Ringawaddy

 village, townland

Ir. Rinn an Mhadaidh ‘point or promontory of the dog’

The name of the townland of Ringawaddy is recorded as Renewody in 1657 and as Rinnevoddy in 1661 and the most satisfactory interpretation of the place-name is Rinn an Mhadaidh ‘point or promontory of the dog’. The element rinn denotes ‘a point of land, a promontory, or small peninsula’ and is fairly common in place-names (Joyce i 405). In Co. Down it is often anglicised as Ring and it can refer to either a coastal point or promontory as in Ringmacilroy (Rinn Mhic Giolla Rua ‘McIlroy’s point’)in the parish of Warrenpoint (PNI i 165) or to an inland promontory as in Ringbane (An Rinn Bhán ‘the white promontory’ in the parish of Donaghmore, north of Newry (PNI i 106). Ringawaddy lies on the western outskirts of the coastal village of Ballyhornan and does not now touch on the coast but it may have done so at an earlier period.