The beach near Woodstown, Co. Waterford. Trying to name it.

irelandjnr

First things first is it a beach or a strand and which is more appropriate?

Google Maps has the area/location, perhaps anglicised, as "Forenaught", whereas Apple Maps has higher resolution mapping of the area it calls "Fornaught" without the e. A small house before you reach the spot has a handmade sign "Forenaught Cottage".

It's about 700M or one third as long as Woodstown. A nice spot for a walk, no doubt.

Should we call it Strand or Beach?

Bonus points if you can name the cove highlighted in orange.

914

The beach marked as green I always knew it as Creaden beach. Creaden Head is the land to the south of it.

The Continental Op

Goto osi.ie pick map viewer and when you are zoomed in on the area choose the any of the historic maps from the data selection.

The spelling seems consistent to me? Your orange beach doesn't have a name in any of them but I'm sure there is a locally used or historic name. We have a beach near me that a few old timers call nuns beach because nuns used to use it, no one else would know that and it wouldn't be on any map.

counterpointaud

Yep, Creadon beach. Nice spot.

tuisginideach

irelandjnr wrote: »

First things first is it a beach or a strand and which is more appropriate?


Should we call it Strand or Beach?

We only ever went to strands or the sea as children! I wasn’t at a beach til I was a teenager in France!

irelandjnr

ose.ie

JaCrispy

Used to spend plenty of summers down there and always knew it as Forenaught Beach.

looksee

From Joyce's 'Irish Names of Places' (1870):

Fornocht is a bare, naked, or exposed hill. It gives its name to a parish in Kildare, now called Forenaghts...There are also several townlandscalled Fornaght in Cork and Waterford...

Whether this is the origin of the Wexford version I don't know, but that is the nearest information I can find.

Edit, there is a fada on the first ó of Fornocht

irelandjnr

It has been mistakingly referred to as Creadon Beach, Creadan Beach, Creadan Strand, Creadan Bay at times, even by some locals newer to the area, but this is bad info and it has never been called this on any map.

Around the other side South and past the head (Dunmore direction) is a small cove called Creadan Bay Beach or Creadon Bay Beach. Above Creadan Head on the map (the sandy stretch I’m referring to here, highlighted with the bright green line) is called variations/spellings of Forenaught Strand or Forenaught Beach, which I have now confirmed from multiple sources, including council signs on the beach and various mapping systems, both historical and newer.

Since 2021 when I first posted this Apple Maps has changed the spelling by adding the “e”. Apple Maps and Google Maps now both call it Forenaught Beach. Historically it was mapped as Forenaught Strand. I believe on the council sign I saw it was missing the “e”, calling it Fornaught Strand. Let’s not quibble over minutia, though, for they are for naught ;-)

For naught or not for naught, that is the question… and we have the answer: Forenaught Beach or Forenaught Stand. Fornaught Strand or Fornaught Beach. Whichever you prefer.

Thanks to all who chimed in. A rose by any other name is still a rose 🌹

Case closed.