124
AN GAODHAL.
NAMES OF IRELAND.
Ireland had many names. The first was Inis na
bh-Fhiodh dhiodhe (veevee-e), :'an island of the
wilderness of wood.” It received this name it is
said, about the year 2086, B. C., from a subject
of Ninus, son of Belus, son of Nimrod. Ninus, as
history tells, was ambitious of conquests and pos-
sessions. Hence his messengers were sent into all
parts in search of such. When he explored this
island he found it all covered with wood, except
what is now called Clontarf, then Magh-na-ealte
plain of birds), from the fact of its being the
(sunny resort of all sorts of birds to amuse them-
selves before the sun.
2nd. It was called “Croich na bhfineadhacha"
(pro. creeugh na veenugha), “the end of nations,”
or of the world, it being the most western isle in
the world.
3rd. A third name is “Inis alga” (noble island)
which it had in the time of the Firbolg, or Bag-
men, so called from carrying bags of clay in Greece,
by the way of oppression, to make them leave
that couutry. A tribe in North America is termed
“Algonkin" (noble people) alga, noble kine, tribe.
Hence, we trace the common stock from the affin-
ity in names. In fact, a large affinity exists bet-
ween the original dialects of North America and
the Celtic — see “Voyage of Baron La Hontan to
North America.” The identity between the Celtic
alga and the Greek beautiful, is worthy of notice
The better explanation of this name is “Inis Eal-
ga,” Ealga or Ealgnait was wife of Partholan.
After her this land was so called.
4th name of our land is “Eire,” It was so call-
ed from Eire, a queen of the Tuatha de Danaans,
or necromancers, or little gods, so called from
their great knowledge in the necromantic art,
traces of which are still to be found in Ulster, but
especially in Scotland. Eire was the wife of Mac
Grene who was king of this island when the Miles-
ians landed in it. Another author asserts that it
was so called from “Æria,” an old name of the
island of Crete, now Candia. This appelation
was given to Crete by the Gadelians, when they
arrived in it from Ægypt, which they likewise
called Æria. We think that the word is but a
corruption of the Persian “Irin.” Irin was the
primitive name of Persia, which country, in early
days, was bounded on the north by Siberia, south
by Erythaeurm or Arabian Sea, east by the Cel-oo-
tagh chain of mountains, extending from Russia
in Asia to the Arabian Sea, and on the west by
the Arabian gulph or Red Sea, the Levant, or
eastern part of the Meditearanean, the Ægean,
the Propontis, or Sea of Marmora, and on the
north-west by the Euxine or Black Sea. Accord-
ing to a very old map of Persia, lying before us,
we are inclined to say that the Indian and Gan-
getic territories were comprised in the ancient
Persia. The fact that the Sanscrit (sean scriobh,
old language), is preserved there gives weight to
this opinion. Some of the first emigrants from
Scythia, which was the northern part of Persia,
mapped out by us, settled in Crete, and as in it
they planted arts and sciences, they called it
"Irin,” from the monosyllables "Ir,” sccred, “in,”
isle, their own land being Iran, sacred land. This
simple Irish or Pelasgic name the Greek poets, no
doubt, metamorphosed into Æria. This explana-
tion gives, the origin of Erin, or Irin, one of the
names of Ireland.
5th name of Ireland is “Fodhla,” from another
queen of Danaans : her husband was Mac Ceacht.
6th name of Ireland, “Banba,” wife of Mac
Coill, another king of the little gods. These
queens were sisters, and were married, as above
stated, to the aforesaid kings, who were likewise
brothers. They ruled, in turn, for a year and it
was agreed that it should be called after the name
of the reigning monarch's queen during his year
of supremacy. The reason why Ireland is often-
er called Eire than Banba or Fodhla is this ;—
Mac Greney, Eire's husband, ruled on the ar-
rival of the Milesians.
7th. "Inis Fail,” or island of destiny, from the
Lia fail or Saxum fatale, as Boetius, in his “Hist-
ory of Scotland,” calls it — the fatal stone. The
Danaans brought it here from Denmark, from
the city “Falias,” called after it. It was said
that this stone, whenever a monarch of Ireland
was crowned on it, emitted a great noise and stirr-
ed ; also that in whatever country it was kept
there would certainly reign a monarch of the
Milesian race: Hector Boetius writes —
"Ni fallat fatum, Scoti quocunque locatum
Invement lapikem, regnare tenentur ibidem:”
"Unless the fixed decrees of fate give wa ;
The Scots shall govern, and the sceptre sway,
Where'er this stone they find, and its dread
sound obey.”
This stone was sent to Scotland that Fergus Mor
might be crowned on it. There it remained until
it was translated to London, and placed under
the coronation chair in Westminster abbey, in
the reign of Edward I., who carried it away forcibly.
Shortly after one of the Stuart family succeeded to
the throne of England, and thus was verified the
saying of Boetius. Even the present Queen has
some of the Stuart's blood in her veins. Time can
only reveal if she be as faithless as most of that
family proved themselves. “Nous verrous."
The assertion, that Lia fail is still on Tara hill,
was made for a purpose. What sincere historian
believes it? Likely, indeed, that such a monu-
ment, possessing, or not, the wonderful enchant-
ment, attributed to it, would be allowed to remain
either in Scotland or Ireland.
We should have observed, that the Dan
were of the race of Nemedius ; they were for
some time in Bœotia, in Greece, thence they went
to Denmark and Norway, thence to the north of
Scotland, thence to Ireland. We doubt this route
(to be continued.)
