62 



intermarriages became in some places after a manner Hibernicised. 

 At the time of Brian Bom many Norse chiefs were allied by marriage 

 with Irish families. Sigtrygg, king of the Danes of Dublin, was 

 married to a daughter of Brian. Brian himself was married to a 

 Danish woman — K,ormlada. 



The influence of the Norse occupation, and of these inter- 

 marriages, may still be seen in the family names which we encounter 

 from this date forward until the present. Thus, it is no uncommon 

 thing from this time to find Norse names combined with Celtic. 

 A few instances will suffice here. Thus, we find affixed to the 

 Celtic Mac (meaning son), Ivar or Ivor, an ancient Norse appel- 

 lation. The common form of this name at present is Mac Keever 

 or M' Ivor. There is an early Celtic name, Emher or Ever, not to 

 be confounded with this. MacLoughlin or MacLachlan is in all 

 probability a Danish name \ Lochlainn being the word used by the 

 ancient Irish to designate the Norsemen, as Lochlann was em- 

 ployed to signify their country. MacAuley or M'Cauley and 

 M'Auliffe, are all for the most part Norse names,* being modified 

 forms of the Scandinavian Olaf, which appears in the form Amlaoibh, 

 as a name of one of the Danish kings. There is a St. Olave's church 

 still in Waterford, and many churches are to be found in Norway, 

 and even in the parts of England subject to Danish influences, 

 dedicated to the same saint. The Irish name Reynolds, a corrup- 

 tion of Mac Rannalls, is most probably Danish. The name first 

 appears in the Irish Annals in the form Ragnaill ; a little before 

 the Norman conquest, Reginald, a king of the Danes of Waterford, 

 is mentioned in the Annals. The Norse form is Ragnvald. In 

 the pedigree of the Mac Rannalls there are many Ivars, which fact 

 strengthens the assumption of their Norse origin. There are 

 several families, too, who came originally from Scotland, whose 

 names show that they are of Norse origin, or have been subject 

 to Norse influences. For instance, we have the family of the 

 Mac Donnells of Antrim, whose history is about to be published 

 shortly by one of our distinguished archaeologists, the Rev. George 



* There are also Celtic MacAwlys, descended from Amhalgaidh, son of 

 Fiachra. 



