Irish County Nicknames Explained
Irish counties have long carried distinctive nicknames shaped by history, rebellion, landscape, ancient kingdoms, sport, language, and local identity. Some are worn proudly, others began as teasing or derogatory labels, and many preserve names and traditions that reach back centuries.
From Cork’s Rebel County and Waterford’s Déise to forgotten sporting names, historic territories, and old inter-county slang, each one reveals another layer of Ireland’s story.
Explore the nicknames, meanings, pronunciations, and histories behind all 32 Irish counties below.
Antrim · Armagh · Carlow · Cavan · Clare · Cork · Derry · Donegal · Down · Dublin · Fermanagh · Galway · Kerry · Kildare · Kilkenny · Laois · Leitrim · Limerick · Longford · Louth · Mayo · Meath · Monaghan · Offaly · Roscommon · Sligo · Tipperary · Tyrone · Waterford · Westmeath · Wexford · Wicklow
Antrim – The Glens County
County Antrim is known as The Glens County, a name inspired by the celebrated Nine Glens of Antrim along the county’s northeast coast. The glens form one of Antrim’s most distinctive landscapes and have long been associated with the county’s scenery, folklore, and cultural identity.
The county’s Irish name is Aontroim (roughly: AYN-trim). The name ultimately derives from the town of Antrim; older forms have been interpreted as referring to a “lone dwelling” or later “lone ridge.”
Also known as: The Saffron County / The Saffrons
Antrim’s other major identity comes from its traditional saffron-and-white sporting colors. County teams and supporters are commonly known as The Saffrons or The Saffs, particularly in Gaelic games.
Sporting name: The Glensmen
The Glensmen is another traditional name for Antrim teams and people, again drawing on the famous Glens of Antrim. It sits alongside The Saffrons as one of the county’s established sporting identities
Explore our Antrim The Glens County collection.
Armagh — The Orchard County
County Armagh is widely known as The Orchard County, a nickname rooted in the county’s long tradition of apple growing. Its fertile countryside, particularly around areas such as Loughgall, has been associated with orchards for generations, and apple blossom remains one of Armagh’s most recognisable symbols.
The county’s Irish name is Ard Mhacha (roughly: Ard WOKH-a), meaning “Macha’s height.” The name refers to Macha, an important figure in early Irish mythology who is strongly associated with Ulster and nearby Eamhain Mhacha — Navan Fort.
Over time, The Orchard County became much more than an agricultural description. It developed into a strong expression of Armagh identity and remains widely used in sport, tourism, and everyday county life.
Also known as: The Cathedral County
Armagh is sometimes called The Cathedral County, reflecting the importance of Armagh city as Ireland’s historic ecclesiastical centre. The city is home to two cathedrals dedicated to Saint Patrick, one Roman Catholic and one Church of Ireland.
Sporting identity: The Orchard County / Orchard Men
Armagh’s sporting teams and supporters are often described using Orchard terminology, particularly in Gaelic games. The Orchard County remains the stronger and more natural county-wide name.
Carlow — The Dolmen County
County Carlow is known as The Dolmen County, a nickname inspired by the remarkable concentration of prehistoric monuments found across the county, most famously Brownshill Dolmen near Carlow town. Its enormous capstone is estimated to weigh more than 100 tonnes and is regarded as one of the heaviest of any portal tomb in Europe.
The county’s Irish name is Ceatharlach (roughly: KAH-er-lukh). The name is ancient, and its exact original meaning has been debated; historical forms show how the modern English name Carlow gradually developed from the Irish.
Sporting name: The Barrowsiders
Carlow teams are commonly known as The Barrowsiders, referring to the River Barrow, which flows through the county and Carlow town. The name remains in active sporting use today.
Old / teasing nickname: The Scallion Eaters
Carlow people were also traditionally called The Scallion Eaters. The nickname dates back at least to the nineteenth century and is linked to the large quantities of onions and scallions once grown around Carlow and sold throughout Leinster.
Old nickname: The Fighting Cocks
Another much stranger Carlow nickname is The Fighting Cocks, reflecting the popularity of cockfighting in the county in the early nineteenth century. The name also survives geographically near Rathoe and through Fighting Cocks GAA Club, founded in 1928.
Explore our Carlow Dolmen County-inspired collection.
