Please would someone be able to tell me the meaning of
"Ardbarra" or might be spelt "Ard Barra".

It was the name my grandfather gave to his house.

Some background may help - he was from a farming
background. Then set up a general merchants business
in Cork City. He then bought a second premises which
he called "Ardbarra".

I believe "ard" as a prefix means main or chief or
principal. But I can't make sense of the meanings for
"barra" that I have looked up.

Slán agus go raibh maith agat

Pádraig Coughlan

My knowledge of Gaelic is limited, but I think:

ard = high
barra = top, peak (of a hill or a mountain)

Hope it was of any help to you.

Bedankt Dutchgael.

Possibly there might be some other offers, especially
with "ard" also meaning main/principal/chief.

Further help from anyone appreciated.

Go raibh maith agat

"Ard" is both an adjective and a noun.The adjective is "high", the noun being "a height".
I would have assumed that "Barra" was a christian name, as it occurs in many an irish placename, such as "Guagán Barra"(Barra's Mountain Pass).It is sometimes anglicised as
"Barry".

Dutchgael is a little off the mark since the work he is thinking of is actually "Barr", which DOES mean "top".But either "Binn" or "Mullach" are generally used to represent "peak" or "summit".

Excuse my pedanticism Dutchgael, but I say it means "Barra's Height".

Maybe it's an old Christian name, but according to "Teach yourself Irish" by Myles Dillon and Donncha Ó Cróinín (Munster Irish) the word "barra" might also mean "top".

In lesson 5: barr, barra = top
And in an exercise there: on top of the hill = ar bharra an chnoic.