Sir,—There are the following authorities for different derivations of the word Armagh.
Camden, in his Britannia, says:—
"Armach ab Amarchâ reginâ; sic dictum fabulantur Hibernici; at mihi eadem esse videtur quam Dearmach vocat Beda: et Roborum Campum ex lingua Scotica sive Hibernica interpretatur, ubi circa annum salutis DLX. monaterium extruxit celeberrimum Columbanus."
Dr. Keating's Hist. of Ireland has as follows:—
"Macha the wife of Nemedius died before her son Ainnim ... from her Ardmagh received its name, because she was buried in that place."
Circles of Gomer (London, 1771), contains as follows:—
"Ar, and Ararat.—The Earth, country, or upon and on the earth ... Armagh on the surrounding water confines."
M. Bullet, Mémoires de la Langue Celtique, writes thus:—
"Armagh, Une des plus anciennes villes d'Irland. Ar, article. Mag, ville."—vol. i.
But the 2nd and 3rd vols. of these Mémoires, which contain the Celtic Dictionary, afford a more probable interpretation:—