TheNorse–Gaels (Old Irish:Gall-Goídil;Irish:Gall-Ghaeil;Scottish Gaelic:Gall-Gàidheal;Manx:Goal-Gael, 'foreigner-Gaels') were a people of mixedGaelic andNorse ancestry and culture. They emerged in theViking Age, whenVikings whosettled in Ireland andin Scotland becameGaelicised and intermarried withGaels. The Norse–Gaels dominated much of theIrish Sea andScottish Sea regions from the9th to12th centuries. They founded theKingdom of the Isles (which included theHebrides and theIsle of Man), theKingdom of Dublin, theLordship of Galloway (which is named after them), and briefly ruled theKingdom of York (939–944 AD). The most powerful Norse–Gaelic dynasty were theUí Ímair or Ivar dynasty.
Over time, the Norse–Gaels became ever moreGaelicised and disappeared as a distinct group. However, they left a lasting influence, especially in the Isle of Man andOuter Hebrides, where most placenames are of Norse–Gaelic origin. SeveralScottish clans have Norse–Gaelic roots, such asClan MacDonald,Clan MacDougall andClan MacLeod. The elite mercenary warriors known as thegallowglass (gallóglaigh) emerged from these Norse–Gaelic clans and became an important part of Irish warfare. The Vikinglongship also influenced the Gaelicbirlinn andlonga fada, which were used extensively until the 17th century. Norse–Gaelic surnames survive today and includeMacIvor,MacAskill, and[Mac]Cotter.
The meaning ofGall-Goídil is 'Foreign[er] Gaels' and although it can in theory mean any Gael of foreign origin, it was used of Gaels (i.e. Gaelic-speakers) with some kind of Norse identity.[citation needed] This term is subject to a large range of variations depending on chronological and geographical differences in theGaelic language, e.g.Gall Gaidel, Gall Gaidhel, Gall Gaidheal, Gall Gaedil, Gall Gaedhil, Gall Gaedhel, Gall Goidel, Gall Ghaedheil, etc. The modern term in Irish isGall-Ghaeil orGall-Ghaedheil, while the Scottish Gaelic isGall-Ghàidheil.[1]
The Norse–Gaels often called themselves Ostmen or Austmen, meaning East-men, a name preserved in a corrupted form in theDublin area known asOxmantown which comes from Austmanna-tún (homestead of the Eastmen).[citation needed] In contrast, they called Gaels Vestmenn (West-men) (seeVestmannaeyjar andVestmanna).[citation needed]
Other terms for the Norse–Gaels areNorse-Irish,Hiberno-Norse orHiberno-Scandinavian for those in Ireland, andNorse-Scots orScoto-Norse for those in Scotland.
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The Norse–Gaels originated inViking colonies of Ireland and Scotland, the descendants of intermarriage between Norse immigrants and the Gaels. As early as the 9th century, many colonists (except theNorse who settled inCumbria) intermarried with nativeGaels and adopted theGaelic language as well as many Gaelic customs. Many left their original worship ofNorse gods and converted toChristianity, and this contributed to theGaelicisation.[2]
Gaelicised Scandinavians dominated the region of the Irish Sea until theNorman era of the 12th century. They founded long-lasting kingdoms, such as those ofMann,Dublin, andGalloway,[3] as well as taking control of the Norse colony atYork.
The Norse are first recorded in Ireland in 795[4] when they sackedRathlin Island. This island is located off of the Northeast coast of Ireland and contains with it many gravesites with formal evidence of existence.[5]Annals of Ulster states that the first raid on this island was known as theLoscad Rechrainne o geinntib, otherwise known as 'the burning of Rechru by heathens.'[6][verification needed] Sporadic raids then continued until 832, after which they began to build fortified settlements throughout the country. Norse raids continued throughout the 10th century, but resistance to them increased. The Norse established independent kingdoms inDublin,Waterford,Wexford,Cork andLimerick. These kingdoms did not survive the subsequent Norman invasions, but the towns continued to grow and prosper.
The term Ostmen was used between the 12th and 14th centuries by the English in Ireland to refer to Norse–Gaelic people living in Ireland. Meaning literally "the men from the east" (i.e. Scandinavia), the term came from theOld Norse wordaustr or east. The Ostmen were regarded as a separate group from the English and Irish and were accorded privileges and rights to which the Irish were not entitled. They lived in distinct localities; in Dublin they lived outside the city walls on the north bank of theRiver Liffey in Ostmentown, a name which survives to this day in corrupted form asOxmantown. It was once thought that their settlement had been established by Norse–Gaels who had been forced out of Dublin by the English but this is now known not to be the case. Other groups of Ostmen lived in Limerick and Waterford. Many were merchants or lived a partly rural lifestyle, pursuing fishing, craft-working and cattle raising. Their roles in Ireland's economy made them valuable subjects and the English Crown granted them special legal protections. These eventually fell out of use as the Ostmen assimilated into the English settler community throughout the 13th and 14th centuries.[7]
TheLords of the Isles, whose sway lasted until the 16th century, as well as many other Gaelic rulers of Scotland and Ireland, traced their descent from Norse–Gaelic settlements in northwest Scotland, concentrated mostly in theHebrides.[8]
The Hebrides are to this day known inScottish Gaelic asInnse Gall, 'the islands of foreigners';[9] the irony of this being that they are one of the last strongholds of Gaelic in Scotland.
