Some Ulster placenames have kept pieces from more than one language over time. Look at this simple split on the board:
London- + doire (DIRR-a, an oak grove) → the long form of the name many people shorten to Derry.
Before we open any more names, can you guess which languages might be hiding inside Ulster place names?
Before we peel, remember three kinds of layer we might meet:
Your teacher (or a chosen pupil) will tap each Ulster county on the class board map. Watch the name split into older parts. Help the class decide which piece is Irish, which is Scots-influenced, and which was added in English. We take the layers off one at a time.
Now listen as a whole class. Clips may sound like Irish, like English with a Scots twist, or like English. The three choices stay on the board for every clip.
Show your answer with your fingers (no devices, no writing):
After each reveal, spot the sound that gave it away.
Open your copy. Keep looking at the worked example pinned on the board (for example London- + doire for Londonderry / Derry, with each layer tagged).
Write that name, or another Ulster name still visible from the map. Label which part came from which language. If you met the Scots stream-word burn, you may note it as a Scots-influenced layer too.
Copy spellings and accents carefully from the board. You do not need to remember them by heart.
Ulster placenames often keep an older Irish root and a later English written form. Sometimes you also hear Scots-influenced speech, or meet a Scots word like burn on a local map. One road sign can hold more than one language story.
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