WHEN THE IRISH WERE SCOTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 84, 9 April 1938, Page 27

WHEN THE IRISH WERE SCOTS

' Almost every country is distinguished by more' than one appellation, says a writer in the Melbourne "Age." England (Albion, Britain), Scotland (Caledonia), Holland (The Netherlands), France (Gaul) are cases in point. Often the, various names are successive, as when Britain, wrested from the Romanised Britons by the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons, "became Angle-land or England. Hence it is not surprising that Ireland, the land of St. Patrick, should bear many designations.

One of these, revived recently by President de'Valera in the promulgation of the new Constitution of Saorstat Eireanri, is Eire, the pronunciation of which approximates to "airy" or "ayree," not "eyrie" as occasionally heard. . In a section of the Press the name has been hailed as a new title for the Emerald Isle, whereas, on studying the familiar word "Ireland," it is seen to. be only a step from "Eire-land." The Old English, in common with the Germanic tribes, added the suffix "land" to topographical names, and Eire being the word most used amongst the ancient Irish and Scots, Ireland became established as the English name for the island across St. George's Channel, with "Irish" as its corresponding adjective.

; "Oriis or two other names were in common use from an early period. ■Thus to those Scots proud of their native Scotland (also derived from the English) it comes as a shock to learn that Europe once called Ireland "Scotia Major" (Scotland the Great) and Scotland "Scotia Minor" (Scotland the Less). This national grouping arose first from the community of

race and culture which existed between the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland (established as a Gaelic kingdom by Irish colonists), and, secondly, from the epithet Scotic applied to the Gaelic or Celtic race, some say from a legendary Gaelic Queen Scotia or Scota, and others from the Greek "skotos," meaning darkness, possibly because ancient Ireland was overgrown with forests. Others again'identify, early invaders of Ireland from the Scythians who dwelt in Southern Russia, in the Crimean region. About the eleventh century the use of the term Scotia ceased in regard to Ireland, and Scotland henceforth reigned in undisputed possession of the name, its Gaelic title of Alba falling into disuse amongst other nations. The application of "Scot" to Ireland and its inhabitants is well shown in the lines of the Latin poet Claudian, translated by Camden. In discussing the forays of the Irish raiders pressing hard in the wake of the legions retreating from Britain and the western shores of the Continent as the Roman Empire tottered to its. fall, Claudian says:—

"When Scots In thousands left the Irish shores, The ocean trerahleil, struck with hostile oars.

The Romans never invaded Ireland and knew comparatively little about her, but spoke of Hibernia or lerne, using Greek sources of information. Plutarch employed the term Ogygia, signifying very ancient, and Festus Avienus, writing about 350 B.C. (quoted in Lingard's "History of England"), mentions the Sacred Isle of the Hibernians, situate at a distance of two days' sail from Britain.