MacGIVNEY, Rev. Joseph. Place-Names of the County Longford. Collected from various sources. Correctly spelled in Irish and fully explained in English.

With notes and illustrations. Dublin: Duffy, 1908. First edition. Crown octavo. pp. xxvii, 224. Green pictorial cloth. Title printed in red. Some margins cut along foredge (not affecting text). Very good. Rare.
Rev. Joseph McGivney (1863-1958) was born in the townland of Cornee, near Mohill in County Leitrim. He entered the priesthood in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise and developed a keen interest in local history and the Irish language early in his career. The research into the place-names of Longford was grounded in a methodical approach that combined documentary evidence with oral tradition. Rev. McGivney drew on a wide array of sources, including early maps, ecclesiastical records, and local lore gathered from native Irish speakers, many of whom retained knowledge of the older Irish names and their meanings. His fluency in Irish enabled him to interpret these names with linguistic precision, often tracing their roots to early Gaelic and pre-Gaelic origins. The work reflects not only a linguistic analysis but also deep cultural and historical insight into the evolution of the landscape and settlement patterns of County Longford.

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