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Celtic-speaking peoples once lived from Turkey (Galatia) to Spain (Tartessos) to Ireland and Scotland. There are two main branches of Celtic. Goidelic, or Q-Celtic, is spoken by the Celtic peoples of Ireland. The Irish brought Q-Celtic to their settlements in Dalriadic Scotland. The P-Celtic form of the language was spoken by other groups in Scotland. The Picts, for example, may have spoken a form of P-Celtic influenced by an earlier non-Celtic language. The Strathclyde Britons to the south spoke Cumbric, a P-Celtic language. (4, 7)
According to Irish tradition, the first people to arrive in Ireland were the people of Partholon. They fought the sea-faring Fomore, who were led by a giant, Balor. The people of Partholon all died of a plague. They were followed by the people of Nemed, who also fought the Fomore and who also all died. Then the Fir (Men) Domnainn, Fir Bolg, and Galiain came. They were related to the Dumnonii of England. The Belgae also came at this time. This invasion probably represents the Hallstatt Celts around the 5th century B.C. They were followed by the Tuatha de Danann or the tribes of the goddess Dana. Some have identified the Tuatha de Danann with the megalith builders and suggest that they were descended from the Nemedians. The Tuatha de Danann joined with the Fomore and defeated the Fir Bolg. The Tuatha de Danann became the dominant group after the second battle of Mag Tured. As a people, the Tuatha de Danann were known for their wisdom and were known as bringers of civilization. They were followed by the Milesians or Gaels from Spain. The Milesians defeated the Tuatha de Danann at the battle of Tailtiu. The Gaels were a Q-Celtic speaking people who may represent the La Tene Celts. Others state that the La Tene Celts were P-Celtic speakers. (2, 8)
Scholars say that people arrived in Ireland after 8000 B.C. via land bridges from Scotland. These land bridges were submerged by 7000 B.C. The first inhabitants were Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) hunters and gatherers. The land was very densely forested and the people lived along the coasts, rivers, and lakes. They may have come from southern Scotland, Wales, and southwestern Europe. They fished and domesticated oxen, goats, and sheep. They also made rough pottery. Around 4000 to 3500 B.C., Neolithic (Late Stone Age) farmers arrived from the sea, probably from England. Still others came from elsewhere in Europe. They brought stone axes to clear land for crops and livestock. Axes made in northern Ireland were exported to England. The people were also weavers and potters. The two societies coexisted for a time and gradually merged together. The Neolithic farmers built megalithic (stone) tombs between 4000 and 2000 B.C. The famous passage grave at Newgrange dates to 3200 B.C. or earlier, making it older than the pyramids of Egypt. There are signs of 1200 megalithic tombs in Ireland today. Many are in the north and west of the country. Megalithic tombs are also found along the Atlantic coast from Spain to Scandanavia. The people of Ireland had special ties with the people of Britain and Brittany. (2, 10)
The use of bronze spread to Ireland around 2200 to 2100 B.C., either through commercial contacts or through the migration of a new people. The so-called Beaker People came at the beginning of the Irish Bronze Age. They were farmers and herders from Europe who used copper and then bronze. They settled wherever copper could be found in Ireland, especially in Munster in the west. At about the same time, a new people came over from Britain. This group is called the Food Vessel people because they buried food vessels along with the bodies in their tombs. The Food Vessel people may have started using bronze before the Beaker folk. During the Bronze Age, gold jewelry made in Ireland was traded for blue glazed copper beads (faience) from England and amber from the Baltic. Stone circles, some placed around important tombs, date from 2100 B.C. to the mid-second millennium. Crannogs, timber houses or huts built on an artificial island in a lake or along the lake's edge, were built in the Late Bronze Age. Crannogs were usually surrounded by a palisade wall. Some crannogs continued to be used until the fifth century A.D. The earliest hill forts also date to the Late Bronze Age. The Irish Bronze Age lasted from about 2200 B.C. to 600 B.C. In Scotland, the Bronze Age also lasted from about 2200 B.C. to 700 B.C. (2, 10)
