“In anglicising Irish names, the leading general rule is, that the present forms are derived from the ancient Irish, as they were spoken not as they were written.” In Irish Local Names Explained, Joyce explains the process by which present-day Irish place names evolved, as the Irish language names were changed into their phonetic equivalent by English speaking map-makers. He includes a long list of placenames, with their original meanings and notes. Patrick Weston Joyce (1827 – 1914) was an Irish historian, writer and music collector, known particularly for his research in Irish etymology and local place names of Ireland. His wide interests included the Irish language, Hiberno-English, music, education, Irish literature and folklore, Irish history and antiquities, place-names and much else. He was born in Ballyorgan in the Ballyhoura Mountains, on the borders of Limerick and Cork, and started his education at a hedge school. A native Irish speaker, he became a teacher and principal of the Model School, Clonmel and produced many works on the history and culture of Ireland. Published by Fred Hanna, Dublin in 1968. Good condition. Binding is intact, but cover is not clean.