Cavan — The Breffni County
County Cavan is known as The Breffni County, a name inherited from the historic Gaelic kingdom of Bréifne (roughly: BREFF-na).
Bréifne once covered a much larger territory encompassing modern Cavan, Leitrim, and parts of neighbouring counties. Following its division in the thirteenth century, the area corresponding largely to modern Cavan became East Bréifne, ruled by the powerful O’Reilly dynasty. Cavan County Council describes pre-Elizabethan Cavan as the kingdom of East Breifne.
The county’s Irish name is An Cabhán (roughly: un ka-VAWN), meaning “the hollow.” The modern English name Cavan developed directly from it.
Historical identity: East Bréifne / Breffni O’Reilly
After the old Kingdom of Bréifne divided, Cavan became the heartland of East Bréifne, also known as Breffni O’Reilly because of the O’Reilly family who ruled it. The Breffni name remains unusually strong today, appearing throughout Cavan’s cultural and sporting identity.
Also known as: The Lakeland County
Cavan is also known as The Lakeland County, reflecting a landscape dotted with an extraordinary number of lakes. The county is traditionally said to have 365 lakes — one for every day of the year — and Cavan County Council itself uses the Lakeland County description.
Sporting names: The Breffni Blues / The Breffnimen
Cavan’s blue-and-white county colors have given rise to The Breffni Blues, while players are also frequently called The Breffnimen. Both combine the county’s ancient Gaelic identity with its modern sporting tradition. Cavan GAA continues to use both forms.
Explore our Cavan-inspired collection.
Cork — The Rebel County
County Cork is known as The Rebel County, a nickname whose roots go back much further than Ireland’s twentieth-century revolutionary period.
The name is generally traced to Cork city’s support for Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the English throne during the Wars of the Roses in the 1490s. Cork’s association with rebellion was later reinforced dramatically during the Irish War of Independence and Civil War, when the county became one of the principal centres of republican resistance.
The county’s Irish name is Corcaigh (roughly: KUR-kig), derived from corcach, meaning “marsh” or “marshy place” — a reference originally connected with the wet, marshy ground around Cork city and the River Lee.
Sporting name: The Leesiders
Cork teams and people are frequently called The Leesiders, referring to the River Lee, which flows through Cork city before reaching Cork Harbour. The name is particularly common in sporting coverage.
Historical identity: Desmond / Deas Mumhan
Much of modern County Cork once formed part of the historic territory of Desmond, an anglicisation of Deas Mumhan, meaning “South Munster.” The region was closely associated with the powerful MacCarthy Mór dynasty before the expansion of Norman and English control.
Cultural nickname: The People’s Republic of Cork
Cork’s reputation for doing things its own way also produced the tongue-in-cheek “People’s Republic of Cork.” The expression plays on the long-running idea that Cork is somehow separate from — and, according to Cork humour, superior to — the rest of Ireland. It sits alongside jokes describing Cork as “the real capital.” Even Ireland’s official tourism site uses People’s Republic of Cork when introducing the county.
Old / famine-era nickname: The Donkey Aters
A much darker nickname associated particularly with Skibbereen and West Cork is “The Donkey Aters” — aters reflecting the local pronunciation of eaters.
During the Great Famine, starvation became so severe around Skibbereen that accounts record people resorting to eating donkey meat. The experience gave rise to the grim nickname Donkey Aters. It is therefore less a humorous county insult than a surviving reminder of the desperation endured in one of the areas worst affected by the Famine.
Cork’s collection of names captures an extraordinary range of its history — medieval rebellion, Gaelic kingdoms, revolutionary politics, sporting identity, fierce local pride, and one of the darkest periods of the Great Famine.
Explore our Cork Rebel County collection.
Kerry — The Kingdom
County Kerry is known simply as The Kingdom, one of the strongest and most recognizable county identities in Ireland.
The nickname’s exact origin is not completely certain. A popular tradition connects it with the ancient Ciarraige, the people from whom Kerry takes its name, but the word Ciarraí itself is better understood as referring to the people or descendants of Ciar, rather than literally meaning “Ciar’s kingdom.”
A much firmer historical reference comes from John Philpot Curran, who used the phrase “the Kingdom of Kerry” in the Irish House of Commons in 1787, joking that Kerry seemed almost like a country apart. The expression clearly had enough meaning by then to be instantly understood.
