New this update: curated place Collections, category filters in Discover, and improved Journey Mode cards — explore Ireland's places like never before.
Irish place names were anglicised over centuries. 'Mainistir Eimhín' became 'Monasterevin'. Tír an Iúir became 'Terenure'. Cionn tSáile became 'Kinsale'. Thousands of names stripped of meaning, replaced with English inventions that carry nothing. We never restored them.
Baile Beo does.
Across Ireland, towns, villages, and landscapes have long had a local identity. These names described the land itself — its geography, history, ecology, mythology, characters, and memories. Through colonisation and anglicisation, mirroring the decline of the Irish language itself, these logainmneacha (place names) were largely pushed aside and forgotten by most people who pass through them every day.
The Irish language is experiencing a remarkable revival. With it comes a growing movement of people reclaiming the names that were taken — learning what they mean, where they come from, and what they say about the land beneath them.
Baile Beo is built for that.
FEATURES
• Journey Mode — turn it on and discover the history of every town you drive through, in real time. Ancient names, myths, monasteries, and stories stretching back thousands of years.
• 60,000 Irish place names alongside their English forms
• Name meanings and origins, rooted in history and geography
• Detailed place histories — from early legend to recorded history
• Ancient monuments — ring forts, round towers, megalithic tombs, crannógs
• Explore by map or by county
• Save favourite places and build your own collection
WHY BAILE BEO?
Irish place names are more than arbitrary labels — they are records of how people understood their locality and the land. Mainistir Eimhín means 'Saint Evin's Monastery'. Cnoc na Cásca means 'the hill of Easter'. Leaca na Nóiníní means 'the hillside abounding in daisies'. Every name carries a world.
Whether you're fluent in Irish or a foghlaimeoir, Baile Beo puts the real names of Ireland back in your hands.
Every town has a story.
An amazing project!! If you’re a Logainmneacha and Irish history nerd, you’ll love exploring this app! Well done and informative!
Developer Response
Go raibh míle maith agat a chara! If you have any suggestions or ideas for how the app could be improved, please do get in touch. Is mise le meas, Dave
Amazing app!
Donabháin
Love it!
Developer Response
Donabháin a chara, go raibh míle maith agat, thanks for your support!
Not Working!
Cathorio
Three times I downloaded the app on my iPhone, it’s not working.The app is stuck (frozen) .I can’t get past, let’s get started.🤔
Developer Response
Sorry to hear that! If you want to email info@bailebeo.ie we can work through it with you and figure out what's going on. Thanks
• New: Collections — curated groups of places, like castles, holy wells & historic sites, right on your home screen
• Discover: filter monuments by category
• Journey History: delete or rename a saved journey
• Journey Mode: monument cards now lead with the name and a clear Town/Monument badge
• Profile: Visited list shows your 5 most recent, with a link to view all
• Fixed: pronunciation playback getting stuck on the pause icon
• Visual polish across place cards and the map
Version 1.4.6
The developer, David McGinn, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Location
Contact Info
Usage Data
Privacy practices may vary based, for example, on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Size
57.2 MB
Category
Lifestyle
Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 15.0 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
David McGinn has not identified itself as a trader for this app. If you are a consumer in the European Economic Area, consumer rights do not apply to agreements between you and the provider.