The Celts arrived in Ireland during the first millennium B.C., perhaps between 700 B.C., and 400 B.C. Their original homeland seems to have been the Rhine and Danube rivers. Herodotus, writing between 484 and 425 B.C., states that their homeland was along the Danube. The Celts probably brought with them the use of iron. The use of iron did not spread to Europe until the fall of the Hittite Empire in the twelfth century B.C. Iron reached Dorian Greece in 1000 B.C. and Italy and central Europe around 900 B.C. The language and culture of the pre-Celtic inhabitants influenced the newly arrived Celts. By the 6th century B.C., new pottery styles suggest an influx of Hallstatt Celts. These groups came from England or Scotland. Others state that the first Celts settled in the south and west, suggesting that they came from Spain and Portugal. The Hallstatt Celts grew barley, beans, millet, and apples. Tin from Britain was traded for amber from the Baltic and wine from the Greeks in Massalia. (1, 2, 3, 5, 10)
The La Tene Celts arrived in Ireland around 300 B.C. Others suggest that they did not arrive until the 1st century B.C. La Tene culture originally developed in central Europe around 500 B.C. and had trading contacts with the Etruscans and other people of the Mediterranean. La Tene Celts arrived in Ireland from Yorkshire or southwestern Scotland. They could not have come from Gaul since the La Tene art style had waned on the Continent by then. However, people probably did flee Roman-controlled Gaul and later on, Roman-controlled Britain. Scholars think that both Goidelic (Q-Celtic) and Brythonic (P-Celtic) were spoken in Ireland in the past, although Q-Celtic prevailed. Some believe the Hallstatt Celts spoke Q-Celtic but that the La Tene Celts spoke P-Celtic. P-Celtic prevailed elsewhere in the British Isles. (1, 2, 3, 5, 10)
Although Agricola considered conquering Ireland, the Romans never did. However, various classical authors wrote about early Ireland. They gathered their information from Roman Britain or Gaul or from other sources. Pytheas wrote about Ireland in 325 B.C. Ptolemy described Ireland around 100 A.D. He mentioned many rivers, such as the "Buvinda" (Boyne) and "Senos" (Shannon). Emain Macha, a dominant center of the Ulaid, was called Isamnion by Ptolemy. At that time, Emain Macha was a cult center but not yet the capital. Ptolemy called the Ulaid the "Voluntii". Other tribes in Roman times were the Darini and the Picts in northern Ireland, the Domnonii in western Ireland, the Gangani and Iverni in southwestern Ireland, the Brigantes in southern Ireland, the Menapii in southeastern Ireland, and the Cauci around Meath. Some of these groups had relatives outside of Ireland. Domnonii lived in western Ireland and in southern England in Cornwall. The Brigantes could be found in southern Ireland and in northern England. The Picts of northern Ireland were better known in Scotland. The Menapii of southeastern Ireland also lived in Belgica. (5, 9)
The earliest native writing script was the Ogham or Ogam script. It was developed around the first centuries A.D. Ogham writing consisted of short horizontal and diagonal lines on stones and was used for names and geneaologies. It ultimately derived from Latin or Greek letters. The recording of longer texts did not begin in Ireland until the fourth century A.D. Before then, tribal histories and stories were passed down through a rich oral tradition. (2)
During the time of Niall Naoighiallach of the Nine Hostages (d. 405 A.D.), the Irish were great seamen. They were feared along the coasts of Wales and south-western England. By the 5th century, Ireland was described as having five kingdoms: Mumha, Ulaid, Connachta, Laighin, and Midhe. Ulaid, Connachta, and Laighin were named after the founding tribes. These names survive in the present provinces of Munster, Ulster, Connacht, and Leinster. (12)
Irish personal names were at one time followed by the word "moccu". The carvers of 5th and 6th century ogam stones used the word "moccu" to denote tribal affiliation. Some of these tribes included the Ciarraige, Dartraige, Muscraige, and Semonraige. In time, the sense of tribal identity declined. Some say this decline started during the 8th century while others feel the decline began in the 5th century. The word "moccu" was gradually replaced by terms such as "Ui" ("grandson"), "Cenel" ("kindred"), "Clann" ("family"), and "Sil" ("offspring"). (11)