The county’s Irish name is Ciarraí (roughly: KEER-ee).
Sporting identity: The Kingdom / The Kingdom Men
Nowhere is the nickname more visible than in Gaelic football. Kerry’s teams, supporters, clubs, and sporting culture routinely use The Kingdom, while the county’s famous green and gold have become almost as recognizable as the name itself. Kerry GAA lists The Kingdom and The Green and Gold among its established identities.
Also known as: The Green and Gold
Kerry’s traditional sporting colors have themselves become a shorthand for the county. The familiar green jersey with a gold band became established in the early twentieth century and remains one of the most distinctive county jerseys in Gaelic games.
Cultural stereotype: Kerryman jokes
Kerry also occupies a peculiar place in Irish humor through the tradition of “Kerryman jokes.” Particularly popular during the twentieth century, these jokes portrayed the stereotypical Kerryman as foolish, literal-minded, or comically unsophisticated.
They belonged to a much older European tradition of regional communities joking about neighbouring places and their people. Folklore research has treated the Kerryman joke as a distinct Irish example of this kind of regional stereotyping rather than evidence that Kerry people were genuinely viewed that way.
The jokes are far less dominant today, but they remain an interesting example of the less flattering identity imposed on a county by outsiders, sitting in sharp contrast to Kerry’s proudly self-chosen title of The Kingdom.
Explore our Kerry The Kingdom -inspired collection.
Kildare — The Thoroughbred County
County Kildare is known as The Thoroughbred County, reflecting its exceptional association with horse racing, breeding, and the bloodstock industry. The county is home to the Curragh Racecourse, Punchestown, Naas Racecourse, and the Irish National Stud, and remains one of Ireland’s principal centers for thoroughbred horses. Kildare County Council describes the county as Ireland’s epicenter for thoroughbred and sport horses.
Interestingly, The Thoroughbred County is a relatively modern nickname, promoted from around 1999 as part of Kildare’s equine identity. Its roots, however, lie in a much older relationship between the county, the Curragh, and horse racing.
The county’s Irish name is Cill Dara (roughly: kill DAR-uh), meaning “church of the oak.” The name is associated with the monastery founded by Saint Brigid at Kildare, traditionally beneath or beside a great oak tree.
Also known as: The Short Grass County
This is actually the older of Kildare’s two major county nicknames. The Short Grass County refers to the open pasture of the Curragh, famous for its naturally short grazing grass and centuries-long association with horses. The nickname is recorded from at least the late nineteenth century and is still used by Kildare County Council today.
The Curragh’s grasslands helped create ideal conditions for training and breeding horses, meaning The Short Grass County and The Thoroughbred County ultimately describe two sides of the same Kildare landscape.
Sporting name: The Lilywhites
Kildare’s Gaelic footballers and supporters are famously known as The Lilywhites, a nickname derived from the county’s distinctive all-white playing strip. The tradition dates back to the early twentieth century, when Kildare began wearing white jerseys associated with the successful Clane team. Over time, the white kit became one of the county’s defining sporting symbols and gave rise to the enduring Lilywhites nickname.
Explore the Kildare Collection
Kilkenny — The Marble County
County Kilkenny is known as The Marble County, a nickname inspired by the dark stone traditionally quarried around Kilkenny. Despite its famous name, Kilkenny marble is actually a very dark Carboniferous limestone, often containing visible fossils. It was widely used in buildings, monuments, and paving throughout Kilkenny city, which itself became known as The Marble City.
The county’s Irish name is Cill Chainnigh (roughly: kill KHAN-ig), meaning “church of Cainneach”, referring to Saint Cainneach — St Canice — whose name survives in St Canice’s Cathedral and the ancient ecclesiastical settlement around it.
Sporting identity: The Cats
Kilkenny people — and especially the county’s famous hurling teams — are known as The Cats. The name comes from the much older expression “Kilkenny cats,” which once described exceptionally fierce or tenacious fighters.
The best-known legend tells of two Kilkenny cats that fought so ferociously that nothing remained of them except their tails. Versions of the story were already circulating in the early nineteenth century, although its true origin remains uncertain.
