Greenan, County Antrim

Background

The word grianán is derived from Irish grian ‘sun’.  According to Joyce, its literal meaning is ‘a sunny spot’, but its normal meaning in place-names is ‘a royal seat’ (Joyce i 291-2).  Ó Maolfabhail (1974, 69) suggests that grianán in townland names was applied to elevated places commanding a good view or to places of some importance, regularly used by the public, a meaning which is a metaphorical extension of the early literary meaning of ‘upper room in a house’.  In the case of this townland, there is no evidence to suggest that it was formerly an important place.  However, there is a conspicuous hill here, known as ‘Greenan Hill’, which commands an extensive view over Lough Neagh and the surrounding countryside, and this is clearly the feature to which the name An Grianán refers.  It appears likely, therefore, that in this case the element grianán may signify simply ‘hill, place with a view’, an interpretation which is similar to that suggested for the name of the townland of Greenan in the parish of Newry, Co. Down (PNI i 28).  As remarked by Ó Maolfabhail (ibid.), the element grianán in place-names normally stands alone, without a qualifying element, indicating that the feature referred to was a unique feature of the district in which it was situated.  This criterion would apply to the hill referred to in this place-name, as it is certainly a distinctive feature of the landscape. 

References

(info. from McKay, P. (1995): Place-Names of Northern Ireland vol. 4 p. 111)

Additional Information

Historical name form

Old Form	Ref. Date	Reference
Grenan	1637	Lodge RR Chas I i 407
Half ye town of Grenan	1661	BSD 135b
Greanan 1/2 townland	1663	Lodge RR Chas II i 106
Grenan	1669	HMR Ant. 146
Half of Grenane	1684	Lodge RR Chas II ii 292
Grennanan	1780	Lendrick Map
Grenan	1785	Duff's Lough Neagh
Greening	1828	OSNB A 40
~Grianán ""sunny land, solarium""	1828	J O'D (OSNB) A 40
Greening	1829	OS Fair Plan Maps
Greenan	1832	OS Name Sheets
""grianan..a royal seat..is unquestionably its gene	1869	Joyce i 292

Barony

Toome Upper

Parish

Duneane

Parish in 1851

Duneane

Townland

None

Place name ID

5552

Place name type

T