What’s in a name?

In the early 1930s, a decade after the War of Independence, there was considerable debate across the country about associations which reflected Britian or the empire. These included street names, statues etc but they also included place names. In 1935 in county Longford there was much debate about the naming of the village of Edgeworthstown or Mostrim. Here the Evening Herald explains:

Longford Co. Council yesterday unanimously acceded to the request of the Edgeworthstown Town Tenants' Association to change the name of Edgeworthstown to the old Irish name of Meathas Truim (Mostrim).

The name Edgeworthstown was given to the place in honour of the Edgeworth family, who had resided there for generations and were the owners of the town property. Many members of the family were distinguished in various avocations, the best remembered, perhaps, being Maria Edgeworth, the novelist, who wrote most of her books in Edgeworthstown House, where Sir Walter Scott was a visitor. The property has now passed out of the hands of the Edgeworth family, having being purchased by an Irish-American, Mr. Noonan, a native of the district, who is at present staying there. The town tenants' dispute which obtained so much notoriety some time ago has recently been settled.

While the issue rankled on for some time, there was no real change. Today, driving into the county Longford village you will see signs for both Edgeworthstown and Mostrim, while the GAA club is called the latter.  The official signs read Edgeworthstown (Meathas Truim)

What other towns and villages changed names after Independence or there were attempts to?

For more on the debacle search the pages of the Irish Newspaper Archives (www.irishnewsarchive.com )