Several explanations were later invented for the tale — including stories about soldiers tying fighting cats together by their tails — but none can be established as the definitive origin. What began as a joke about mutually destructive fighting was eventually reclaimed by Kilkenny as a symbol of determination and fighting spirit.
Sporting / geographical name: The Noresiders
Kilkenny teams are also sometimes known as The Noresiders, referring to the River Nore, which flows through the county and Kilkenny city.
Historical identity: Osraige / Ossory
Long before modern County Kilkenny existed, much of the region formed the Gaelic kingdom of Osraige, later anglicized as Ossory. The modern Irish form is Osraí (roughly: OSS-ree). The kingdom covered most of modern Kilkenny and parts of neighbouring Laois and existed for many centuries before the Norman invasion.
Kilkenny eventually became a major centre of Osraige, and the ancient territorial name survives today in the Diocese of Ossory.
Also recorded as: The Ormond County
Kilkenny has also occasionally been called The Ormond County, reflecting the county’s long connection with Ormond and the Butler dynasty. It is considerably less prominent today than The Marble County or The Cats, but it survives in collections of traditional county names.
Kilkenny’s identities therefore range from ancient Gaelic Ossory and Saint Canice to black “marble,” the River Nore, and perhaps Ireland’s strangest sporting legend — two cats apparently determined to fight until there was nothing left of either of them.
Explore our Kilkenny Collection
Leitrim — The Ridge County
County Leitrim is known as The Ridge County, a nickname closely connected to the county’s Irish name, Liatroim (roughly: LEE-uh-trim). The name derives from Liath Druim, meaning “grey ridge.” The county itself takes its name from Leitrim village on the River Shannon.
The ridge theme therefore runs deeper than a modern nickname — it is built into the county’s original Irish placename and reflects the rolling, upland character found across much of Leitrim.
Also known as: The Wild Rose County
Leitrim is also traditionally called The Wild Rose County. The name is associated with the natural landscape of northwest Leitrim and with the nineteenth-century romance The Wild Rose of Lough Gill, published in 1883 and set largely in the region.
Historical identity: The O’Rourke County
Another old name is The O’Rourke County, recalling the powerful Ó Ruairc — O’Rourke — dynasty that dominated this part of Ireland for centuries. Leitrim formed part of the Gaelic kingdom of Bréifne, and later West Bréifne, where the O’Rourkes became the principal ruling family. Leitrim County Council describes the dynasty as leading figures in Breifne for roughly six centuries.
The O’Rourke connection remains particularly visible around places such as Dromahair and Parke’s Castle, where an earlier tower house belonged to Brian O’Rourke, Lord of West Breifne.
Cultural name: Lovely Leitrim
Perhaps the most affectionate description of the county is simply “Lovely Leitrim.” The phrase was immortalized in the county ballad written by Leitrim emigrant Philip Fitzpatrick and later made famous by Larry Cunningham. The song became a major hit in the 1960s and remains strongly associated with Leitrim and its diaspora.
Sporting names: The Canaries / The Green and Gold
Leitrim’s sporting teams have also been known as The Canaries and The Green and Gold, both reflecting the county’s traditional sporting colors. The Ridge County remains the stronger county-wide identity.
Explore the Leitrim Collection
Limerick — The Treaty County
County Limerick is widely known as The Treaty County, a nickname rooted in one of the most important events in the city’s history — the Treaty of Limerick of 1691.
The treaty was signed following the Williamite War in Ireland and marked the end of the Siege of Limerick. Although its terms and later implementation remain an important part of Irish historical debate, the event left a lasting mark on the city and county, giving rise to the nickname The Treaty County.
Today, the name remains one of Limerick’s strongest expressions of local identity and is widely used in sport, culture, and everyday county life.
Also known as: The Shannonsiders
A secondary nickname reflecting Limerick’s close connection to the River Shannon, which flows through the city and has shaped the county’s history, trade, and landscape.
Historic / derogatory nickname: Stab City
Limerick was also labelled “Stab City” in parts of the media during periods associated with violent crime and gang feuding. The name became widely known but is now generally regarded as outdated, sensationalised, and unrepresentative of modern Limerick. It remains worth noting as part of the county’s recent cultural history, particularly because of how strongly the label shaped outside perceptions for a time.
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Longford — The O’Farrell County
County Longford is often associated with The O’Farrell County, reflecting the powerful O’Farrell (Ó Fearghail) dynasty that dominated the region for centuries.
