BIG ONION BIG APPLE redux

[Daniel Cassidy]

The Big Onion and the Big Apple (redux)

"Long before it was dubbed the Big Apple, those who knew New York City called 
it the 
Big Onion" The Big Onion Guide to New York City Ten Historic Tours
By Seth Kamil and Eric Wakin Foreword by Kenneth T. Jackson
NYU Press,  April 2002

The Big Onion
The Big Anonn  (pron. "onion")
The Big Beyond.

Anonn (pronunced "onion"): Beyond, over yonder; over to the other side.  
(Dineen, p. 47)

Anonn thar abhainn, (pron. "onion har awainn") over to the other side of the 
river.  
Anonn go Meircea, (pron. "onion guh meyrkeah"), beyond to America. 
(O'Donaill, p. 49).

The Big Anonn (big onion) was the "big beyond" for millions of Irish and 
Scottish Gaelic-speaking  emigrants to the Port of New York. The Port they dubbed: 
the great "ford at the mouth" of the great North (Hudson) River. The Big 
Apple.

"The Big Apple: 
The Big Ath Be/il (pron. Ahh-bayl) 
The Big "Crossing at the Mouth (of the river)

Apple

A/th Be/il"   (Pronounced: Ahh-Bel; the "t" is silent)
Ford of a river's mouth.

Á/th, gen. a/tha: A ford; a river crossing. 
Be/al, gen. be/il: Mouth (of a river).

The Irish words A/th (pron. Ahh) and Be/al appear in hundreds (if not 
thousands) of place names in Ireland and Scotland where there is a crossing or Ford 
near the mouth of a river. The ancient name of Dublin's is Baile A/tha Cliath 
(bally-ah-cleeah) the "Place or Townland of the Ford of the Hurdles." 

"Belfast" is derived from the Irish words "Be/al Feirste" meaning "mouth of 
the sandy-banked river.

Other Irish placenames derived from a/th and be/al are Aclare, ford of the 
Plank, Adare, ford of the oak, Affane, middle crossing, Ayhane, little ford, 
Annalong (A/th na long) ford of the ships, and Athlone (a/th luan) Luan's 
Crossing. and ballyna (mouth of the ford, NYC's moniker in reverse) and Bellanagare, 
meaning "river mouth of the cars (chariots)." 

The Big A/th Beil is the ancient  Celtic name for the great modern crossroad 
that became New York City. The "Big beyond" (The Big "Anonn," pron. big onion) 
was the Big Onion at the crossing at the mouth of the (North or Hudson) River.

Daniel Cassidy
Professor of Irish Studies
The Irish Studies Program
New College of California
777 Valencia Street
San Francisco, Ca. 94131
irishstudies at newcollege.edu