242 



house ; Stackallen in Heath is Ceac-Colldm, Collan's house. So 

 also Stirue, Stannaway, Stamullen, Stapolin, and several others. 



This corruption is almost confined to the counties of Dublin, Meath, 

 and Louth : I can find only very few examples outside these counties, 

 among which are, the parish of Stackumny in Kildare, Stakally in 

 parish of Powerstown, Kilkenny, and Tyrella in Down, which i3 

 called in the well-known Taxation (1306) published by Dr. Reeves, 

 Staghreel (Ceac-"Ria5ala, KiaghaTs or Eegulus's house). I find also, 

 after a not over-nice examination, that there are altogether in Dublin, 

 Meath, and Louth, 23 names which commenced originally with <Ceac 

 or in 15 of which this word has become Sta or Sti, the remaining 

 eight being correctly anglicised. 



The Irish word Leacc, a sepulchral monument, is also in some of 

 the Ulster counties, corrupted by prefixing an s ; for example Slaght- 

 averty in parish of Errigal, Londonderry, ought to be Lachtaverty, 

 Averty's monument. So also Slaghtneill, Slaghtmanus, Slaghtfreeden, 

 Slaghtybogy, and perhaps a few others. 



It will be recollected that all the corruptions hitherto noticed, were 

 found capable of explanation, on some previously established principle 

 of language : the reason of the alteration now under consideration, 

 however, is not so evident. In case of the conversion of Ta and Ti into 

 Sta and Sti, if I might be allowed to venture an opinion, I should sug- 

 gest the following as the probable explanation. The fact that this pe- 

 culiarity is almost confined to Dublin, Meath, and Louth, renders it 

 likely that it is a Danish corruption. In all the Northern languages 

 there are whole classes of words commencing with st, which mean 

 habitation, place, &c. For example, A.-Ssoz.-stow, a dwelling place, 

 a habitation ; stecle, a place, a station : Danish, sted, locus, sedes ; stad, 

 urbs, oppidum ; stede, statio : Icelandic, stadr, statio, urbs, oppidum ; 

 stofa, curta domus ; sto, statio. And I may add that in Iceland, 

 Norway, and other Northern countries, several of these words are 

 extensively used in the formation of names of places, of which any 

 one may satisfy himself by only looking over a map of one of these 

 countries. 



It appears to me, then, sufiiciently natural, that the Northern set- 

 tlers should convert the Irish Ta and Ti into their own significant Sta 

 and Sti. The change was sufiiciently marked in character to assimilate 

 to some extent the names to their own familiar local nomenclature, 

 while the alteration of form was so slight, that the words still remained 

 quite intelligible to the Irish population. It would appear more 

 natural to a Dane to say Stabannon (meaning Eanon's house) than 

 Tabannon, and an Irishman would understand quite well what he 

 meant. 



This opinion is further supported by these two well-known facts. 

 First, many places on the Eastern coast have Danish names, as Car- 

 lingfbrd, Waterford, Wexford, Leixlip, Howth, Lambay, Ireland's Eye, 

 and Dalkey. Secondly, the Danes frequently changed the Irish Imp 