Before the modern county existed, much of the area formed the Gaelic territory of Annaly, where the O’Farrells were the principal ruling family. Longford was historically known as Longfort Uí Fhearghail — Longford of the O’Farrells, preserving that connection in the county’s identity.
Historical name: Annaly
Annaly was the historic Gaelic territory broadly associated with modern County Longford. The name still appears in local history and genealogy and provides an older layer to Longford’s identity before the modern county system.
The Slashers
The name “Slashers” also appears in Longford sporting culture, most visibly through Longford Slashers GAA club. Its origins are linked through an earlier club to the legendary seventeenth-century fighter Myles “The Slasher” O’Reilly. Unlike The O’Farrell County or Annaly, however, it is better treated as a sporting/local association than as a definitive nickname for the entire county.
Explore the Longford Collection
Mayo — The Yew County
County Mayo is known as The Yew County, a nickname rooted in the county’s Irish name, Maigh Eo, meaning “plain of the yew.” The name originally referred to the settlement around Mayo Abbey before becoming the name of the wider county.
Also known as: The Heather County
A traditional nickname inspired by Mayo’s extensive boglands, mountains and upland landscapes, where heather has long been a familiar feature.
Also known as: The Maritime County
Mayo’s long Atlantic coastline, offshore islands and centuries of fishing and seafaring have also given rise to The Maritime County.
Sporting name: The Westerners
Mayo teams and supporters are frequently referred to as The Westerners, reflecting the county’s position at the heart of Ireland’s west coast. The name is particularly associated with Gaelic games.
The Green Above the Red
More than a nickname, “The Green Above the Red” has become part of Mayo’s sporting identity through the county’s famous green-and-red colours. The phrase has deeper roots in a nineteenth-century nationalist song by Thomas Davis and is now inseparable from Mayo GAA culture.
Historic / disparaging phrase: “Mayo, God Help Us!”
Perhaps Mayo’s most unusual label is “Mayo, God Help Us!” Its precise origin is uncertain, but it has traditionally been associated with the extreme poverty, famine and emigration experienced in Mayo during the nineteenth century. The phrase was later popularised internationally through Heinrich Böll’s Irish Journal.
In more recent decades it acquired another meaning through Mayo football, becoming an affectionate — and sometimes cruel — reference to the county’s repeated All-Ireland heartbreak. That particular association gained a new twist in 2026, when Mayo finally won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, ending the long wait.
Meath — The Royal County
County Meath is known as The Royal County, a nickname rooted in its historic association with the High Kings of Ireland and the Hill of Tara, one of the most important ceremonial and political sites in early Irish history.
For centuries, Tara stood at the symbolic heart of kingship in Ireland, and its presence within modern County Meath gave the county a particularly strong connection with Ireland’s royal past.
Sporting name: The Royals
Meath’s teams and supporters are commonly known as The Royals, a direct sporting version of the county’s best-known nickname.
Historical identity: Mide / An Mhí
The Irish name An Mhí means “the middle,” reflecting Meath’s position at the centre of Ireland. The historic Kingdom of Mide was once regarded as one of Ireland’s major provincial divisions and is closely associated with the idea of Ireland’s fifth province.
Also known as: The Plains Men
A less prominent sporting name, The Plains Men reflects the broad, fertile lowlands that characterize much of Meath’s landscape.
Monaghan — The Drumlin County
County Monaghan is known as The Drumlin County, a nickname inspired by the distinctive rolling hills that shape much of its landscape.
Drumlins are smooth, rounded hills formed by glacial movement, and they occur in remarkable numbers across Monaghan. The resulting landscape of small hills, lakes, fields, and winding roads has become one of the county’s defining features.
The county’s Irish name is Muineachán (roughly: MWIN-uh-khawn), traditionally understood as referring to a place abounding in thickets.
Also known as: The Farney County
Farney, from the Irish Fearnaigh, is the name of the historic barony in south Monaghan around Carrickmacross and Donaghmoyne. Over time, Farney became a wider cultural and sporting name associated with Monaghan.
Sporting name: The Farney Army
Monaghan supporters are frequently referred to as The Farney Army, taking the historic Farney name and turning it into one of the county’s best-known modern sporting identities.
