Hmm…marginal I think; but probably yes, south of the Great Glen. However I think the warning to beware of nice lines on maps during this period applies!
Can we trace the ownership of places through the names e.g. is Mull called Null because that is the name from the times of Dal Riata or is it more ancient or possibly newer
Hi Ernest, and yes Scottish place names are like any others; a mix of the landscape, people, events. Mull derives from a Gaelic word ‘moal’ for a rounded hill or mountain. Having said that, The Island of Mull has a much older origin, and is pre Gaelic so that doesn’t work. It was recorded already in Ptolemy in the 2nd Century as Malaios, thence presumably to a Pictish name, which was then translated into Old Norse (since of course int eh 8th century the islands were overrun by the Vikings) as Myl. Whether the name originated from a person or feature I do not know…!
So, when I visited Glen Coe a few years ago, was I within the ancient boundaries of Dál Riata?
Hmm…marginal I think; but probably yes, south of the Great Glen. However I think the warning to beware of nice lines on maps during this period applies!
Can we trace the ownership of places through the names e.g. is Mull called Null because that is the name from the times of Dal Riata or is it more ancient or possibly newer
Hi Ernest, and yes Scottish place names are like any others; a mix of the landscape, people, events. Mull derives from a Gaelic word ‘moal’ for a rounded hill or mountain. Having said that, The Island of Mull has a much older origin, and is pre Gaelic so that doesn’t work. It was recorded already in Ptolemy in the 2nd Century as Malaios, thence presumably to a Pictish name, which was then translated into Old Norse (since of course int eh 8th century the islands were overrun by the Vikings) as Myl. Whether the name originated from a person or feature I do not know…!