Blair Collection > Gaelic journal > Volume 1, number 1

THE GAELIC JOURNAL.
That the Pagan Irish divided the year
into four quarters is quite evident from the j
terms Earrach, Sainhrad/i, Fcglnnhar, and
Geiinhrid/i, which are undoubtedly ancient
Irish words, not derived from the Latin
through Christianity ; and that each of
these began with a stated day, three of
which daj-s are still known, namely,
Bcalltaine, otherwise called Ceideaniiiain,
or beginning of summer (see p. 20, infra),
when they lighted fires at Uisneach, in the
beginning o{ Saìnhradh ; Lnghnasadli, the
games of Lughaidh Lamh-fliada, which
commenced at Taillte on the first day of
Foglimhar, the harvest ; and Sauihain, i. e.
Samh-fhiiin, or summer-end, when they
lighted fires at Tlachtgha. The beginning
of Earrach, the spring, was called Oimelc,
which is derived from oi, ewe, and inelc,
milk, because the sheep began to yean in
that season, but we have not found that any
festival was celebrated.
In a MS. in the Library of the British
Museum (Harleian MSS., H. I. B., No. 5280,
p. 38), the names of the days with which the
seasons commenced are given in the
following order :
" O SẃiiifUAn CO h-Omielc, h-o Onnelc co
Oeinne, h-o OeLcnie co 0]\on-ciioJÄin,''
i. e. " from Samhsun to Oimelc, from
Oimelc to Beltine, from Beltine to Bron-
troghain." And the following explanations
are then given by way of gloss : —
" SwiiiAin ■ono .1. 1-Aiiipnii .1. i:uin in c-
]\\iiiH<MT3 Ann, A)\ 1)' x>e \\o\x\x\ no bni) ■ço\\ An
ni-ptiAuAin Ann .1. in i'AiimAü o ueilcme co
SAiiipuni, Acu]" m gs^'iT^'o ó SAiíiỳuin co
belcnie," i. e. " Samhain, i. e. Samhfhuin,
i. e. the end of Sainradh [summer] is in it,
for the year was divided into two parts, i. e.
the Sainradh, from Beltine to Samfhuin,
and the Gciinhrcdii, from Samfhuin to
Beltine."
A similar e.xplanation of SAiiiyum is
given in H. 3. 18, p. 596, and in O'Clery's
Glossary.
Oimelc is derived from iinine-folc, and
explained CAine An eAjiiiAij, i. e. the begin-
ning of Spring, or from oi-melc, sheep-milk :
"1-]'hi Aniip]i mni'enn a cicc Af)' CAei|iuic
ACU]- 1 in-bleAgAup coii\iccli," i. e. "This
is the time when the milk of sheep comes,
and when sheep are milked." In Peter
O'Connell's MS. Dictionary, onnelc is also
written iinbulc, and explained peiL bi\i5t)e,
i. e. St. Bridget's festival, ist February-,
which day has for many centuries been
called La Feile Brigade, the older name
being obsolete.
Belltine, the name of the first day of
summer, is thus explained :
"belrme .1. bit cine .1. cene f-omiiiece .1.
t)Á rene-ó -oo jní-oí)- Ia li-ACf)- iteccAi no
■0]uii CO cmcecÌAib mónAib, 7 tjo Lectìí]" n*
cecuA ecAHjiAe aji ce-ònuMinAib cechA
bliA-ónA; no bel-ome , bet üin Aniin X)é
IWAil ; !)• Ann no [c]a)' j-elbci -onie JACa
cecuA yoji i^eifb beil."
" Bt/tine, i. e. bill tine, i. e. lucky fire, i. e,
two fires which used to be made by the
lawgivers or druids, with great incantations,
and they used to drive the cattle between
them [to guard] against the diseases of
each year. Or Bel-dine ; Bel was the name
of an idol god. It was on it [i. e. that day]
that the firstling of every kind of cattle
used to be exhibited as in the possession of
Bel." See a similar passage quoted in
Petrie's Antiquities of Tara Hill, p. 60.
Bron-trogliain, the name of the first day
of the next season is explained Liighnasadk
[Lammas], i. e. " Uaitdb Vojaihaih .1. i]' Anu
no b]iome civoJAtn .1. caIaiìi yo coincifs.
UiioJAH tim Aniin no caIaiìi," i. e. " the
beginning of Foghamhar, i. e. in it Troghan
brings forth, i. e. the earth under fruits.
Troghan, then, is a name for the earth."
In the Book of Lismore, in the Library
of the Royal Irish Academy, (fol. 189, a)
iiiif ü]i05Am is explained, LngnAj-A, Lammas.
In Cormac's Glossary (as we have already
intimated), e)\iiAC, the spring, is explained
u]\u5A-ó, i. e. refreshing, and derived from
the Latin ver ; but it is much more like
the Greek to.? capos.
Saiìiiia-ò is thus explained in Cormac's
Glossary :
"SAiii)u\t), quA]-! fAiii I]- in-o CbpA yot iy
m l/Airm un-oe -oicicuii SAiii]-on .1. i-ol
eoi\uiii. Saiìi]ia-ò -om .1. iuau ]\itey J^]\ìmi, 7
1]- Ant) A]' 1110 ■00 c]Aicne a ]-oill]'e ]'uac a