Sir, - I was very pleased to see the reference to Knocknarea (Times Past, September 22nd). The author is much closer to the correct translation of the name than I have seen anywhere else when he gives it as "hill of the smooth level top." The correct translation is "the hill of [having] the smooth slope." How appropriate this name is obvious when the mountain is viewed from anywhere in the vicinity of Sligo town. The name in Irish is Cnoc na Reidh. In topography "reidh" is often used to suggest a slope. Dineen [p.887] gives "reidh sleibhe" as "smooth hillside." On Inishmurray island a fishing pool by a sloping sandstone rock is "poll na reidh." The slope of the forearm from the elbow to the wrist is "reidh na laimhe."
Other translations have no associations with the name. "Hill of Kings" means nothing as neither Ri nor reidh are the plurals of Ri. The spelling Knocknaree is an example of the 19th-century affectation whereby broad vowels were pronounced slender. "Hill of the executions" has no historical nor legendary ground. As for "Hill of the moon" there is no particular association nor alignment with the moon in any of its phases. - Yours, etc.,
Patrick Heraughty, Nazareth House, Malahide Road, Dublin 3.