Bangor, County Down

Background

17km NE of Belfast

bar: Ards Lower

 

A number of Irish-language sources offer origin legends and meanings for the name Bennchor, later Beannchar.  The Old Irish text Táin Bó Fraích (TBF 15-16) contains an explanation for Trácht Bennchoir “Bangor strand”.  The Connaught warrior Fróech and the Ulster warrior Conall Cernach were returning to Ireland from the Alps with Fróech's cattle when Conall's servant, Bicne mac Láegaire, died at the place which then came to be known as Inber mBicne, today Bangor Bay.  When they came to shore, the cattle shed their horns, thus giving rise to the name Trácht mBennchoir, “the strand of the horn-casting”.  Here Bennchor is taken to derive from benn “horn” + cor “casting”.  There are similar stories which account for the name in the Metrical Dindsenchas and in the Martyrology of Oengus (Fél. Óeng.). 

By and large, more recent scholars have not been convinced by these explanations.  There is a consensus that the name contains the word beann which can mean ‘horn’, ‘point’ or ‘peak’ but its exact significance in this place-name is uncertain.  Nor is the exact structure of the name clear.  P.W. Joyce suggested that Beannchar contains the word beann “horn” which “signifies horns, or pointed hills or rocks, and sometimes simply peaked hill” (Joyce i 385).  Joyce seems to be suggesting a compound beannach + ar, where the first element consists of beann + adjectival suffix -ach, followed by the suffix -ar.  Joyce also mentions Banagher in Co. Offaly, which he claims was named from the sharp rocks in the adjacent River Shannon.  It is also possible that Bangor, Co. Down, was named from sharp rocks around the shore.  However, most recent attempts to explain the name have taken it to refer to the monastery of Bangor founded by St. Comgall in AD 555 or 559.  Its site is marked by the present Church of Ireland church (the Abbey Church) at the head of the town, in the modern townland of Corporation.

There are a number of townlands in various parts of Ireland which have been anglicized Banagher and derive from an original Beannchar.  It seems strange, however, that Beannchar in North Down should be anglicized as Bangor.  Perhaps it was influenced by the name Bangor which is commonly used as the name of ecclesiastical sites in Wales.  The two names may share some common attributes.  Bedwyr Lewis Jones draws some interesting parallels between the name Bangor in Wales, and Bangor in Co. Down (Ainm 5: 59-65).  Alfred Neobard Palmer has suggested that Bangor in Wales normally meant “high choir” (Palmer 1990), however, he also states (ibid.) that bangor is found in the Welsh laws meaning “wattling”.  Ifor Williams derives Welsh Bangor from ban “a band used to strengthen something” + côr “a plaiting” (Williams 1990).  Melville Richards takes Welsh Bangor to mean “a cross-bar in a wattled fence”, which referred to either the wattled construction of the monastic cell, or to a fence surrounding it (Richards 1970).  This suggests another possible derivation for Irish Beannchar.  One meaning for the first element benn is “prong” (DIL s.v.); the second element could be cor “act of putting, placing; setting up”.  If this etymology is accepted, it could be argued that beannchar refers to a type of fence constructed with prongs surrounding the monastic site, and that it subsequently came to mean the area within the enclosure.   

References

Hannan R. J. (1992): Place-Names of Northern Ireland vol. 2 p. 141-50; McKay P. (1999): A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names 19-20.

