Ireland was first mapped in 1824 and it took over 2000 people to do it at the time. Today, computers now allow maps to be produced quickly and in digital form.
OSi Child Safeguarding Statement
Primary Schools Junior
Major Towns and Cities of Ireland
Features you can find on a Map
How Many Features can you see?
Teacher Resources
In this section we have put some very basic documents to assist you as teachers in educating young children about mapping.
We would welcome any feedback or suggestions on content that may further assist you. This can be provided by selecting the contact us button in the navigation bar on the left hand side of the page.
Documents to Download:
Primary Schools Senior
Ireland is today mapped from Aerial photography and on the ground using the Global Positioning System
Place Names and how they came about
Place names are used to identify places and to help with communications. The majority of Placenames in Ireland were in the Irish language. These names were anglicised when they were first published on Ordnance Survey maps. This happened early in the 19th Centuary.
The history of place names goes back even further – to the earliest times in our history. The history of this country is reflected in our place names.
Kingdoms
Long ago the country was broken into small kingdoms. The ruling families gave their names to their kingdoms. Some names end in “righ” which means “kingdom”. An example is Ciarrigh, the kingdom of Ciar, which is now known as Kerry or Ciarraí.
Christianity
Christianity spread throughout the country. Many towns grew up around religious settlements such as churches or monasteries. Lots of placenames begin with Kill, and the Irish word for church is Cill.
Kilkieran in Galway which is officially known as Cill Chiaráin in Irish .
Other variations are: Abbeyleix in Laois which is officially known as Mainistir Laoise in Irish or Bishopstown in Cork which is officially known as Baile an Easpaig in Irish.
In later times the word “town” came at the end of the name as in Bagenalstown in Carlow. This reflected the power of these families in an area.
Sometimes the local topography inspired the name. An example is Gendalough in Co. Wicklow. This name is derived from the Irish Gleann Dá Loch, Valley of the two lakes.
The Towns, Cities and Counties of Ireland
The Highest Mountains in Ireland
| Peak | Height | Range | County | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrauntoohil | 1,038m | MacGillycuddy Reeks | Kerry | Highest |
| Beenkeragh | 1,010m | MacGillyCuddy Reeks | Kerry | |
| Caher | 1,001m | MacGillycuddy Reeks | Kerry | |
| Mount Brandon | 951m | Brandon Mountains | Kerry | |
| Lugnaquilla | 924m | Wicklow Mountains | Wicklow | Highest in Leinster |
The Longest Rivers in Ireland
| River | Length in Miles | Length in Kilometres |
|---|---|---|
| Shannon | 224 | 360.5 |
| Barrow | 119.5 | 192 |
| Suir | 114.25 | 184 |
| Blackwater | 104.5 | 168 |
Largest Lakes in Ireland
| Lake | Area in Sq Miles | Area in Sq Kilometres | Long | Wide | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lough Neagh | 147 | 381 | 18 Miles | 11 Miles | Antrim, Tyrone,Armagh & Derry |
| Lough Corrib | 68 | 176 | 27 Miles | 10 MIles | Galway |
| Lough Derg | 46 | 118 | 24 Miles | 8 Miles | Tipperary, Galway & Clare |
| Lough Erne | 43 | 112 | 18 Miles | 12 Miles | Fermanagh |
| Lough Ree | 41 | 105 | 16 | 4 | Roscommon, Longford & Westmeath |
For Teachers
In this section we have put some very basic documents to assist you as teachers in educating young children about mapping.
We would welcome any feedback or suggestions on content that may further assist you. This can be provided by selecting the contact us button in the navigation bar on the left hand side of the page.
Documents for Download: