HORSE 179 



"Mulagroch," i.e., mul giach or graidh, a stud of horses. 

 According to Mr A. Carmichael, a term in Lewis and Harris for 

 an enclosure for horses is marclan, also comhlong, i.e., marc lann, 

 coimh lann. In Lough or Loch Swill, in Ireland, there is an 

 island called Aughnish, which stands for Each inis, horse island. 

 Inter alia, the Four Masters record the death, in 1237, in the 

 monastery of Boyle of a priest called Gille-na-necc, Gille nan 

 each, the lad or servant of the horses ; in County Tyrone there is 

 a place Domhnach-an-eich, now Donaghanie, this may mean the 

 Sunday of the horses, while " Lemlair " in Kiltearn is leum an lair 

 or leum na larach, the mare's leap, " Ardincaple " in Dumbarton- 

 shire being ard nan capull, the height of the horses, while 

 " Hrossey " at Marvig, meaning " horse island," comes from Norse 

 " hross." A king of Munster in Ireland of old was called " Echach 

 cind mairc (Eachach ceann-mhairc), Echu Horsehead. The 

 family name "Eacharna" (M^Eacharn), means horse-owner. 

 " Brahan of steeds " is a well-known saying. Eachfuin herezelda 

 refers to the practice of landlords taking the best horse at death 

 of tenant. Cameron, in his Gaelic names for plants, etc., says 

 horse-radish in Gaelic is "mucan-each" or the horse-plant, also 

 racadal. As to the plant Moonwort or " Luan-lus," it is said that 

 horses lose their shoes where it grows. One Culpepper gives 

 incredible accounts of this ; the plant horse-tail is, of course, 

 " Earball-each " ; " Meacan-each " is the proper horse-radish, 

 horse-clover being " each-siamar " or seamraig. 



Riddles, sayings, and proverbs in regard to the horse are of 

 course numerous everywhere ; a few follow, which relate to the 

 North and West Highlands chiefly. Iain Lom's caustic saying : — 



Mar lagh na linnibh nach mairean 

 Bha 'n Sgire Cille-ma-Cheallaig, 

 'Nuair a dhit iad an gearran 's a mhod. 



As law of ages that are not, as was in Sgire-mocheallag, 

 when doomed they the garron in mod or mote. 



A horse-riddle runs "Air muin each nach d'rugadh, a's srian 

 a leathar a mhathair ann." Upon a horse that never was born, 

 and a bridle of leather of its mother's hide — the solution being 

 that as a foal the horse was cut out of its dead mother's side, of 

 whose hide the bridle was made. In Adamnan's Life of St 

 Columha the real meaning of gerran equiis ministrator (translated 

 elsewhere "minister's horse") is given as the Abbot's servant's 

 horse. An Irish word for flock of horses, or stud, is "graig" — 

 graig mac Lir, the horses of the son of Lir. Among "long- 

 breath tests " we find the following : — 



Coig stallain dhiag dhubha dhubhach 



Le 'n coig sar buill dhiag dhubha dhubhach 



Ceithir capull dhiag dhubha dhubhach 



