The first recorded arrival of the Gallowglass was in 1259. Prince
Aedh O’Connor of Connaught, son of King Feidhlim married a princess,
daughter of Dubhgall MacRory King of the Hebrides. As part of her dowry
she brought with her a force of 160 Gallowglasses. They came for the
most part from Inse Ghall (The Hebrides) and were Gaelic speaking Scots
interbred with Vikings. Because of their Viking blood they earned the
name from the words gall (foreign) and óglaigh (a warrior). The Scots
themselves were Irish, mainly the Dal Riada from North Ireland who
had traveled to Western Scotland and Hebrides.
| The terms applied to military commanders |
| taoiseach (the Irish prime minister) |
|
taoiseach-buidhne
|
| flaith |
|
cean-feadhna (or head of a force)
|
| cean-sloigh (or the leader of a host) |
terms applied to champions, chieftans, heros |
laoch |
curraidh |
gaisgidh |
orgaisgidheach |
The chief terms for weapons were
|
Claidheamh [clava], a sword |
tuagh or tuagh-catha |
battle-axe; laighean |
spear; lann |
lance or javelin; craoiseagh |
lance, javelin or halberd; ga gath, or gai |
dart; saighead |
arrow or dart; bolgsaighead |
bag or pouch for arrows or a quiver; sgian or skian |
dagger or large knife |
the ancient sling was called crann-tabhuil |
The armour consisted |
luireach (Lat, lorica) |
a coat of mail |
the shield |
buckler |
target, sciath |
the helmet |
cathbharr (from "cath," a battle, and "barr," the head or top) |
The banners of the ancient Irish |
bratach |
standard, meirge |
standard-bearer, meirgeach |
banner-bearer, fear-brataighe |
The bards attended battle-fields and raised the rosg-catha or
war-song. |
The Irish forces were composed of |
kerns |
gallowglasses and cavalry |
"kearn" (in Irish "ceatharnach"), signifying a battler, being
derived from "cath", a battle |
"galloglas" (in Irish, "Gall-og-laoch," a foreign warrior, or)
a foreign young champion |
The galloglasses were the heavy infantry of the Irish, a sort
of grenadiers armed with swords and battle-axes and also generally
wore armour, as helmets and breast-plates of iron, coats of mail
composed of a network of small iron rings, and some armour made
of strong leather; and their shields or bucklers were made of wood,
sometimes covered with skins of animals. |
The Irish commanders wore armour, helmets, coats of mail, shields,
etc |
The cavalry of the Irish might be considered as mounted kerns,
being chiefly a kind of light horse. |
"Marcach" applied to a horseman or cavalry soldier; and "Marc-shluagh"
signified a host, army, or troop of cavalry. |
"Ridire" signified a knight, and was the name applied to an English
chief in armour. |
The predatory troops of the Irish are mentioned under the name
of Creach-sluagh (from "creach," plunder, and "sluagh," a host)
and their hired troops were called Buanaighe (from "Buan," bound) |
Mercenaries mentioned by English writiers as Bonnoghs or Bonnoghts |
|