Dublin. Baile Átha Cliath (BAL-ya AW-ha KLEE-ah). Two names for the same city. Do they mean the same thing?
Today we crack both names open and find out what each one tells us about the place.
We will tap towns on the class map together. Hands up if you want to choose the next town! Watch each name come apart into its pieces, then read what it first meant. You are going to crack these names like little codes.
Every place in this set is named for a way across the water. Listen for two water-crossing pieces that keep turning up.
Time to put your ears to work: Irish is hiding among a few other European languages. You will hear short clips; listen for the one that matches the placenames we just opened.
Listen to each clip twice. Which clip sounds like Irish?
Open your copy. Write the two names for Dublin, one above the other:
Then write two short lines:
Use the meanings on the board. Board helpers:
Optional challenge only if both sides paint a clear picture (for example Droichead Nua / Newbridge): try another pair from the map the same way.
You already know Dublin's Irish name and its English name tell two different stories about the same river. One points to a dark pool. The other points to a ford of hurdles, a shallow crossing people once used.
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