Historical identity: Oriel / Airgíalla
Monaghan once formed a central part of the medieval kingdom of Airgíalla (roughly: ar-GEE-uh-luh), later known in English as Oriel (OR-ee-el).
The kingdom extended across parts of modern Monaghan, Armagh, Louth, Fermanagh, Tyrone, and Derry, making it an important political territory in medieval Ireland.
The later Irish form Oirialla (roughly: IR-ee-uh-luh) survived as a cultural name for the wider region even after the medieval kingdom disappeared. Monaghan therefore carries an identity that reaches much further back than the modern county boundaries.
Explore the Monaghan Collection
Offaly — The Faithful County
County Offaly is known as The Faithful County, one of Ireland’s most familiar county nicknames. The exact origin of the name is not completely certain, but it has become firmly established as a symbol of Offaly identity and is widely used in sport, local culture, and county life.
The county’s Irish name is Uíbh Fhailí (roughly: eve-OLL-ee). The name derives from the historic Gaelic people and territory of Uí Failghe, whose name ultimately also gave rise to the English form Offaly.
Historical name: King’s County
In 1556, the area that became modern Offaly was formally created as King’s County, named in honour of King Philip II of Spain, husband of Queen Mary I. Neighbouring Laois became Queen’s County at the same time. The name remained in official use for centuries and still regularly appears in historic maps, records, and genealogy research.
Derogatory / reclaimed nickname: The Biffos
Offaly people have also been referred to as “Biffos”, traditionally explained as the deliberately insulting acronym “Big Ignorant F*ers From Offaly.”** The term carried the old stereotype of rural Midlands people as rough or unsophisticated and was originally applied more broadly to Offaly people.
The nickname became nationally famous through Offaly-born Taoiseach Brian Cowen, who was frequently called Biffo. Cowen and others humorously reclaimed the initials with more flattering versions such as “Big Intelligent Fellow From Offaly.”
Today, Biffo sits somewhere between insult, local joke, and reclaimed identity — a good example of how a derogatory nickname can change meaning depending on who is using it.
Explore our Offaly / The Faithful County -inspired collection
Roscommon — The Rossies
County Roscommon is widely associated with The Rossies, the familiar modern name used for the county’s people, supporters, and sporting teams.
The county’s Irish name is Ros Comáin (roughly: russ kum-AWN), traditionally interpreted as “Comán’s wood”, referring to Saint Comán, after whom the town and county take their name.
Also known as: The Heart of Ireland
Roscommon is sometimes described as The Heart of Ireland, reflecting its position in the Irish Midlands and its landscape of lakes, boglands, farmland, and historic settlements.
Old / derogatory nickname: The Sheepstealers
Roscommon people have also historically been called “The Sheepstealers.” Several explanations have been offered for the name, generally involving the old stereotype of livestock theft in the borderlands around Roscommon and neighbouring counties. Its exact origin is difficult to pin down, but the nickname became established enough to survive in county folklore.
Today it is more likely to be encountered as an old joke or piece of inter-county slagging than as a serious description of Roscommon people.
Also recorded: The Cattle Rustlers
A similar old nickname, The Cattle Rustlers, also appears in references to Roscommon. Like The Sheepstealers, it belongs more to the tradition of rural rivalry and exaggerated county stereotypes than to Roscommon’s modern identity.
These livestock-related names are particularly fitting in a county whose wider landscape and mythology sit close to the world of the Táin Bó Cúailnge — Ireland’s great epic of a cattle raid — although they should not be mistaken for formal historical titles.
Explore our Roscommon-inspired collection.
Explore our Sligo Yeats Country-inspired collection.
Tipperary — The Premier County
County Tipperary is known as The Premier County, one of Ireland’s best-established county nicknames.
The exact origin of the name is debated. It has often been associated with Tipperary’s strong political, agricultural, and sporting reputation, while the phrase “where Tipperary leads, Ireland follows” has also been linked to the county’s sense of prominence. Whatever its precise beginnings, The Premier County became firmly embedded in Tipperary identity.
The county’s Irish name is Tiobraid Árann (roughly: CHIB-rid AW-ran).
Sporting identity: The Home of Hurling
Tipperary has one of the strongest hurling traditions in Ireland, and Thurles holds a particularly important place in GAA history as the town where the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in 1884.
