Well, I like that very much. I just didn't know that was how it was spelled. I will officially christen him "Dúlainn" and thank you very much Labhrás. Works even better.

Sunshine

(Is it pronounced basically like the English version?)

Judging by the Irish spelling, it should be pronounced the exact same.

You may also be interested to know that logainm.ie states that while the meaning of the term appears unclear, it may come from a compound of the word dubh (black) and lann (an obsolete word meaning land), hence, black-land/dark-place.

Well, he's wheaten with dark brindle on top so maybe that works for him! Thanks,

Sunshine

I'm curious. Do you think that the dark would have been used as a light/dark meaning or as a sinister area? Like I said, just curious.

Sunshine

Well, first, it's not by any means confirmed that this is an accurate translation for the place name.

However, it bears a resemblance to other place names in Ireland. Dublin, for example, comes from the Irish "dubh linn", meaning "black pool". This is likely meant descriptively, as in a dark body of water. I'd imagine it's similar in the case of Dúlainn, assuming that our translation as "black land" is accurate. Unfortunately, without being certain as to the accuracy of the translation, it's difficult to be sure of the intended meaning.

Nevertheless, if you're naming your dog dúlainn, you can choose to interpret it whichever way you prefer.

Thank you very much Ade. I love finding out different & unusual things about Ireland. I visited in 1990 & fell in love with the island. Everywhere we went it was different & exciting. But I remember the people we met the most. No one was a stranger & couldn't be more kind. The best part was meeting relatives I had never met before. Visiting them on their farm was the highlight of our trip. I haven't been able to get back since then but hopefully one day I'll return.

The suffix -lann is actually still very common in modern Irish. Perhaps it was once a standalone word that became obsolete, but I would not be surprised if someone coined a new word "dúlann" for use in Irish today. If such a word were created, I would expect it to mean either a darkroom (for developing photos) or an ink-factory or other location for producing ink. This is just speculation, of course! It could just as easily be intended as "a chamber for the practice of dark arts" or some other less predictable meaning.
I would point out that whether the suffix -lann or an obsolete word, the form would be -lann without any "i". The fact that there is an "i" makes these etymologies unlikely. Dúlainn is on the west coast of Ireland so I would expect that within recent history its inhabitants would have spoken Irish and would have known if their town's name included the common suffix -lann and would have spelled it accordingly. But really I am not Irish so what do I know! hahah

My personal guess is that it is not related to the word dubh but rather to the word dumha, which is a burial mound, the kind of thing that commonly inspires placenames in Ireland and is usually infested with fairies.

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Doesn't Irish speaking gays have dark rooms?



-lainn is dative case of -lann. Such dative forms are often used in Galway Irish instead of the nominative, so maybe in neighbouring County Clare. too.
And especially in placenames dative forms are often petrified (because you often use placenames with prepositions)

As soon as you say it it appears obvious. Glad you are here!!

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