Irish Translation Forum

Where does Kirk, as in "Kirkpatrick" come from, and what would it mean? What would its form in Gaeilge be?

Kevin L. O'Brien

I believe Kirk is lowland Scots- English dialect for Church: therefore Kirkpatrick would be St.Patricks Church. A similar Scots/Irish name is Gilpatrick or Servant of St. Patrick

kenailan wrote:I believe Kirk is lowland Scots- English dialect for Church: therefore Kirkpatrick would be St.Patricks Church.

Yes, "Kirk" is a Germanic word.

It's in old/middle English as well - like in the poem "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

It can be seen in the German word for 'church' - Kirche.

mac= son
o=grandson

Well if you want to be technical, the Irish equivilant of your name should be either Mac, or Ni, and then your fathers name, or you could use o before some key ancestor in your past.
such as MacDonnel, ODonnel, NiDonnel

I have a question on this thread.

Wasn't Ó as a name prefix originally Uí? This may have even been pre-medieval for all I know, but in the old texts you often see people (men, not just wives) with Uí-- names and not Ó-- names.

Anyone know anything about this?

Níl a fhios agam faoi sin, ach even today there are plenty of men with Uí Something surnames.

often kirkpatrick is the anglicisation of Mac Goilla Phadraig = the goilla prefix often signified the follower or devotee (eclesiastical) of the saint concerned hence kirk...

Collum - is a common name in west donegal MacCollum.

Uí signifies belonging to a clan so often one would find Niall MacNeill Uí Lochlainn rather than Niall MacLochlainn where a particular Naill MacLochlainn if there was more than one in the district was being referred to. sometime this stuck. It was the more formal form of the more common Andaí Séan Mór - Big San's Andy - Andy son of big Sean - generally used where there are a lot with the same surname.