Sporting name: The Premier Men
Tipperary players and supporters are frequently referred to as The Premier Men, a direct extension of the county’s best-known nickname.
Old / derogatory nickname: The Stone Throwers
Tipperary people have also historically been called “The Stone Throwers.” The origin is uncertain, and several explanations have survived.
One tradition links the name to an old hurling encounter in which Tipperary supporters supposedly resorted to throwing stones. Other accounts connect it with nineteenth-century confrontations involving police, landlords, or British authority, when stone-throwing was used as a form of resistance.
Whatever its true origin, the nickname belongs to the rougher tradition of inter-county rivalry and stereotype. Today it survives mainly as an old piece of folklore and slagging rather than a serious description of Tipperary people.
Explore our Tipperary Premier County-inspired collection.
Tyrone — The O’Neill County
County Tyrone is known as The O’Neill County, reflecting its deep association with the powerful O’Neill dynasty, one of the most important Gaelic ruling families in Irish history.
The county’s Irish name is Tír Eoghain (roughly: CHEER OH-in), meaning “land of Eoghan.” The modern name Tyrone developed directly from this older Gaelic name.
For centuries, the O’Neills controlled much of Tír Eoghain and played a central role in resistance to English expansion in Ulster. Their influence remains deeply embedded in the county’s history and identity.
Also known as: The Red Hand County / The Red Hands
The Red Hand of Ulster is strongly associated with Tyrone and the O’Neill dynasty. The symbol appears throughout Ulster tradition and remains particularly prominent in Tyrone sporting identity.
Historical identity: Tír Eoghain
Long before the modern county existed, Tír Eoghain was a major Gaelic territory extending across a much larger area of Ulster. Its name preserves Tyrone’s connection to the Cenél nEógain and the medieval kingdoms that preceded the modern county system.
Old expression: “Tyrone among the bushes”
An unusual older phrase, “Tyrone among the bushes,” appears in nineteenth-century writing and verse. Its precise origin and meaning are uncertain, but the expression became associated with Tyrone strongly enough to survive in collections of old county sayings and nicknames.
Today it is largely forgotten, making it an interesting example of the obscure local expressions that once formed part of Ireland’s tradition of county rivalry and identity
Waterford — The Déise
County Waterford is known as The Déise (roughly: DAY-shuh), a name that reaches back far beyond the modern county system to the ancient Gaelic people known as the Déisi.
The Déisi were an early Irish population group who established themselves in parts of what is now Waterford. The name Déise originally referred to these people and is traditionally interpreted as meaning “vassals” or “subject people.” Over time, their name became attached to the territory they inhabited, and eventually to Waterford itself.
This makes The Déise unusual among Irish county nicknames. Rather than being a relatively modern sporting or descriptive name, it preserves the identity of an ancient people whose connection with the region stretches back more than a thousand years.
The old Déise name also survived geographically. Historic Waterford contained territories known as Decies-within-Drum and Decies-without-Drum, anglicised forms that preserved the ancient name in the landscape.
Today, Waterford people continue to use The Déise proudly in sport, culture, and everyday county identity. It is especially visible through Waterford GAA, where players and supporters are routinely referred to simply as the Déise. For people of Waterford heritage around the world, the name carries a particularly deep connection to home, ancestry, and place.
The county’s Irish name is Port Láirge (roughly: Purt LAWR-guh). The English name Waterford has a different origin, developing from the Old Norse name given to the Viking settlement established there.
Also known as: The Crystal County
Waterford is also called The Crystal County, reflecting the international fame of Waterford Crystal and the city’s long association with glassmaking. Few modern Irish brands have become as closely linked with the identity of their home county.
Sporting name: The Suirsiders
Waterford teams and supporters have also been called The Suirsiders, referring to the River Suir, which flows through Waterford and has played a central role in the city and county’s trade, settlement, and history.
Older nickname: The Gentle County
A less familiar name is The Gentle County. The phrase was famously used as the title of Nicholas Whittle’s 1959 book The Gentle County — A Saga of the Decies People and became an affectionate description of Waterford and its people.
Explore the Waterford Collection.
Westmeath — The Lake County
County Westmeath is known as The Lake County, a nickname inspired by the many lakes and waterways that shape its landscape. Westmeath County Council itself describes the county by this name, highlighting lakes such as Lough Ree, Lough Ennell, Lough Owel, and Lough Derravaragh.
