In all likelihood, Baltimore (despite attempts to connect it to Baal-worshippers; sigh) is an anglicisation of 'Baile an Tigh Mór': the Town of the Big House. However, the Irish name for the village is more specific in its reference; Dún na Séad: Fort of the Jewels.
Built in 1215 (how could we forget!), the castle of Dún na Séad is one of nine O'Driscoll castles in the area, and was their main stronghold.
The nature of the 'jewels' in question are unclear. Some trace the name back to an older pre-O'Driscoll site, which Dún na Séad was built over; others claim that the jewels refer to plundered spoils, and from there weave tales of piracy and privateers and sneaky sacking.Who knows. I'm just saying, the Irish and English renderings are distinct.
And speaking of distinct things, this year's Clan Gathering coincides with the Sherkin Shindig - three days of trad sessions out on the island, starting today. That's right, we're doubling up on festivals!
But for me, it's time for some more coffee and scribbling...
Have a great weekend :-)
2 comments:
Oh we all remember 1215, but can we remember the lifeboat class? On a more serious note, would be interesting to think about what else was happening in 1215, the year of Magna Carta.....Unfortunately, as the authors of "1215: The Year of Magna Carta" discovered, not a lot else did happen that we know about!
[For those who missed the ref: during a Springtime pub quiz, when none of our team knew the answer to "What year is on the plaque at the base of the castle?" Tom shoots up and races out into the night to get the answer. It was only the beginning of the antics...]
Tom, that's the pre-printing problem: I guess 1215 evenings were filled with stories, a massive oral continuum building on French and German and Celtic tales, one iteration after another, romances and bawdy fabliaux and didactic morality tales. You can glimpse snapshots in some of the surviving mss, or through to Chaucer or Shakespeare, but yes... we know very little about it, and I guess the less we listen to stories aloud, the more tenuous our connection. Little sigh.
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