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GROWTH OF THE SEAPORT TOWNS 27
Cork, the seat of a famous school founded by St. Finbar,
fell an easy prey to the Vikings in the first half of the ninth
century. They built forts there and at Youghal,
1
but in
endeavouring to push their way inland to Fermoy were
checked by the Irish (866), and their chief, Gnimcinnsiolla
(or Gnimbeolu)
2
was slain. We hear no more of Scandinavians
here until early in the tenth century when new invaders,
part of the large army which came to Waterford with
Raghnall and Earl Ottarr in 919, gained possession of the
town. The new settlers seem to have been chiefly, if not
entirely, Danes (Danair and Duibhgeinnti) ,
3
and it would
seem that with the Danish colonies at Thurles and
Cashel they subsequently came under the authority of
Ivarr of I/imerick,
"
the high- king of the foreigners of
Munster."
Traces of the Scandinavian occupation still remain in
the place-names on the coast, especially in the districts
surrounding the seaport towns. Near Dublin we find
Howth (O.N. hofuth,
’
a head ’)
and Skerries (O.N.
skjcer,
’
a rock
’
; also Lambey, Dalkey and Ireland’s Eye,
all three containing the O.N. form ey, an
’
island.’ The name
Leixlip is probably a form of O.N. laxhleyfia* (’ salmon-leap ’)
not, as is generally supposed, of O.N. lax-hlaup. The O.N.
fjorthr occurs in Wexford, Strangford and Carlingford
1
Annals of the Four Masters, A.D. 846, 864.
*/&., 865. Fragments of Annals, p. 169,
Gnimbeolu is the O.N. Grimr Biola. The Irish "Cinnsiolla"
(Nom. Cenn Selach) is probably a translation of O.N. Selshofuth,
a word which does not occur as a nickname in Old Norse literature.
It was, however, known in Ireland as may be seen from the runic
inscription domnal Selshofoth a soerth (th) eta on a bronze sword-
plate found in Greenmount (Co. lyouth). Cf. Marstrander, op. cit.
P- 49-
3
The Victorious Career of Cellachan of Cashel, pp. 10, 67.
4
Cf. Marstrander, op. cit., p. 149.
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