The Wilmingtonian., 1885-01-24
THE ORIGIN OF THE IRISH.

makes the novel assertion, in relation to the
origin of the Irish race, THE Irish, whc
undoubtedly descended from the Carthagin-
ians (of whom Hannibal was one), while
they have great love of change, are never
theless hospitable."
At the time of the founding of Carthage,
at date anterior to 1t and subsequently
Figuier indicates that the inhabitants of
Ireland together with those of Scotland and
England were Kelts. Carthage itself,a well
as Phenica from whence it sprung were
Semitic. When the Caithaginians settled in
Africa they found themselves among their
own congeners
Now,as the Carthagiuians were very dis
tinct race from the Kelts, and, as according
to Professor Yelland, tie earthagiuians
were the first on Irish soil, the progentors
of the Irish race were Semites. But the
Belts indsputably dominated Ireland at the
time anterior to B. C. so. The Erse, the
Gael AID the Cymri were all Kelts and
under that general name occupied Great
Britain.
The Professors assertion disputes a Kel-
tic pattern ty to the Irish Race. To ascribe
to that race any distinct extraction from
any certain race is probably equally hazard
Gus.
1t would be as much open to question to
claim for the English of to-day distinct ex-
traction, either from the ancient Cymric, the
Saxon, the Danish, the Anglian or the Nor
man. 1t is not disputed that the present
Englshman has the blood of them all flow
ing in his veins. So far as purity of race
| goes he is thorough mongrel. But the
fusion was completed about 800 years ago,
and now he represents new individual race.
| The Irishman too partakes of that cosmo-
politan phase. The earliest recorded occu-
piers of Ireland are the Kelts. Ireland was
overrun by the Mortimer, by the Saxons,
1
the Danes, and lastly by the English. The
last mentioned, at various dates, by Strong
bow and his Norman knights in 1172, by
different English Kings. Queen Elizabeth
made large grants of lands to her favurites
Cromwell spread fire and sword throughout
the land devastating it to as great degree
as William of Normandy did Northambria.
of the bloody hand, y and " illiam of Orange
made similar gratuities to his Dutch gener-
ais.
4 aE ITbim' tbs tirross trie I5;lnes g VisS o
the later Stuarts Irish blood was more oil
less influenced by that of all the different
nationalities who invaded and settled in the
land, until at the present day any distinctive
race is obliterated as thoroughly as in Eng
land although the fusion is not as thorough
There were several minor racial influences
also, such as slight tncture of Spanisl
blood, as in Galway and Kinsale in both o
l
which cities at the present day there ar
relics of Spanish architecture. The Hugue
nots and Flemmings settled in the South-eas
of Ireland. There were small Welch cole
nies on the Eastern coast in Wexford an
Wicklow. There are legends also of Mool
ish settlements, and well authenticate
history of their incursions, as in the balla
"The Sack of Baltimore"
All these different peoples amalgamate
and now form what is known as the Iris
No reference has been made to the lari
Scotch or Gaelic settlements in the North
Ireland. However, no nation in Europe CT
claim such a cosmopolitan character as Il
Irish.
An examination into the origin of son
of the commoner Irish names will justi
the deductions made. 1t is usually suppc
ed that nothing could be more thorough
Irish than the names Burke, Barry Walls
- Devlin, Spenser, Butler, Fitzgerald, Quir
mn |
But there is no greater mistake. Burke
DeBurgh, the purest Norman, true peer
Deyere! Barry or Barri (Berri) is the san
Devlin is D'Evelyn, Quinn is Gwynne
Gawain, noble Saxon patronymic: all
names commen cling with ''Fitz'' are of
bluest Norman blood, and some, like Fitz
of royal Norman (though possibly with
bar sinister on their escutcheon)
names Butler, Ormond and Desmond
all prominent Norman families and o
through long inheritance of Irish la
can be called Irish, as most of the alb
were Strongbow's followers or the decC
ants of them. The name Fox is a cor
tion of DeYaux-Delahanty from D
hunte, Flynn also is corruption of D.
lyn. Spenser is from Lie Dispenser. A Il
found among the peasantry in the we
part of the country of Cork is Boozan
corruption, it is supposed of beau sang.
A Burke, or Barry,o Quinn, or
gerald has no more Irish, that is to say
tic, extraction in him, than the Ell
Norman houses whJ call themselves az
day Englishmen. They all came from
mandy with the Conqueror. 1t is pa
sional to hare an Irishman of any of the
| that names, (and of plumbers of others not