No. 24/1973:

PLACE-NAMES (IRISH FORMS) ACT, 1973

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

1 Interpretation.

2 Place-names orders.

3 Construction of words in legal documents.

4 Expenses.

5 Short title.

AN ACT TO AUTHORISE THE MINISTER FOR FINANCE TO SPECIFY FOR THE PURPOSES OF LAW FORMS OF PLACE-NAMES IN THE IRISH LANGUAGE AND TO PROVIDE FOR OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED WITH THE MATTER AFORESAID.

[21st November, 1973.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:—

1.—In this Act—

"the Minister" means the Minister for Finance.

"place-name" includes the name of any province, county, city, town, village, barony, parish or townland, or of any territorial feature (whether natural or artificial), district, region or place, as shown in the maps of the Ordnance Survey;

"place-names order" has the meaning assigned to it by section 2 of this Act.

2.—(1) The Minister, having received and considered advice from the Commission, may by order (in this Act referred to as a place-names order)-

( a ) declare the equivalent in the Irish language of a place-name specified in the order to be such word or words as he specifies in the order,

( b ) amend or revoke a place-names order.

(2) Every place-names order shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the order is passed by either such House within the next subsequent twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the order is laid before it, the order shall be annulled accordingly but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

(3) In this section "the Commission" means the body known as an Coimisiún Logainmneacha and established by warrant of the Minister dated the 24th day of October, 1946.

3.—(1) A word or words, declared by the Minister in a place-names order to be the equivalent in the Irish language of a place-name specified in the order, shall be construed in a legal document as having the same meaning and the same force and effect as the place-name so specified unless the contrary intention appears.

(2) In this section—

"legal document" means—

( a ) any Act of the Oireachtas passed after the operative date, any statutory instrument made under any such Act or the official translation of any such Act or instrument;

( b ) any instrument having or intended to have legal effect or consequences and executed on or after the operative date;

( c ) any document used in or far the purposes of legal proceedings, and made, issued or served on or after the operative date,

"the operative date" means the date on which the relevant place-names order comes into operation.

4.—The expenses incurred by the Minister in the administration of this Act shall be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.

5.—This Act may be cited as the Place-names (Irish Forms) Act, 1973 .