Islands of Ireland: Soul-searching in Connemara

Illaunnanownim, Connemara, Co Galway, is between Gretaman Bay and Kilkieran Bay. Despite its many syllables, the name 'Illaunnanownim' has no meaning. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

The anglicisation doesn't tell the story behind the name of this Connemara island, but, then, it rarely does. For all its mellifluous-sounding syllables, 'Illaunnanownim', Co Galway,  connotes nothing. 'Oileán an Anama', however, imparts a much more evocative definition: Island of the Soul. To this desolate island someone ascribed the term that gives life, or a kind of meaning, to things.

'Anama' occurs in several placenames around the country, including Cnoc an Anama (Hill of Souls), in Co Tipperary, and Achadh an Anama (Aghananimy), The Field of the Soul, in Co Monaghan.