Towns in Ireland named after British Imperialists

[Feckitt]

 I just recently discovered that Portlaoise used to be known as Maryborough, and was named after Queen Mary of England.  Were there many towns which changed name after independence I only know of a few,

Kingstown - Now Dun Laoghaire
Queenstown - Now Cobh
Maryborough -  Now Portlaoise
Queens County - Now Co Laois
Kings County - Now Co Offaly

There are a few in the North as well, but obviously no name change is onthe horizon.

Brookeborough, Co Fermanagh
Craigavon, Co Armagh

[AZOffaly]

Birr used to be Parsonstown.

Daingean (The Offaly version) used to be Philipstown

[Orior]

Can I include villages?

Up until about 1603, we were called Fenwicks Pass. Then Lieutenant Charles Poyntz from Gloucestershire, England chased the local Irish clan (O'Hanlon) and the village was renamed in his honour as Poyntzpass.

[Denn Forever]

Knightsbridge Station - Heuston Station

[armaghniac]

There are a few in the North as well, but obviously no name change is on the horizon.

perhaps they'll finally get their act together in Londonderry.

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

There are a few in the North as well, but obviously no name change is on the horizon.

perhaps they'll finally get their act together in Londonderry.

nearly there- Derry City Council, City Of Derry Airport. I wouldnt be worried about the london bit as much as the recent obsession with naming new housing estates after similar developments England etc- the meadows,  etc just another example of continued anglicisation of our towns and villages

[mylestheslasher]

In cavan you have virginia, bailieborough and cootehill. Edgeworthstown in longford. Sure there are probably loads of them

[Pangurban]

Grafton St.in Dublin is named after a Cromwellian General who in fact never set foot in Dublin. We should be ashamed that this  has never been rectified

[screenexile]

Ballinascreen - Draperstown. We were originally Ballinascreen but colonised by the Drapers when the English landed.

It causes problems when Derry matches are in Screen and nobody can find it on a map!

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Do Normans count! If so Castlebar (Barry's Castle).

Louisburgh in County Mayo is the only town in Ireland named after a place in North America, a local landord named it in honour of his uncle (or nephew) who was involved in a siege in Canada between the British and French. Strangely French spelt town in the West of Mayo, however not pronounced that way here in Mayo.

[Eamonnca1]

Brownlow, after Charles Brownlow, a landlord brought into north Armagh when Lurgan was established at plantation time.  Brownlow was later to become the name of one of the new parts of Craigavon and was supposed to be nearly as big as Lurgan itself.  Craigavon was supposed to consist of four districts called Lurgan, Brownlow, Mandeville, and Portadown.  Lurgan and Portadown held on to their identities as distinct towns, Brownlow became a vandalized collection full of ghost estates with dereliction spreading for square mile after square mile.  They built half of what they planned and half of what they built was demolished. Only one estate (called Parkmore) was built in Mandeville and it's a grip.

Should have picked a good fenian name! 

[Ulick]

Louisburgh in County Mayo is the only town in Ireland named after a place in North America, a local landord named it in honour of his uncle (or nephew) who was involved in a siege in Canada between the British and French. Strangely French spelt town in the West of Mayo, however not pronounced that way here in Mayo.

Nope, Louisburg was named for Louisa-Catherine , daughter of Admiral Richard Howe and wife of the Earl of Altamount (later first Marquis of Sligo). It's possible her name has connections to the battle in Nova Scotia, but there is no direct link to the naming of the Mayo town.

[AQMP]

In Fermanagh someone has already mentioned Brookeborough and Irvinestown.  There's also Newtownbutler and though not named after a person, Garrison which supposedly takes its name from a garrison established by King Billy after the Battle of Aughrim.  I'd think Florencecourt takes its name from the wife/daughter of some planter

[Aaron Boone]

In Fermanagh someone has already mentioned Brookeborough and Irvinestown.  There's also Newtownbutler and though not named after a person, Garrison which supposedly takes its name from a garrison established by King Billy after the Battle of Aughrim.  I'd think Florencecourt takes its name from the wife/daughter of some planter

Was it not named after Florence & the Machine?

[Denn Forever]

Newtownforbes - Longford

The Forbes family resided in Castleforbes, which has its entrance in the centre of the village. The land around Newtownforbes was granted to the Forbes Family in 1621. The family was in service to the Crown and successive generations were promoted to Viscount, Baronet and eventually Earldom.

The Forbes family changed the name of the village from Lisbrack to Newtownforbes in around 1750 but the post office stamp used today still has the Irish version 'An Lios Breac'.