Note 813 — Chapter X · LEARNING AND LANGUAGE.

Dr. Samuel Ferguson, in the notes to his poem of Congal, p. 196, has suggested an ingenious theory with regard to this name of Nemthur, and Mr. Gilbert, in his introduction to the National MSS. of Ireland, appears to adopt it. He refers to the name of Neutur or Nevtur appearing in the old Welsh poem, which, however, he reads Nentur, and adds, ‘The N in both belongs to the article, as in N’ewry; so that the choice lies between Emtur and Entur; but Entur is a good Celtic local name (“unica turris”), just as Endrum (“unica collis”) was the old name of Mahee island, and Entreb (“unica domus”) was the old name of Antrim, whereas Emtur is an “irreconcilable.” The probability, therefore, is that “Emtur,” which, in the Tripartite Life, is always spoken of a place close to, or forming part of, Dumbarton, is simply Entur disguised by the accidental use of M instead of N.’

There appear to the author to be serious objections to this theory. First, it requires us to suppose that Nemthur has been written by mistake for Nenthur in the hymn of Fiacc and in all the lives which contain the word, and equally it requires us to suppose that Neutur has been written in place of Nentur in the Book of Caermarthen (The Four Ancient Books of Wales, vol. ii. p. 3). Secondly, it is true that in Irish names of places N before a vowel sometimes represents the article; but is this true also of Welsh names? The author is unaware of any parallel instance, and does not see how Entur in Welsh could become Nentur. Thirdly, if this be so, then the Welsh must have adopted the Irish form of the name; but the inhabitants of the district in which Alcluaid was situated were a Welsh-speaking people, and the name is more likely to have passed from them into Irish. Lastly, Nem in old Irish, and Nev, or as it would now be written Nef, in Welsh, are exact equivalents. Thus in Cormac’s Glossary, edited by Mr. Whitley Stokes (p. 126), we have Nem (heaven), and the editor adds, ‘W. and Corn. Nef, Br. env. The old Welsh form occurs in uuc nem, is nem (above heaven, below heaven). Juvencus, p. 1, line 9.’