How to use the website

Register

You can register here. It is necessary to register if you wish to contribute placenames to the database.

Users were previously able to input records anonymously, without registering. However, following a review of the project by the Meitheal Logainm.ie team it was decided that all records should be associated with a person. This helps ensure the reliability of the information collected by the Meitheal and enables the wider public to make better use of the data available. Placenames previously input anonymously have, however, been retained.

Inputting a record

Click on the button 'Add a placename'. Then move the place to the middle of the circle on the interactive map and click on the button 'Done'. You will then be asked to fill in the following details:

Placename in Irish
Pronunciation in Irish
Placename in English
Pronunciation in English
Any other information
Placename type
Source of this information

The following are some guidelines for entering the above-mentioned details:

Entering a Placename – Enter the version of the placename which you have collected, or which is in local use, into the relevant box, i.e. 'Placename in Irish' or 'Placename in English'. It is not necessary to fill both of these fields unless there is both an English and an Irish version of the name in local use or evidence as to the existence of such. You should not try to translate a placename from English to Irish or vice versa. Placenames which are of Irish origin but which are anglicised, e.g. Knocknagappul, Kilmore, Knockboy, Curraghmore, should be entered in the box labelled 'Placename in English'. The initial letter of placenames should be capitalised, along with any other nouns or adjectives which form part of the placename, e.g. Black Field, Limerick Junction, Maddenstown Demesne. Prepositions should not be capitalised, however, e.g. 'on' in the placename 'Newmarket on Fergus'. If the article comes before the placename it should be capitalised, e.g. The Avenue. However, if the article comes between two elements in a placename, it should not be capitalised, e.g. Kill of the Grange.

Pronunciation – Click the microphone icon to record audio. You will be asked to give Meitheal Logainm.ie permission to use your device's microphone. It is necessary to grant this permission in order to make an audio recording. The device is recording when the microphone icon turns red. You will have four seconds to speak the placename aloud. The recording length is limited so as to prevent long silences at the beginning or end of the recordings. When recording has completed, the audio file will be processed and you will have an opportunity to replay the recording should you wish. If you are satisfied with the recording you may proceed and fill in the remaining fields. If you are dissatisfied with the recording you may click on the 'X' icon to delete the recorded audio. You may then make a new recording should you wish. You should only record a pronunciation if you are familiar with how the placename is spoken in the local area. Not all web browsers are enabled to create audio recordings; it is recommended that you read the additional advice as regards recording audio, available here.

Any other information – Here you can enter any other information you may have about the minor placename, for example, phonetic spelling, historical evidence, topographical evidence, folklore relating to the name, or any other material which may be relevant. It would also be of use if you could supply a sample of the grammatical context (syntax) of the placename. For example Gortmore, ‘I saw her in the Gortmore’ in English or '(An) Gort Mór', 'muintir an Ghoirt Mhóir/Muintir Ghort Mór', 'sa Ghort Mór/i nGort Mór' in Irish.

Placename type – You will be given a list of minor placename types to choose from. If the correct type for the minor placename you are entering is not on the list, you should choose ‘other’, and write the correct placename type into the text box under 'If other type, please explain'.

Source of this information – Choose ‘local knowledge’ or ‘other’ from the list. If you choose ‘other’, indicate the relevant source in the text box under 'If other source, please explain'.

You must fill in at least one of the three fields 'Placename in Irish', 'Placename in English' or 'Any other information'.

Placename type and Source are compulsory.

When you have entered all of the relevant information, click 'Save'.

Change a record

All users can change or delete the records they input themselves. To do this, click on the map pin, or on the name itself in the list on the left hand side of the screen, and then click 'edit' or 'delete'. It is not permitted to change other users' records, but users can add a new record to a place by clicking on 'Add more information »' or can question a record by clicking on 'Report a problem: logainm@dcu.ie'. The editors reserve the right to remove or change any material on the site.

Collections

Batches of geocoded records will be accepted from organisations such as historical and placename societies as well as individual researchers. Records like these will be inputted through the ‘back door’ (as opposed to through the public website) and they will be available as a collection. A microsite (see the ‘Meath Field Names Project’ collection for example) will be created for each collection and it will have its own URL and the following facilities:

Search box
Title of the collection
Description of the collection and a link to the collection’s external site, if such a site exists.

Copyright

If you, as an individual user, input a record in Meitheal Logainm.ie, you accept that your work will be made available under the license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and that a link to Meitheal Logainm.ie is sufficient as attribution.

Organisations can choose how they want their data to be licensed. A list of options will be provided.

Browsing

Users can browse the database in its entirety or can focus on a specific collection. There is a list of the collections on the home page.

There are pins on the map itself to the places which already have a record in the database. You can click on these to see the information. It is also possible to browse through the most recent records on the site by clicking on 'Recent additions'. Those records will be shown in list form on the left hand side of the screen as well as in the form of pins on the interactive map.

Search

When you carry out a search, the results will be displayed as a list and as pins on the map. If you are looking at the microsite of a specific collection or user, the search results will be confined to that collection or to the work of that user.