58 



and such a people invaded Ireland at such a time, and then a 

 meagre list of the names of the invaders. If these names were 

 authentic, we might determine the nationality of the early invaders 

 of the country, and thus fill up a lnrge blank in its primitive his- 

 tory. We might then tell who -were the Milesians, the Partho- 

 lanians, the Fomonans, and Tuatha de Danaans, of whom we read 

 in the early annals of our country. Something in this way may be 

 done even with the meagre materials at hand, but I am not in a 

 position to-night to attempt it. I shall leave that portion of the 

 history for some future occasion. 



One thing we are quite sure of, that this country was possessed 

 at a very" early period by a Celtic speaking people ; by part of a 

 great and conquering nation, first noticed in history as thronging 

 into the valleys of the' Danube, thence flooding Gaul, breaking into 

 Greece and Italy ; spreading from Gaul northward, and occupying 

 the British Islands. We have the evidence of authentic history 

 for this ; we have also confirmative evidence from Philology. 

 Although of the language of the Celts on the continent, we pos- 

 sess but a few names of chiefs preserved in the histories of Caesar, 

 Tacitus, and Livy, and in some ancient inscriptions. Yet those 

 names are quite sufficient to show us that they belonged to people 

 using a cognate language with that spoken by the early inhabitants of 

 this country. You will readily recall to memory the names of those 

 Celtic chieftains noticed by Caesar and Tacitus, such as Ambiorix, 

 Dumnorix, Orgetorix, Cingetorix, Vercingetorix. Well, these are 

 all Celtic names, and contain roots to be recognized for the most 

 part at the present day. You see here a common termination rix; 

 well, this is the Celtic Righ, which means chief or king, and which 

 is compounded with many similar words in Irish, Welsh, and Ar- 

 morican. You see here the prefix ver ; well, this means simply 

 man — the Irish Fear — and is found combined with many Irish 

 names. You will remember the name of the British chief noticed 

 by Tacitus — Caractacus. Well, this name has been found in old 

 inscriptions on the continent, and it still survives in names which 

 are more familiar to your ears. The present Welsh form of it is 

 Caradoc, or Caradwg ; the ancient Irish Cartach, or Carthaigh ; 



