Fir Ol N Echmacht
Fir Ol nEchmacht was the name of a group or race of people living in pre-historic Ireland. The name may be translated as Fir=men; Ol (possibly Dal?)=race, people; nEchmacht=the given name of the people.
Virpiranta suggests that Fir ol nÉcmacht etymologizes as "ol" i.e. El i.e. Dagon, "nÉc" i.e. Neit i.e. Fomorian war-god in Irish mythology, and "macht" i.e. Macha. Thus Fir ol nÉcmacht means Men (of) El, Net and Macha. Rationale for this etymology is that Fomorians were Phoenicians; Fir ol nÉcmacht was Fomorian tribe; Therefore Fir ol nÉcmacht was Phoenician tribe.
Virtually all of Ireland west of the Shannon was once named after them, being called Cóiced Ol nEchmacht until the early historic era (c. 5th-7th centuries)
It was only with the rise of the Connachta dynasty that the term Fir Ol nEchmacht was dropped and the province was renamed Connacht.
Read more about Fir Ol N Echmacht: Sources
Famous quotes containing the word fir:
“He asked if I would sell my Christmas trees;
My woods the young fir balsams like a place
Where houses all are churches and have spires.
I hadn’t thought of them as Christmas trees.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)