard Macha Breughaighe ‘the height of the false Macha’.

There is also a Dromorebrague (possibly Droim Mór Bréige ‘false Dromore’) in Co. Down.

References

Additional Information

Historical name form

Barony

Fews Upper

Parish

Lisnadill

Parish in 1851

Lisnadill

Townland

None

Place name ID

14092

Place name type

T