But many people, particularly visitors and newcomers to the area, can find themselves struggling with some of these place names, as it turns out they are not said as they would first appear when you read them.
Take a look at our list and see if you agree.
1. Mispronounced places
Situated on the outskirts of Castlerock, Articlave is one place name which - on the face of it - looks quite easy for a visitor to pronounce...ART-EYE-CLAVE. Wrong! Of course, locals know that the 'clave' is actually pronounced 'cliff' making it ART-I-CLIFF. Photo: Google Maps
2. Mispronounced placenames
OK, we admit it - this is going to be a tricky one for any visitors who happen to find themselves in the townland of Blagh, on the outskirts of Coleraine. And the problem is the 'gh' sound that we find in SO many places all over Northern Ireland. Scottish visitors who pronounce the word 'lough' properly will not be perturbed by the sound. For those who don't know, it's BLA-GH and not BLAG. Photo: Google Maps
3. Mispronounced placenames
Now this is one which divides opinion even among locals. This area between Coleraine and Ballymoney is home to a marina and a holiday caravan park and, depending on which sign you read, is called both DRUMAHEAGLES (straightforward enough to pronounce DRUM-A-HEA-GLES, like the bird with a H at the start) or DRUMAHEGLIS (DRUM-A-HE-GLISS). Drumaheglis is a direct derivation from the Irish words 'drum' meaning 'ridge or long hill' of the 'eglis' meaning church. Photo: Causeway Coast and Glens Council
4. Mispronounced placenames
A townland on the outskirts of Limavady, Aghanloo is one that seems pretty manageable (once a visitor gets their head - and tongue - around the 'gh' sound in our place names). Aghanloo comes from the Irish Athan-Lugha, Lugh's or Lewy's little ford. So how to pronounce it? AGH-AN-LOO....simple! Except that locals around the Roe Valley area actually pronounce this area as ANNA-LOO. Photo: Ulster Genealogy and Local History Blog