Scotstown

Scotstown (Irish: Baile an Scotaigh / An Bhoth) is a village in the townland of Bough in north County Monaghan, Ireland. Scotstown is located in the parish of Tydavnet, along the River Blackwater, Scotstown being the village closest to the river's source. Scotstown is centered in the townland of Bough, but extends into Carrowhatta, Teraverty, Drumdesco and Stracrunnion townlands.

A couple of theories exist around the origin of the English name, either deriving from the fact that a lot of Scots were located there during the Ulster Plantation, or it may have been named after a local landowner, George Scott in the 1660s. Older documents, including Thom's Irish Almanac of 1862 alternate between referencing the village as Scottstown and Scotstown, that suggest the latter as the source of the name.

With regard to the Irish Gaelic names, the traditional name of An Bhoth comes from the townland of Bough, where the village is centered, with the likely meaning of tent or hut, suggesting humble origins for the village. This is the name appearing on signs as you enter the village. On Ordnance Survey maps and road signs, the village also carries the name Baile an Scotaigh, which literally means 'town of the Scots'. This is a comparatively rare occurrence of the Irish Gaelic form being a translation of the English form (and in this case, possibly, an erroneous one), as opposed to the Irish form being the original. 'An Bhoth' is used by the local GAA club, this name is displayed on signage on the local school which reads 'Scoil Náisiúnta Iorball Sionnaigh, An Bhoth.'