#163 | An Ace Up Your Sliabh: Recurring Styles in Placenames Pt. 3

Could the word slíbhín – a sly, sneaky so-and-so – possibly come from the word sliabh, meaning a mountain? Are mountain folk really that cunning, or do the people from counties with many a sliabh (counties where more Irish was historically spoken) just happen to have more fire in the belly when they move to the lowlands in search of work?

In the third of our series on the recurring Irish words in placenames, Darach and Peadar discuss sliabh and cnoc (mountain and hill). What’s the difference between a mountain and a hill? We’ll tell you. Is Sliabh Ailp so named because it looks like it belongs in the Alps? If McGillycuddy reeks, why doesn’t he take a shower? Why does the Irish for Sugarloaf not have the word siúcra in it? And what’s the deal with Ben Bulben?

All will be answered!

Music in this episode from  Súil Amháin and Bantum, available at: https://suilamhain.bandcamp.com/track/viva-liobarnach