placenamesBeagh
An Bheitheach
Lewis’s parish account records an underground river passage and six hedge schools.
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- An Bheitheach · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Beagh · English · main form
Place & story
Water beneath the ground
In his 1837 account of Beagh parish, Samuel Lewis identified the Punch-bowl as the place where the Gurtnamackin River first disappeared underground. This was a particular feature in the Galway parish’s landscape, beside the Clare boundary. His brief entry does not trace the water’s subsequent route. [2]
Six hedge schools
Lewis recorded six hedge schools teaching about 340 children across Beagh parish. His account included part of Gort as well as its rural surroundings, so the number describes provision across that wider area. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Beagh. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Beagh or Saint Anne’s: Lewis’s 1837 parish account, reproduced by BeaghRootsGalway · Samuel Lewis
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.