The county’s Irish name is An Iarmhí (roughly: un EER-vee), the Irish form of Westmeath. The name reflects Westmeath’s historical connection with the wider territory of Meath / Mide, once one of the great kingdoms of early Ireland.
Sporting name: The Lake Men
Westmeath’s footballers and hurlers are commonly known as The Lake Men, a direct sporting version of the county’s best-known nickname.
Old / teasing nickname: The Smokey Heads
Westmeath people have also historically been referred to as “The Smokey Heads.” The old nickname is traditionally explained by the large amount of turf burned for fuel in the county, filling homes and communities with the characteristic smoke of peat fires.
Today, the phrase is largely forgotten and survives mainly as a curious piece of inter-county folklore — exactly the kind of older nickname that reveals how everyday landscape and life could become part of county identity.
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Wexford — The Model County
County Wexford is known as The Model County, a nickname traditionally linked to the county’s reputation for progressive agriculture and the development of model farms during the nineteenth century.
Over time, the name became firmly associated with Wexford and developed into a broader expression of county pride, extending far beyond its agricultural origins.
The county’s Irish name is Loch Garman (roughly: lokh GAR-man).
Also known as: The Yellowbellies
Wexford people and sporting teams are famously known as The Yellowbellies, one of Ireland’s most distinctive county nicknames.
A popular traditional story links the name to an old hurling match involving Wexford players who wore yellow sashes or other yellow markings. Several versions of the story survive, including associations with a match against Cornwall, so the exact origin is difficult to establish with certainty.
Whatever its beginnings, The Yellowbellies became deeply embedded in Wexford sporting identity and remains widely used today.
Sporting name: The Slaneysiders
Wexford teams are also known as The Slaneysiders, referring to the River Slaney, which flows through the county before reaching the sea at Wexford Harbour.
Also known as: The Strawberry Pickers
Wexford’s long association with strawberry growing gave rise to The Strawberry Pickers. Roadside strawberry stalls and the county’s commercial fruit-growing tradition became a familiar feature of Wexford life, particularly during the summer months.
Older Irish description: An Contae Riabhach
An older Irish-language description of Wexford is An Contae Riabhach (roughly: un KUN-tay REE-ukh), meaning something close to “the grey” or “streaked county.”
It is far less familiar today than The Model County or The Yellowbellies, but it provides another glimpse into the older layers of language and identity associated with Wexford.
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Wicklow — The Garden County
County Wicklow is known as The Garden County, or more famously The Garden of Ireland, a nickname inspired by its unusually green and varied landscape.
Wicklow combines wooded valleys, fertile countryside, lakes, mountains, coastline, and some of Ireland’s best-known historic estates and gardens. Places such as Powerscourt, Kilruddery, Glendalough, and the Wicklow Mountains helped establish the image of Wicklow as Ireland’s great garden landscape.
Over time, The Garden of Ireland became the county’s defining identity and remains widely used today.
The county’s Irish name is Cill Mhantáin (roughly: kill WAN-tawn). Cill means “church,” while Mhantáin is associated with Manntach — “the toothless one.”
According to tradition, when Saint Patrick and his followers attempted to land in the area, they were attacked and one of Patrick’s companions had his teeth knocked out. He became known as Manntach, the toothless one, and was later said to have founded a church there — giving rise to Cill Mhantáin, “the church of the toothless one.”
Historical nickname: The Last County
Wicklow is also known as The Last County, because it was the last of Ireland’s modern counties to be formally created, in 1606.
The mountainous region had long proved difficult for English administrators to control, with powerful Gaelic families such as the O’Byrnes and O’Tooles maintaining influence there. The nickname therefore reflects more than simply being last on a list — it points to Wicklow’s long history as a region that remained outside effective English control later than much of Ireland.
Old / teasing nickname: The Goat Suckers
One of Wicklow’s stranger traditional names is The Goat Suckers, associated particularly with old sporting and inter-county slang.
The usual explanation connects the name with the wild and feral goats of the Wicklow Mountains, although the precise origin of the rather less flattering “suckers” part is unclear. Today, it survives mainly as an obscure piece of county folklore rather than a name Wicklow people commonly use for themselves.
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