428 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No, 83. 



THE MILESIANS. 



(Vol. iii., p. 353.) 



In reply to W. R. M., who asks for information 

 respecting the round towers of Ireland, I beg to 

 refer him to Dr. Petrie's essay on the Ecclesiastical 

 Architecture of Ireland, in which he will find a 

 full discussion of the origin, uses, and history of 

 the round towers. 



In leference to the Milesians and other early 

 colonists of Ireland, he will find the most authen- 

 tic ancient traditions in the Irish version of the 

 Historia Britomim of Neiinius, lately published by 

 the Irish Archfeolngical Society of Dublin, with a 

 translation and notes, by the Rev. J. II. Todd, D.D. 

 The same volume contains also some very curious 

 and valuable notes by the Hon. A. Hei-bert. 



What W. R, M. says about the pronunciation of 

 certain names of towns in Ireland, as confirming 

 the tradition of a Milesian colony from Spain, is a 

 complete mistake. The pronunciation of g?i to 

 which he alludes, exists only amongst the English 

 (or Anglicised natives) who are unable fo ])ro- 

 nounce the guttural ch or gh of the Celtic Irish, 

 and have substituted for it the sound of h, or the 

 sound of the Spanish j\ to which W. R. M. refers. 

 Besides this, every philologist knows that the 

 present language of Spain had no existence at the 

 period to which the Milesian invasion of Ireland 

 must be referred. It is true that on the west 

 coast of Ireland some families among the peasantry 

 retain many of the characteristic features of mo- 

 dern S])aniards ; but this circumstance is due to 

 an intercourse with Spain of a much more recent 

 date than the Milesian invasion, and is therefore 

 no evidence of that event. It is well known that 

 considerable trade with Spain was carried on at 

 Galway and other ports of western Connaught, 

 two centuries ago, and that many Spanish families 

 settled in Ireland, or intermarried with the natives, 

 during the si.Kteenlh and seventeenth centuries. 



To remove W. R. M.'s mistaken impression that 

 Droo-heda, Aghada, &c,, are names of Spanish 

 origin, it may be well to inform him, fii'st, that the 

 gh in such names is not sounded like the Spanish 

 j, except, as I have said, by — (I was on the point 

 otwviUntr foreigners), hut I mean by those who 

 are unable to pronounce our Celtic guttural as- 

 jjiratcs. Secondly, that Drogheda, Aghada, &c., 

 are names significant in the Irish language and 

 perfectly well understood, and that as now written 

 they are not seen in their correct orthography, but 

 in an Anglicised spelling intended to represent to 

 English e.ars the native pronunciation. In the 

 last century Drogheda was usually written Tredagh 

 in English ; but the word in its proper s]ielling is 

 Droichet-atha, the bridge of the ford, trojedum 

 vadi. There are many places in Ireland named 

 i'rom this word Droichet, which is no doubt the 

 Latin trajectum, the same which forms a part of 



the name of Utrecht (Ulti-ajectum), and other 

 towns on the continent. 



The word Agha, properly Achadh, signifies a 

 field, and enters into the composition of hundreds 

 of topographical names in Ireland. But in every 

 case tiie gh (or ch, as it properly is) is pronounced 

 gutturally by the peasantry; the h or Spanish j 

 sound is a modern Anglicised corruption. 



On the subject of Irish proper names of places 

 and persons a vast body of curious and valuable 

 information will be found in the publications of 

 the Irish Archaeological Society, and also in 

 O'Donovan's splendid edition of the Annals of 

 the Four Masters. IIibeknicus. 



We mere Irish assume to be descended from a 

 Phoenician colony ; the word Milesian is not Irish, 

 the families so designated being known in the 

 Irish language only as " Clonna Giiel" (I spare 

 the English reader the mute consonants, which 

 would rather bother Mm to get his tongue round). 



Our tradition is, that the leader of the said 

 colony saw Ireland from a tower, still said to 

 exist near Corunna ; he bore the style of Mileadle 

 Spaniogle, for which no better translation is of- 

 fered than " the soldier of Spain." His brothers 

 and sons, the chief himself having deceased, are 

 said to have conducted the expedition to Ireland ; 

 and if your correspondent wishes for a full ac- 

 count of their adventures, he should consult; 

 Keating's History of Ireland, which will, at all 

 events, afford him some amusement. 



As to the round towers, Mr. Petrie's book on 

 The Ecclesiastical Antiquities or Architecture of 

 Ireland has set that Cjuestion at rest. lie has 

 shown that they are nniioubtedly Chi-istian build- 

 ings intended as Sell-houses, which their name in 

 Irish signifies; and further, probably, for the safe 

 keeping of the sacred vessels, &c., in time of war 

 or tumult. It is unfoi'tunately too certain that 

 agitation was alw.ays rife in Ireland. On all 

 points connected with Irish antiquities, the safest 

 and best reference is to the Secretary of the 

 Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. If this answer 

 attract any of your correspondents to visit the 

 museum of that establishment, I venture to pro- 

 phecy that they will account themselves well re- 

 paid for their trouble, even though they should 

 miss visiting the Great Exhibition thereby. 



Keeriensis. 



THE TANTHONT. 



(Vol. iii., pp. 105. 229. 308.) 



I remember hearing a worthy citizen of Nor- 

 wich remark, that it was very odd there should 

 be three churches in the city called after saints 

 whose names began with the letter T. Having 

 been myself resident in that city many years, 



