Now, what will be thought of all this etymological induction, when it can be proved from history that clann Cuileain signifies the race of Cullen?
The Cuilean or Cullen from whom this tribe took their name is found in the pedigree of Mac Namara, within the authentic period of Irish history, for he flourished in the eighth century, a period to which our authentic annals reach with perfect historical certainty. Let us then see how this meaning “children of the corner of the water” is obtained from the compound clann Cuileain. Apparently by a very simple process, thus; clann means descendants, cuil means corner, and ean water; but regular as this process appears, it is nevertheless utterly fallacious, for the word clann means children or descendants relatively to an ancestor, not to a locality; and though the name Cuileain (now anglicised Cullen or Collins) when cut in two, would apparently make the words cuil and ean, still the word is not compounded of cuil, a corner, and ean, water, for the first syllable is short, and the last syllable is a diminutive termination of the same power with the Latin ulus, as in the compounds campulus, colliculus, catulus; and the word cuilean, whether taken as a common noun substantive or as a proper name, is synonymous with the Latin catulus, or Catullus.
The next assertion above made, that clann Cuileain was also called Hy na mor, is untrue, for the name Hy na mor had never any existence except in Mr Beauford’s fancy; and even if it had, the meaning given for it would not be correct, for hy does not properly mean district, nor does mor mean sea. The assertion that the chiefs of clann Cuileain were called Mac na mor aois is also untrue, for the name was never so written by any one except Mr Beauford. They were uniformly called Mic Conmara, as being the descendants of Cu-mara, who was chief of the clann Cuileain in the tenth century; and the name Cumara, signifying hero of the sea, was first given to a chief of this family, from his being an expert seaman, not from his dwelling on the sea, for the clann Cuileain or Mac Namaras were not located on the sea, or near the sea, but in an inland territory in the south-east of the county of Clare.
2. “Cineal Eoghean, or Cean all Eoghain, from cean thuath oll Eogh-an, pronounced Connal Owen, or the principal division of the northern county of the Oll or Bolgæ, an ancient district in the province of Ulster, comprehending originally the present counties of Tyrone, Armagh, Donegal, and part of the county of Derry, being the ancient divisions of Eirgal or Orgall,” &c.
Here the name Cineal Eoghain, which had been translated genus Eoghain, i.e., race or progeny of Eoghan, by all the early Irish writers, is made to signify the principal division of the northern county of the Oll or Bolgæ. Let us examine how this interpretation has been wrested from Cineal Eoghain. In the first place, he spells the name incorrectly, though we cannot see that he gains any point by doing so; next he takes asunder what he conceives to be its component parts, first metamorphosing the word Cineal, which is cognate with the Latin genus and the English kind, kindred, into Cean all, which he made to signify “principal division,” and resolving Eoghan, a man’s name, into Eogh-an, to make it signify I know not what; but as the four vocables thus obtained would not answer his purpose, he took the liberty of adding one more of his own coining, thus making five distinct words of the two original ones. But even allowing that these five vocables are legitimately obtained from the two original ones, I have still a further objection to them, for they do not grammatically coalesce, or bear the meaning he affixes to them, as there is no word among the five to express principal division or county. And granting further that the five words thus formed could really bear the signification he gives them, it would not follow that the name Cineal Eoghain is so compounded, while in opposition to the testimony of all authentic history; and we have the testimony of all the authentic Irish annals, the lives of the Irish apostle, and of the most ancient genealogical books, to prove that the great northern race called Cineal Eoghain took that appellation from their great ancestor Eoghan (the son of Niall of the Nine Hostages), who was contemporary with St Patrick, as did a neighbouring race that of Cineal Conaill, from Eoghan’s brother, Conall Gulban.
But the supporters of Mr Beauford’s system may say that although it may be true that the Cineal Eoghain took their appellation from their ancestor Eoghan, still that this Eoghan may have taken his name from the territory over which he ruled. I answer, that this does not bear even the semblance of probability, for we have the authority of Cormac’s Glossary for asserting that the proper name Eoghan (still used as a man’s name in every part of Ireland, and anglicised Owen and Eugene) was understood by the ancient Irish literati to signify the good offspring, or the goodly born, and this looks much more probable than the signification which Mr Beauford wrings from it, for the Irish had many other names similarly compounded, as Finghin (now Florence), meaning the fair offspring; Coemhghin (now Kevin), the beautiful offspring, &c. Thus it appears that Beauford’s derivation of the tribe name of Cineal Eoghain is a mere etymological phantasy, unsupported by history or etymology. I have also to mention that the extent he gives to the territory of this tribe is too great, for it never comprised the one-fourth part of the present county of Donegal, or any part of Armagh.
But I am exceeding the space allowed me for this article, and must defer the remaining examples till next number.
[2] Let not the reader confound this Beauford with the author of the ecclesiastical map of Ireland, for the latter was Dr Beaufort, and his works are distinguished for their accuracy.
LETHE: AN ALLEGORY.
BY J. U. U.