Monree

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Móin Fhraoigh 'heather moor'

Discussion

The river Lagan divides Monree, originally a hamlet of the townland of Lurgantamry, from Ballygunaghan on the south-east. Monree was formerly a sessiagh, in 1661, half in each of the two parishes of Donaghcloney and Magheralin, which explains its appearance in the Magheralin parish register in 1715. It is not until the 18th century that n appears in the historical forms (Munree 1715), although móin seems a likely part of the etymology. Possibly an abbreviation for n was omitted, or the name was earlier Maigh Fhraoigh 'heather plain'. The more local pronunciation keeps the original stress in the two-word Irish form. A rath was described in 1834 as on the boundary of Donaghcloney with Monree: 'a large Danish fort... site of the old church' (OSM xii 59a). The fort is still there, but is included in Monree, near Monree House, and is separate from the site of the church.

References

(info. from Muhr, K. (1996): Place-Names of Northern Ireland vol. 6 p. 82)