Ptolemy’s Irish Names

More than fifty geographical names from the island of Ireland were recorded by the Greek scholar Claudius Ptolemaius in his Geography, c. 150 AD.  Although his own map has not survived, it is known from medieval copies and from the names and co-ordinates recorded in the text of the Geography. The names recorded by Ptolemy pre-date those recorded in the earliest native Irish sources by more than four centuries but identifying the places has proved problematic. Join linguist Paul Tempan as he reviews the scholarship around Ptolemy’s Irish names and proposes some original identifications and etymologies that may assist identification.

Organised In partnership with the Classical Association in Northern Ireland