generation. About Brian's time permanent surnames began to be 

 introduced. These surnames were taken in the first instance from 

 some distinguished ancestor, and then became the distinctive and 

 permanent appellations of the descendants of those who first 

 assumed them. Thus Irish family or surnames ^are formed from the 

 genitive case of names of ancestors who flourished in the ioth cen- 

 tury, or thereabouts, by prefixing O or Mac — O, meaning grandson, 

 and Mac. meaning son — compare the Welsh Map, changed to Ap 

 and 'P, and the Norman Fitz — fils, Alius — and the Gothic son. (Ni 

 was used for daughter.) Now this was the state of things which 

 we find to have existed in Ireland shortly after a very serious event 

 for the country — the invasion of the Norsemen. In the 8th 

 century bodies of Norse rovers, history tells us, were to be found 

 hovering around the coasts of south-western Europe, and now and 

 again making successful descents for the purpose of carrying away 

 booty. Ireland, along with England, France, and other countries, 

 was exposed to the attacks of these sea rovers. The first record 

 of a Norse attack on this country is set down in the Annals of 

 Ireland opposite the year 795 a.d., when Scandinavian pirates 

 made a descent upon the island of Rachrein or Rechru (conjec- 

 tured to be Lambay island), and burned and pillaged its churches. 

 From this time forward, until the arrival of the Anglo-Normans, in 

 the 1 2th century, Ireland was subject to the continuous ravages 

 of Norwegian and Danish pirates and adventurers. These Norse- 

 men finally won a footing on the island, and established themselves 

 as regular occupants of the soil. They founded several seaports 

 whose names still indicate their origin, as, for instance, Wexford, 

 i.e., West-bay; Waterford, i.e., Weather-bay. They occupied many 

 other places on the sea-board, and even in the interior of the 

 country. The names of Howth, Skerries, Leixlip {i.e. Salmon leap), 

 Strangford, Carlingford, &c, all show by their Norse origin the 

 influence which these invaders had on the country. Even in the 

 very heart of Ireland their kings held their courts for many years. 

 Turgesius, for instance, had his royal residence at Armagh for some 

 time. Although these men had very fierce wars with the native 

 Irish, they occasionally entered into covenants with them, and by 



