behind scenes - Source

Roads within the parish of Whitechurch
Based on the Ordnance Survey by permission of
the Government (Permit No. 3908).
N
ain—Bredan's or Braden's House). The
names of Tibradden and nearby Cruagh
are sometimes linked, the latter appearing
to be an anglicised version of the
Irish 'cruach' meaning a round swelling
hill, a name totally inappropriate to
the area of Cruagh. It could however be
descriptive of either Mount Pelier or Tibradden
and may have been transferred
from one of them. The name Craoibech,
a branchy place, is more likely the original
name of the area, the two words
possibly being confused in the translation.
Craoibech was certainly the name
used in the seventeenth century when
it is mentioned in an inquisition taken
at Saggart in March 1620 as Creevaghna
temple.
An alternative name for Tibradden was
Kilmainham Beg, derived from the fact
that the hospital of St Tohn at Kilmainham
held 342 acres of land at Tibradden,
referred to as Caghbrovane alias
Kilmaynane Beg in an undated rental,
but probably compiled at the time of
the dissolution of the hospital. The connection
between the two places is to be
found in the Tripartite which mentions
the 'Dalua of Craoibech' whom it describes
as of St Patrick's household, and
then goes on to mention 'Dalua Tigh
Bretan'. Tigh Bretan may in fact have
been an alternative name for Craoibech
or else the two names Craoibech and
Cruagh existed side by side. Another
interpretation of Bradan which I have
seen is Salmon, but I discount this as a
name of the area. Glendoo (Gleann
Dubh—the Black Valley) is the southernmost
extent of the area being considered
and was described in the 1837
Ordnance Survey Name Book as 'a
rough cold mountain with a great quantity
of turf with only one house in
which Mr. White's gamekeeper lives.'It
has changed little in 150 years being
still devoid of houses. Glendoo Mountain
is 1919 feet a.m.s.l, the highest land
in the area. Other spellings are Glendugh
and Glendough.
Cruagh has already been mentioned so
we move on toKillakee, otherwise Killakye,
meaning Blind Man's Wood. Killakee
was the seat of Lord Massy, of
which more later. Orlagh is sometimes
translated Hill of Gold, giving rise to a
joke among the Augustinians in the
College there that it must be the only
house in the Order where the senior
community live in poverty, chastity
and obedience on a hill of gold. The
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