Contact between the peoples of Ireland and western Scotland date to prehistoric times. At the closest point, Ireland and Scotland are separated by 12 to 25 miles. Irish-style pottery and axes have been found in western Scotland from the Neolithic period. This contact grew closer with time. Iron-Age Celts entered Scotland around 500 B.C. The P-Celtic-speaking Picts of Scotland seem to be associated in some fashion with the Dal nAraide or Cruithne of Ireland. The period of 300 A.D. to 700 A.D. may have been a time of population growth in Ireland. This led the Irish to consider expanding into other lands. Niall Noigiallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages) raided in the Hebrides during the 420s or 430s. There were probably earlier raids along the coasts of Wales and elsewhere. Possibly to deter these raids, the Romans rebuilt forts in Wales during the 3rd century. The Irish never settled permanently in Wales. Instead they settled outside of Roman-controlled areas and turned their eyes to Scotland.(6, 7)
According to some traditions, the Q-Celtic-speaking Irish may have founded Dalriada in Scotland as early as the 3rd century. Other traditions suggest the founders arrived around 500 A.D. The settlers came from the Irish kingdom of Dal Riata. The people of Dalriada ruled over the Inner Hebrides and Argyll. The name Argyll comes from Airir Goidel or "The Coast of the Gael". Dunadd is believed to have been the capital of Dalriada. The first settlements were peaceful. By the 4th century A.D., the Irish Scots in Dalriada and the Picts in the rest of Scotland were allies against the Romans. The Picts and the people of Dalriada were allied until some time after the 450s. (6, 8)
The first of the well known kings of Dalriada was Gabran. He seems to have fought the Picts under Bridei mac Maelcon and also the Britons. Gabran died in 558. Columba left Ireland and stayed for awhile with Gabran's successor, Conall. Some sources say that Conall gave Columba Iona while others state that the Picts gave Columba Iona. St. Columba founded the monastery of Iona between 563 and 573. Conall seems to have allied himself with the King of Meath to fight the people of the Western Isles. He died in 574. One of Conall's successors was his cousin, Aedan. Columba preferred that Eoganan, another cousin of Conall's, become the ruler but he was corrected by an angel and Aedan became the king. Columba thus had some control over who became king and Columba helped to strenghten the kingship. Aedan fought the Pictish ruler of the Orkneys, who had submitted to Bridei, and joined with the Ulaid of northern Ireland and the Britons to fight the Northumbrians. He also fought against the English at Degsastan in 603. The English deafeated the British in that battle. Later kings included Domnall Brecc, who died at Strathcarron at the hands of the Britons of southern Scotland in 643. By the mid-7th century, Dalriada was split into 7 powerful families with their own kings and assemblies. A high king ruled over all. Ferchar 'the Tall' united Dalriada around 680 to 696. For around a century after 741, the Picts controlled Dalriada. Then, in 843 or 844, the Dalriadic king Kenneth mac Alpin (whose father has a Pictish name), joined Pictland and Dalriada into one Gaelic-speaking kingdom. (6)
Sources:
(1) The Celts, T.G.E. Powell, New York: Thames and Hudson, Ltd., 1983, 1997.
(2) A History of Ireland, Peter and Fiona Somerset Fry, New York: Barnes and Noble Books/Routledge, 1988, 1993.
(3) Kingdoms of the Celts: A History and Guide, John Robert King, London: Blandford, 1998.
(4) Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive Reference to More Than 400 Languages, Andrew Dalby, 1998.
(5) The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland, R. F. Foster (ed)., New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
(6) The Picts and the Scots, Lloyd and Jenny Laing, London: Sutton Publishing, 1993, 1996.
(7) Celtic Britain, Charles Thomas, New York: Thames & Hudson, 1986, 1997.
(8) Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland and the Middle Ages, John L. Roberts, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1997, 1999.
(9) The Celts: Uncovering the Mythic and Historic Origins of Western Culture, Jean Markale, Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, 1976, 1993.
(10) Ireland: The Rough Guide, Margaret Greenwood, et al, New York: Penguin Books, 1999.
(11) Early Medieval Ireland 400 - 1200, Daibhi O Croinin, New York: Longman, 1995, 1996.
(12) Brian Boru: King of Ireland, Roger Chatterton Newman, Dublin: Anvil Books, 1983, 1986.
There are many good web sites that list early names for the Q-Celtic- speaking peoples of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.
Dated Names Found in O Corraint Maguire's Irish Names
Scottish, Irish, and Manx Names
Return to Ancient Names Galleria
Updated June 2004