I'm working on my family tree and investigating the Morleys from Kilgarvan. I reckon that Morley is an anglicisation of Mórdha and for some reason they didn't want the Moore surname.
My maternal grandmother was a Morley from Morley's Bridge, Kilgarvan, Co. Kerry. I came across an article in
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4742080/4733575 about how the bridge name came about. I transcribed the text and had a pop at translating it, using my imperfect memory of school Irish and Google Translate. Can anybody have a look and see if it makes sense. Transcription and my translation attempt follows.
TranscriptionDroicead Uí Mórdha
Bhí trúir driothár ann agus cúadar síos amach ag lorg oibre. Ní raibh focal béurla aca. Béurla ar fad a bhí ag na daoinibh síos amach. Síos amach a tugadh muinntir na háite seo ar lár na h-Éirea?
Do bheannuigheadh muinntir na háite síos amach “Morrow” dá chéile. Déin duine d’es na driotháraca aithris ortha. Móra a derieadh sé. Tháinig sé abhaile agus tugadh Mórdha mar leas ainm air. I gceann tamaill tugadh muintir Uí Mhórdha ar na daoine sin. Ó am sin I leith tá Droichead Uí Mhórdha mar ainm ar an áit.
Deir daoine eile núair a bhí an droichead dá dhéanamh is íad muinntier Uí Mórdha go léir a bhí ag obair ann agus is é an cúis a tugtar Droichead Uí Mórdha ar an ceanntair mór tímcheall
Séamus Ó Cróinín
Droichead Uí Mórdha
Cill Garabháin
Fúaireas é ó-
Seán Ó Chuill
Gort Lúachra
Cill Garabháin
TranslationMorley’s Bridge
There were three brothers and they went out looking for work. They didn’t have a word of English. English was completely spoken by the people in the country. The people in these places had abandoned Irish.
The local people used to greet each other with ‘Morrow’. The people of the bridge builders(?) greeted them. ‘Móra’, he said. He came home and took Mórdha as a nickname. In time, these people were called ‘Uí Mhórdha’. Since then, the locality is called ‘Morley’s Bridge.
Other people say that, when the bridge was being built, all the people working on it were Uí Mhórdha and that’s why Droichead Uí Mhórdha is the name of the locality
Thanks
Peter