placenamesTemplemurry
Teampall Mhuire
Lewis described why some small vessels preferred Rathfran’s sheltered water.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Teampall Mhuire · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Templemurry · English · main form
Place & story
Shelter and the tide
Samuel Lewis’s 1837 account placed Templemurry on Rathfran Bay, beside Killala Bay. Its harbour was suitable only for small vessels and dried at low water. Despite that limitation, some vessels preferred to run into it because the water was smoother than at the neighbouring bar and sheltered from sea swells. The account describes a particular balance between shelter and tidal access in nineteenth-century coastal navigation. Lewis also recorded fairs at Rathfran on 25 August and 11 November. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Templemurry. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Templemurry: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.