It is recorded in theLandnámabók that there werepapar orculdees (Gaelic monks) inIceland before the Norse. This appears to tie in with comments ofDicuil and is given weight by recent archaeological discoveries. Thesettlement of Iceland and theFaroe Islands by the Norse included many Norse–Gael settlers as well as slaves and servants. They were calledVestmen (Western men), and the name is retained inVestmanna in the Faroes and theVestmannaeyjar off the Icelandic mainland.[citation needed]
A number of Icelandic personal names are of Gaelic origin, includingNjáll,Brjánn,Kjartan andKormákur (fromNiall,Brian,Muircheartach andCormac).[10]Patreksfjörður, an Icelandic village, was named afterSaint Patrick. A number of placenames named after the papar exist on Iceland and the Faroes.
According to some circumstantial evidence,Grímur Kamban, seen as the founder of the Norse Faroes, may have been a Norse Gael:[11]
According to the Faereyinga Saga... the first settler in the Faroe Islands was a man named Grímur Kamban –Hann bygdi fyrstr Færeyar, it may have been the land taking of Grímur and his followers that caused the anchorites to leave... the nickname Kamban is probably Gaelic and one interpretation is that the word refers to some physical handicap (the first part of the name originating in the Old Gaeliccamb 'crooked' ... another that it may point to his prowess as a sportsman (presumably ofcamóige / camaige 'hurley' – where the initial syllable also comes fromcamb). Probably he came as a young man to the Faroe Islands by way of Viking Ireland, and local tradition has it that he settled at Funningur in Eysturoy.
Heinrich Zimmer (1891) suggested that theFianna Cycle ofIrish mythology came from the heritage of the Norse–Gaels.[12] He suggested the name of the heroicfianna was an Irish rendering of Old Norsefiandr "enemies", and argued that this became "brave enemies" > "brave warriors".[12] He also noted thatFinn'sThumb of Knowledge is similar to the Norse taleFáfnismál.[13][14] LinguistRanko Matasović, author of theEtymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, derives the namefíanna from reconstructedProto-Celtic*wēnā (atroop),[15] while linguist Kim McCone derives it from Proto-Celtic*wēnnā (wild ones).[16]
Some modern surnames and forenames are of Norse-Gaelic origin.
| Gaelic | Anglicised form | "Son of-" |
|---|---|---|
| Mac Asgaill | MacAskill,McCaskill, Castell, Caistell | Áskell |
| Mac Amhlaibh (confused with native Gaelic Mac Amhlaidh, Mac Amhalghaidh) | MacAulay,MacAuliffe,Cowley,Cawley, MacCamley, McCamley, Kewley | Óláf |
| Mac Corcadail | McCorquodale,Clan McCorquodale,Corkill, Corkhill, Corkell, Corkey,McCorkindale, McCorkle, McQuorkell, McOrkil | Þorketill |
| Mac Coitir | Cotter, MacCotter,Cottier | Óttar |
| Mac DubhGhaill, Ó DubhGhaill, | Doyle, McDowell, MacDougal | Dubgall |
| Mag Fhionnain | Gannon | “the fair” (possibly in reference to someone with Norse ancestry)[17] |
| Mac Ìomhair | MacIver,Clan MacIver,MacIvor,MacGyver,McKeever, etc. | Ivar |
| Mac Raghnall | Crellin, Crennel | Rögnvald |
| Mac Shitrig[18] | MacKitrick, McKittrick | Sigtrygg |
| Mac Leòid | MacLeod | Ljótr[19] |
| Gaelic | Anglicised form | Norse equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Amhlaibh (confused with native Gaelic Amhlaidh, Amhalghaidh) | Aulay (Olaf) | Ólaf |
| Goraidh | Gorrie (Godfrey, Godfred), Orree (Isle of Man) | Godfrið |
| Ìomhar (confused with native Gaelic Éibhear, Éimhear > Mac Éibhir, Mac Éimhir) | Ivor | Ívar (Ingvar) |
| Raghnall | Ranald (Ronald, Randall, Reginald[20]) | Rögnvald |
| Somhairle | Sorley (or Samuel) | Sumarliði (Somerled) |
| Tormod | Norman | Þormóð |
| Torcuil | Torquil | Torkill, Þorketill |
The Gallgaedil of 12th-century Galloway appear to have been predominantly Gaelic-speakers...remained a people separate from the Scots...Their separateness seems to have been established not by language but by their links with Man, Dublin, and theInnsi Gall, the Hebrides: they were part of a Hiberno-Norse Irish-Sea world
Rathlin Island is the site of the first recorded Viking attack on Ireland in 795 AD. A number of Viking graves, some with magnificent grave goods, and a Hiberno-Norse coin hoard from the 1040's has been found here
Media related toNorse-Gaels at Wikimedia Commons