 The Ordnance Survey name book ("c".1840) suggests an Irish language version of "Cluain Maoile" meaning 'meadow of the hornless cow'.O'Donoghue (1986) suggests an Irish version of "Cluain Mhaoil", meaning 'bare or bleak watershed', or possibly "Cluain Maothaile" meaning 'soft or spongy watershed'.