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An Muileann gCearr is the name of my hometown and I know it means the strange mill and that is based on the story of St. Colman but a look in Wikipedia about my town revealed that it was formerly called Maelblatha or maybe Maelblátha and they couldn’t figure out how to do fadas.
Any ideas on the what the Mael part of this means?
Maith agaibh.Mael means “servant”, but in Modern Irish we write it “Maol”.
I think it should be spelt “Maolbhlátha” in Modern Irish.
“Máelblátha” looks like Old or Middle Irish.I don’t think “mael/maol” means bald in this case…
It is a cognate of Welsh mael, Gaulish maglo- which means “servant”.Nod libh go bhfuil an tagairt seo i eDIL freisin:
The name Mael was sometimes given to a large flattish stone: LL 30 b 35 , cf. RC xv 282 § 21. Maelblatha (name of a stone in the refectory at Iona which seems to have been used as a table or buffet), BColm. 58.20 .
The reference is to Betha Colmáin maic Lúacháin
So (given my distrust of Wikipedia as an authoritative source) I suspect this stone may have been the mill stone which ran backwards.
However, his mother said to Colman: ‘My good son, help us, for we are in a great plight.’ Colman went to the mill with his sack upon him, as Colum Cille took the sack upon him to the stone which is in the refectory at Iona55 (Maelblatha is its name, and there is luck upon every food that is upon it). Now on his arrival there was Conall’s corn under the mill and it was wheat. Colman ordered it to cease, for he was in great haste(?); but the steward would not do it at his bidding. ‘Then put it in,’ said the cleric, ‘and we will put (ours in) on this side, and God will divide for us.’ They did thus, and Colman put his hand against the mill and turned it lefthandwise, so that thenceforward it has been Mullingar (Wry Mill). And God exchanged the corn so that Colman had wheat and the steward barley. So God’s name and Colman’s were magnified through the miracle.
56] Isbert immurgu a máthair fri Colmán: ‘A meic maith, congain leind, ar ataam a ndocumal mór.’ Luid Colmán don muilenn & a bolgc fair, amail rogab Colum Cille an blog fair don chloich fil isin
20] pronntig hi n-Í .i. Mælblátha a ainm-séin & sonus for cach mbíud bíss fuirre. Bói dano arbar Conaill fon muilenn ar a chiund & cruthnecht éside. Asbert Colmán a scor reme, ar robói sodethbir aci & ní derna an rechtaire fair. ‘Tabair-siu ind íarum,’ ar an cléirech, ‘& dobéramne don leth ale & rondfid Día dúnn.’ Dorónsat amlaid-sin & dorat
25] Colmán a láimh ind-agaid an muilind & sóais reime ar tuáthbel, conid Muilenn Cerr ósin alle hé co bráth. & clóemchóidh Día na harbandæ, conid cruthnecht la Colmán & éorna lasin rechtaire. Romórad dano ainm Dé & Colmáin triasin firt.The only reference to Mullingar being originally called “Maelblatha” are copies of the Wikipedia article, which itself has been flagged inside Wikipedia as “Class C”
I’m deeply suspicious of this, I believe it may be a misreading of the passages I gave above from the legend of Colmán.
There is no mention of the name on Logainm.
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