The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 52, June 26, 1841Various
History
The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 52, June 26, 1841
Various
Ireland -- Periodicals
of Munster, is now rendered Kean; and I observe that the chief O’Hara
has suffered himself to be called Charles King O’Hara in a book lately
dedicated to him! In the family of Maguire, Cuconnaught is rendered
Constantine, while in other families Cosnavy undergoes precisely the same
change. In the family of O’Kane, the name Cooey written Cu-maighe in the
original language, and signifying “_dog of the plain_,” is now rendered
Quintin. In the family of O’Dowd, the ancient name of Dathi, which they
have adopted from their great ancestor of that name, who was the last
Pagan king of Ireland, is now rendered David, a name with which it is
supposed to be synonymous. In the north and west of Ireland the names
Duval-tach, Duv-da-lethe, and Duvdara, are all anglicised Dudley. In the
family of Mac Sweeny, the very ancient name of Heremon is anglicised
Irwin, but it is now almost obsolete as a Christian name. In the families
of O’Hanlon, O’Haran, and O’Heany, in the province of Ulster, the name
Eochy, signifying _horseman_, and which was latinized Eochodius, Achaius,
Euthichius, and Equitius, is anglicised Auhy and Atty; but this name
is also almost obsolete, the writer having never met more than one
person who bore the name, in his travels through Ireland. Among the
O’Mulconrys, now Conrys, the names Flann, Fithil, and Flaithri, have been
anglicised Florence. In the family of O’Daly, the name Baothghalach,
which was formerly latinized Boethius, is now always rendered Bowes;
and in that of O’Clery, the name Lughaidh is anglicised Lewy and Lewis.
Among the O’Reillys of Cavan, the hereditary name of Maelmora, which
signifies _majestic chief_, is now invariably rendered Myles, and among
the O’Kellys of Hy-Many, the name Fachtna is rendered Festus. In every
part of Ireland, Maelseachlainn, or Melaghlin, which signifies _servant
of St Secundinus_, has been changed to Malachy, to which it bears no
analogy whatever, excepting some fancied resemblance in sound. In every
part of Ireland the name of Gilla-patrick has been changed to Patrick;
and, by the way, it is curious to observe, that common as the name
Patrick has now become in Ireland, especially among the lower classes,
it was never in use among the ancient Irish, for they never called their
children by the name itself of the Irish apostle, deeming it more humble
and more auspicious to call them his _servants_; and hence we find the
ancient Irish calling their children, not Patrick, but Maelpatrick, or
Gillapatrick; and these names they latinized Patricianus, not Patricius.
The name of Patrick is now looked upon as the most vulgar in use among
the Irish, which is a very strange and almost unaccountable prejudice,
for Patricius was one of the most honourable names in all antiquity, as
the reader will see if he will take the trouble to read the work on the
antiquity of British Churches, by Ussher, pp. 841-1046, in which that
learned primate gives the history and derivation of the name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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