Dáta: 11/01/2025

Phléamar an tseachtain seo caite le cur síos beoga ar shaol na gcearrbhach, ar shliocht é as cuntas ar shochaí (mhílteata) na nGael sa 16ú haois a scríobh an staraí claonta Stanihurst (ach ní léir gur chum sé é é féin). Bheifí ag súil le trácht ar an mbodach (eDIL s.v. botach) “churl, lout” (FGB s.v. bodach) sa chéim is ísle den tsochaí, ach tosnaíonn cuntas Stanihurst leis an dailtín. Foirm dhíspeagtha é dailtín ar dalta, ar ndóigh, a chiallaíonn “foster-child”, “pupil, student, pet, fondling” agus, i gcomhthéacs míleata, “cadet” (FGB s.v. dalta; eDIL s.v. dailtín). Ó thaobh ordlathas saighdiúirí de, mhíneodh a leithéid de stádas íseal ráiteas Stanihurst go raibh an dailtín (daltin) faoi bhun na ngiollaí (groomes) agus na mbuachaillí bó (horsseboies) féin. Is é an ceithearnach (kerne) “light-armed soldier; foot soldier” (FGB s.v. ceithearnach) atá sa tríú háit ag Stanihurst; ansin an gallóglach (galloglasse) “heavily-armed foot-soldier” (FGB s.v. gallóglach), téarma a thagair i dtosach báire do shaighdiúir tuarastail de bhunadh na hAlban go sonrach. (Maidir leis an leagan Béarla, féach gurb é -s an iolra atá i ndeireadh an fhocail gallowglass ó cheart < *gallogla(gh) (+ s) < gallóglach.) Os a gcionn sin bhí na marcaigh nó horsemen, a bhí chomh hard sin san ordlathas go ndeir Stanihurst ina dtaobh “the chiefest next the Lord and Captain”. De shliocht na huasalaicme ab airde stádas i sochaí na nGael a thánadar seo ní foláir. Agus díol spéise go bhfuil lucht na filíochta (tale-tellers) agus lucht an dlí ag teacht sna sála orthu seo in ordlathas Stanihurst. Bhí stádas rí-ard ag na teaghlaigh ghairmiúla i sochaí na sean-Ghael gan amhras, cé gur cinnte nach mbeadh aon pháirt acu sa tsaighdiúracht féin.

Níl dailtín le fáil ach go hannamh in ainmneacha bailte fearainn. Díol suntais go bhfaightear é in éineacht leis an bhfocal cnoc “hill” nó cnocán “hillock” de ghnáth. Mar shampla, i gContae Shligigh tá dhá sholaoid againn de Cnoc an Dailtín “the hill of the fosterling; the hill of the impudent or quarrelsome young man; the hill of the cadet”, ceann acu béarlaithe mar Knockadalteen (logainm.ie #45183) agus an ceann eile – gar do Bhaile idir Dhá Abhann – a fuair ainm nua Béarla Mount Town (logainm.ie #44588) (béarlaithe Knockdaltin i dtosach báire). Tá Cnoc an Dailtín/Knockadalteen le fáil mar ainm baile fearainn freisin i gContae Ros Comáin (logainm.ie #42886). Féach gur talamh ardaithe atá i gceist leis an mionainm Cnocán an Dailtín/Knockanadalteen (logainm.ie #1415157) i gContae Luimnigh.

Mar is dual dó, leanann P.W. Joyce tuairim Sheáin Uí Dhonnabháin agus míníonn Cnoc an Dailtín mar “hill of the horseboy” (The origin and history of Irish names of places III, lch. 436). Ach nuair a chuirtear an tuairisc thuas san áireamh, a leagann an dailtín faoi bhun na mbuachaillí bó agus na ngiollaí féin, b’fhéidir go mbeadh leithéid “the hill of the fosterling; …of the impudent or quarrelsome young man; …of the cadet” níos oiriúnaí mar mhíniú ar an logainm.

Stanihurst (c. 1570):

They obserue diuerse degrées, according to which each man is regarded. The basest sort among them are little yoong wags, called Daltins [dailtín ‘fosterling; impudent or quarrelsome young man’; see eDIL s.v. dailtín]; these are lackies, and are seruiceable to the groomes or horsseboies, who are a degrée aboue the Daltins. Of the third degrée is the Kerne, who is an ordinarie souldior, vsing for weapon his sword and target, and sometimes his péece, being commonlie so good markemen as they will come within a score of a great castell. Kerne signifieth (as noble men of deepe iudgement informed me) a shower of hell [false etymology based on analysis of ceithearn as cith ‘shower’ + ifreann ‘hell’], because they are taken for no better than for rakehels, or the diuels blacke gard, by reason of the stinking sturre they kéepe, wheresoeuer they be. The fourth degrée is a galloglasse, vsing a kind of pollar for his weapon. These men are commonlie weieward rather by profession than by nature, grim of countenance, tall of stature, big of lim, burlie of bodie, well and stronglie timbered, chieflie féeding on béefe, porke & butter. The fift degrée is to be an horsseman, which is the chiefest next the lord and capteine. These horssemen, when they haue no staie of their owne, gad & range from house to house like arrant knights of the round table, and they neuer dismount vntill they ride into the hall, and as farre as the table…

(Cf. freisin Calendar of the Patent and Close Rolls of Chancery in Ireland, Iml. 1, eag. James Morrin (Dublin, 1861) lch. 298 fonóta a).

(Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill)

• Cnoc an Dailtín/Knockadalteen
• Cnoc an Dailtín/Mount Town
• Cnoc an Dailtín/Knockadalteen
• Cnocán an Dailtín/Knockanadalteen

Breis téamaí