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gallo(w)glass
Jul. 21st, 2014 07:22 amgalloglass or gallowglass (GAL-oh-glas, GAL-oh-glahs) - n., a heavily armed mercenary soldier, originally from the Hebrides and Western Scotland, in service to an Irish chieftain in the 13th through 16th centuries.
Specifically from about 1235, and I do not know enough Irish history to understand the significance of that date. I do know enough to know that Hebrideans would be of mixed Gaelic-Norse ancestry, which must have played interestingly with the Norse settlement of Dublin. The bulk of them supposedly settled in Ireland after backing the losing side(s) in the Wars of Scottish Independence, but those didn't really pick up till the end of the 13th century, making the 1235 date still a puzzle. The word is from Irish, of course, from gallóglach, foreign soldier, from gall, foreigner/non-Gael + óglach young man/warrior, and has been used in English since 1515 -- which says something about England's meddling in Irish politics.
---L.
Specifically from about 1235, and I do not know enough Irish history to understand the significance of that date. I do know enough to know that Hebrideans would be of mixed Gaelic-Norse ancestry, which must have played interestingly with the Norse settlement of Dublin. The bulk of them supposedly settled in Ireland after backing the losing side(s) in the Wars of Scottish Independence, but those didn't really pick up till the end of the 13th century, making the 1235 date still a puzzle. The word is from Irish, of course, from gallóglach, foreign soldier, from gall, foreigner/non-Gael + óglach young man/warrior, and has been used in English since 1515 -- which says something about England's meddling in Irish politics.
---L.
