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Irish towns recognized in the World’s Rudest Place names - Effin and Nobber make the list

Expert creates interactive map with “vaguely” rude names from around the globe

IrishCentral Staff Writer,

Published Monday, February 18, 2013, 8:41 AM

Updated Monday, February 18, 2013, 8:41 AM

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You wouldn't believe some of the place names you'll find in Ireland!

Photo by Wiki

There are just some place names that bring out your inner sniggering schoolboy such as Intercourse, PA, or Lake Titicaca, in Peru. Of course Ireland has its fair share of funny place names including Muff, Effin, and Termonfeckin and these other absurdly named towns have made it to British geo technologist’s online map of “vaguely rude place names of the world.”

Gary Gale “a geo technologist and a geographer at heart”, according to his website, mused on the question “Could you possibly combine the British fondness for innuendo with geography and put it on a map?”

After some global searching Gale created an interactive map that is “vaguely NSFW [Not Suitable for Work]” but has “real geographical data behind” it.

Among Gale’s rude choices for Ireland are:

* Dripsey, County Cork
* Effin, County Limerick
* Muff, County Donegal
* Nobber, County Meath
* Ring, Ringville, County Waterford
* Ringrash Road, Macosquin, County Derry
* Termonfeckin, County Louth

Outside of Ireland there are some very interesting place names such as Anus, in the Philippines, Six Mile Bottom in Cambridgeshire, UK and Semen in Indonesia.

Check out the interactive map here.

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IrelandNorth | Feb 22, 2013, 02:44 PM EST

Some years ago on the Late Late Show, some guy told Gay Byrne how he had suffered a stroke after driving through Strokestown, County Roscommon, Connacht/western Ireland. Which only goes to show you how carefully you need to be about where you drive through. No telling what may befall you. I'll be sure to give the town of Hackballscross, County Louth, Leinster/eastern Irelans a miss on driving from Dublin down to Belfast visiting my Protestant inlaws next time.

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Seanmor | Feb 21, 2013, 09:39 AM EST

Many full-blooded Americans, including a few cousins of mine whose parents were Irish natives, take great pleasure in disparaging, ridiculing and even maligning everythin Irish as they flaunt what they perseive to be their superior American intelligence. But there are many in the U.S. who are sveral generations removed from Ireland who prounly proclaim the Irishness. I've also heard of people in Ireland who mock and ridicule visitors from the U.S, because of their interest in the Irish language.

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jamieLM | Feb 20, 2013, 11:14 AM EST

As an American, I have nothing negative to say about the names of any towns in Ireland or anywhere else. We have Intercourse, PA in the U.S. which many Americans find amusing. Lots of jokes about it. These names are what they are. Anyone who is really offended must have very little going on in his/her life.

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jamieLM | Feb 20, 2013, 10:31 AM EST

@StevenAllCaps, well, isn't that just too bad. No one in America cares what you think about anyone's ancestry. It's none of your business. Try to understand the difference between recognition and appreciation of one's ancestral roots and culture and "stealing" it. It's Ireland who is encouraging all those with Irish ancestry to come "home" to Ireland in 2013 for a visit and to spend money there. Why don't you get busy and complain to the Irish government??? BTW, no one is forcing you to read IC, so quit whining.

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ancavker | Feb 20, 2013, 10:13 AM EST

STEVENSTAIR: YEs you are the authority on who is and who is not Irish. Now go back to your Manchester U, and BBC.

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STEVENSTAR | Feb 19, 2013, 09:25 PM EST

WELL AS MY GREAT GRANNY USED TO SAY ..IF IT LOOKS LIKE A DOG, BARKS LIKE A DOG AND ACT LIKE A DOG.. GUESS WHAT ITS A DOG..... WELL THE SAME GOES, IF YOU BORN IN AMERICA , YOU SPEAK WITH AN AMERICAN ACCENT AND YOU LOOK AMERICAN... THEN GUESS WHAT ? :) YOUR AMERICAN.. BE PROUD OF YOUR OWN CULTURE AND NOT TRYING TO STEAL MINE.... IM TIRED OF HEARING ALL THESE FAIRY TALE FANTASY STORIES OF GREAT AUNTY MARYS, AND UNCLE JOHNS LEAVING FOR AMERICA 167 YEARS AGO AND NEVER COMING BACK TO IRELAND ... THATS GREAT BUT IT DOESNT MAKE YOU IRISH... IM SORRY !!! IM 100% IRISH I WAS BORN HERE AND LIVE HERE AND IM GETTING VERY TIRED OF ALL THIS GOBIL DEE GOOK BEEN WHEELED OUT IN THIS PUBLICATION WEEK AFTER WEEK..

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anglo-norman | Feb 19, 2013, 03:22 PM EST

Those are English names for towns STEVEN, so maybe it;s the english with a sense of humour?

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Seanmor | Feb 19, 2013, 12:42 PM EST

I'm not sure how Stevenstar defines "Irish" and "American" who,according "poles apart". U.S people who are keenly interested in Ireland usually have ancestors wh came from the Emerald Isle as immigrants and transmitted their DNA to their descendants, but is up to the geneticists and sociologists to determine. In the final exam of my sociology course in college (under the G.I. Bill), I gota a 100 and that put me very far apart from my full-blooded American classmates who scored in the low 80s, 70s and high 60s. If the test had included questions on humor, I probably would have failed it.

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johnbyrne | Feb 19, 2013, 12:31 PM EST

beaver lodge, now that conjures up all kind of thinking

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Smyrnian | Feb 19, 2013, 10:05 AM EST

Stevenstar - you might be right on that one! :)

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STEVENSTAR | Feb 19, 2013, 09:20 AM EST

@@SMYRNIAN...EVERYONE WHOS AMERICAN GETS ITS YOU MEAN... HAHAHAH THE IRISH AND AMERICAN SENSES OF HUMOR ARE POLES APART.. TRUST ME ON THAT HAHAHA !!!

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Portia_O'Neill | Feb 18, 2013, 09:52 PM EST

These names sound funny because they're in English.

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Smyrnian | Feb 18, 2013, 07:54 PM EST

It just means you need to get out more, Stevenstar. Everyone else gets it. HA! HA!

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STEVENSTAR | Feb 18, 2013, 06:24 PM EST

SEE THIS IS WHY AMERICAN AND IRISH CULTURE AND PEOPLE ARE SOOOO DIFFERENT.. THESE WORDS YOU THINK ARE FUNNY LIKE EFFIN..NOBBER...MUFF... ARE NOT FUNNY TO US OR DONT HAVE DOUBLE MEANING ...YOU GUYS ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY HAHA!!!

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Seanmor | Feb 18, 2013, 02:17 PM EST

Shouldn't Piscataway, N.J. be considered for this list if it were extended?

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