98 [Proc. B.N.F.C, 



that to mariners, Ireland would be known earlier and better 

 than Britain, since it lies due north from the west coast of 

 Spain, and even in the time of Tacitus (a.d. 84) its harbours 

 were preferred to those of Britain. Another Greek author 

 writing about 330 B.C. mentions both Albion and Ierne, these 

 being the ancient Celtic names of Britain and Ireland. But a 

 much later Latin author, quoting from ancient Punic records, 

 tells us that Himilico of Carthage visited the Oestrumnides or 

 Scilly Islands, and the Sacred Island beyond in the neighbour- 

 hood of Albiones. Himilico mentions the commerce between 

 Gades (Cadiz) and the Tin Islands and says that the husband- 

 men or planters of Carthage went also to those islands to 

 colonise. He also mentions graphically the populousness of 

 Ireland, the turfy nature of its soil, and the hide-covered boats 

 of its inhabitants ; above all, that it was then and had been 

 from ancient times called the Sacred Isle. Himilico's voyage 

 was made before B.C. 350, but how much earlier is not known. 



A passage in Aristotle (b c. 350) speaks of the Carthaginians 

 having made settlements in an island, many days' sail beyond 

 the Pillars of Hercules, in which were navigable rivers, abun- 

 dant fruits, and dark forests. This is believed to refer to 

 Ireland. Sir W. Betham says — " When the Greeks were in a 

 state of comparative barbarism, the Tyrian and Sidonian 

 navigators had explored not only the Mediterranean, but the 

 Atlantic, to the coasts of Spain, Gaul, and the British Isles." 

 To nautical trading and manufacturing enterprise, they added 

 a knowledge ol letters, which they are said to have com- 

 municated to the early Greeks. Their language bore a close 

 affinity to that of the Hebrews ; but that their language bears 

 a still stronger resemblance to Irish, is a discovery of quite 

 modern times. This discovery, made by an Irish scholar 

 O'Neachtan, and given to the world by General Valiancy in 

 1807, is of very great importance, and establishes the antiquity 

 of Irish as a spoken language. Concerning extracts from 

 Punic speeches introduced in the " Poenulus of Plautus," a 

 Latin play written at Rome about 200 years B.C., Sir W. 