Additional Information

T., 1851 Census

Historical name form

Old Form	Ref. Date	Reference
Beannchair, natiuitas Comgaill	0516	AU (Mac Airt) 62
Bendchair, eaccluis	0552	AFM i 188
Bennchuir, eclesia	0555	AU (Mac Airt) 78
Bendchair, iascaire Comhgaill	0559	AFM i 202
Benncair, eclesia	0559	AU (Mac Airt) 80
Bendchair Uladh, abb	0600	AFM i 224
Bendchair, S. Comhgall	0600	AFM i 224
Bennchair, Quies Comghaill	0602	AU (Mac Airt) 100
Bennchoir, abbatis	0610	AU (Mac Airt) 104
Bennchair Uladh, ecclas	0611	AFM i 236 et passim
Benncoir, abbas	0613	AU (Mac Airt) 106
Benncoir, combustio	0616	AU (Mac Airt) 108
mBendchair Uladh, hi	0666	AFM i 278
Benncuir, abbas	0728	AU (Mac Airt) 180
mBennchoir, for altóir	0739	AFM i 340
Bennchuir, abb	0742	AFM i 342
Bendchuir, abb	0800	AFM i 410
Bendchor	0800c	Triads of Ireland 2
Bendchuir, abbdaine	0800c	Triads of Ireland 4
Bennchur, oc	0800c	TBF 16
Trácht mBennchoir	0800c	TBF 16
o Bennchor	0824	AU (Mac Airt) 280 et passim
Bendchair, ab[bas]	0830c	Mart. Tal. Jun 12 p49 et passim
Bennchair, ab[bas]	0830c	Mart. Tal. Feb 28 p19
Bennchair, ab[bas]	0830c	Mart. Tal. Apr 8 p31
Bennchoir, hi féil Silláin	0830c	Fél. Óeng. Feb 28 p63
Bennchuir, Cenn-faelad ab	0830c	Fél. Óeng. Apr 8 p105
Bennchuir, Comgall buadach	0830c	Fél. Óeng. May 10 p123
Bennchuir, comarbai búain	0830c	Fél. Óeng. Dec 15 p251
a mBennchar	1065	AU (Mac Airt) 502
Bennchair, co amsir Comgaill	1100c	LU 3093
Bendchur, Mobae ó	1125c	CSH 707.803 151
Bennchair, Comgall	1125c	CSH 16, 97
Bennchoir, Comgall	1125c	CSH 712.11 161
Bennchuir, Mochoemoc	1125c	CSH 707.740 150
Bangowre	1306c	Eccles. Tax. 12
Beandehar	1429	Annates Ulst. 295
Bennchoir, abb	1453	Fél. Óeng. Feb 28 p63 et passim
Bennchor	1453	Fél. Óeng. Mar 30 p102n
Bangor, Mon. de	1454	Annates Ulst. 117 app
Beannchor	1470	Annates Ulst. 110
Bengor	1500	Annates Ulst. 113
Bangor	1510	Annates Ulst. 114
Bangar	1567	Goghe's Map
Bangar	1570c	Nowel's Ire. (1)
Bangor Ca[...]	1570c	Early Chart B'fast Lough
Bang[a?r]	1573	Ortelius Map
Banger Abbay	1580c	SE Ulster Map
Bangar	1585	Fiants Eliz. $4788
Bangor	1590	Dartmouth Map 5
Bangan	1591	Hondius Map
Bangor ab	1595	Mercator's Ire.
Bangor abb	1595	Mercator's Ulst.
Bangor abb	1595	Mercator's Ulst.
Banchorie	1598	CSP Ire. 676
Bancor	1603	Bartlett Maps (Esch. Co. Maps) 1
Bangor al Banger	1603	Ex. Inq. (Dn) 2 Jac. I
Bangor	1605	Inq. Ult. (Down) $2 Jac. I
Bangor al val Angloru	1605	Inq. Ult. (Down) $2 Jac. I
Bangor otherwise Banger	1605	CPR Jas I 72b
Mc Banger	1610	Speed's Ulster
Mc Banger	1610	Speed's Antrim & Down
Bancher monasterium	1610	Mercator's/Hole's Ire.
M. Banger	1610	Speed's Ireland
Bancor	1610c	Norden's Map
Bangor	1615	Terrier (Reeves) 49
Bangor	1615	Terrier (O'Laverty) 326
Bangor	1620	Ham. Patent [1620] xx
Bangor	1622	Ulster Visit. Reeves 47
Bangor	1625c	Raven Map Clandeboye 11
Bangor	1627	CPR Chas I 225
Bangor	1630	Ham. Patent [1630] x
Beannchair	1630c	Céitinn iii 138
Beannchuir, Cuimmein, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. Sep 17 p250
Beannchuir, Reghuil	1630c	Mart. Don. Jun 11 p166
Bendchai, Saran, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. Aug 1 p208
Bendchair, Cas	1630c	Mart. Don. April 26 p110
Bennchair Uladh, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. Feb 28 p58
Bennchair, Cronán, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. Nov 6 p298
Bennchair, Daniel, epscop	1630c	Mart. Don. Sep 11 p244
Bennchair, Ruiffine, epscop, Glinne da loch acus	1630c	Mart. Don. April 22 p108
Bennchair, Seighin, mac Ui Chuinn, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. Sep 10 p242
Bennchair, Torannan, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. June 12 p166
Bennchair, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. Apr 8 p98 et passim
Bennchair, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. April 21 p106
Bennchair, an tan do fagaibh Mochua	1630c	Mart. Don. June 24 p178
Bennchair, in abdaine	1630c	Mart. Don. Nov 25 p316
Bennchuir, Beoghna abb iar cComhgall	1630c	Mart. Don. Aug 22 p226
Bennchuir, Colum abb	1630c	Mart. Don. Oct 3 p264
Bennchuir, Fland, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. Dec 15 p336
Bennchuir, Mac laisre, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. May 16 p130
Bennchuir, abb	1630c	Mart. Don. May 10 p122 et passim
Bennchuir, ceallóir Comhgaill	1630c	Mart. Don. Sep 16 p250
Magh Beannchair	1630c	Céitinn iii 138
Beannchair	1633c	Céitinn iii 138
Magh Beannchair	1633c	Céitinn iii 138
Beanchor	1645c	MacCana's Itinerary 55
Benchor	1645c	MacCana's Itinerary 55
Bangor	1657	Inq. Down (Reeves1) 137
Bangor Corporacion	1659c	Census 1659 93
Bangor	1661	Trien. Visit. (Bramhall) 13
Bangor	1661	Trien. Visit. (Bramhall) 13
Bangor	1664	Trien. Visit. (Margetson) 22
Bangor	1679	Trien. Visit. (Boyle) 44
Beannchuir, eó	1680c	LCABuidhe 260 l.73
Bheannchuir, ó bhaidhbh	1680c	LCABuidhe 107 l.171
mBeannchuir, fa iath mbraonsholus	1680c	LCABuidhe 106 l.132
Bangor	1693	Collins B'fast Lough
Bangor	1743	Maxwell Rent Roll fol. 2
Beanchor	1744	O'Neill Fun. Oration 267
Bangor	1810	Wm. Map (OSNB) No. 54
Bangor	1830c	Bnd. Sur. (OSNB) No. 54
Beannchair "little peaks, cows horns"	1834c	J O'D (OSNB) No. 54
Beannchar Árd Uladh	1905	Post-Sheanchas 33
Beannchar	1969	AGBP 114
Beannchar	1988	Éire Thuaidh
Beannchar	1989	GÉ 118
Beannchar "exact meaning uncertain"	1999	Dict. Ulst. PN 19

Barony

Ards Lower

Parish

Bangor

Parish in 1851

Bangor

Townland

None

Place name ID

17106

Place name type

M:V:Y