Page:The Celtic Review volume 3.djvu/255

240 chiefly Loch Lomond and Loch Awe almost exhaust the list. On the west coast, the Hebrides were, indeed, as a whole, known as Innse-gall, the isles of the strangers, but only two or three islets retain innis as an element. The Orkneys, of old Innse Orc, have now become Arcaibh in Gaelic, a dative plural like Cataibh, Sutherland. Innse Cat, the Cat Isles, are mentioned by old chroniclers as supplying helpers to the Norse at Clontarf (1014); their location cannot be determined with certainty. The plural, na h-Innsean, is specially applied to the Indies, e.g. Anns na h-Innsean is fhaide thall, In the furthest Indies. But it is in the sense of ‘haugh’ that innis appears most widely in Scottish topography. Even in early usage there was probably a tendency to this meaning. Temporary islands are often formed by flooding, or by the forking of streams, and from this to ‘river-side haugh,’ ‘meadow,’ the transition is easy. The Inches of Perth form a case in point. Inchaffray, Insula Missarum, ‘Mass Isle,’ is now an isle no longer, though it is considered to have been one of old. It may be noted in passing that innis is rendered into the Latin of the charters, etc., by insula, even where it has never meant anything other than ‘haugh,’ a habit which sometimes has given rise to needless searchings of antiquarian hearts.

At the beginning of names innis is usually easy of recognition, appearing in English as ‘inch.’ Even here, however, being from the nature of the case unaccented, it sometimes gets debased to i’s (ish), e.g. Isteane in the Black Isle is for an innis dian, the sheltered haugh. On the east coast this shortening is general, e.g. Inchberry is pronounced in Gaelic I’s a’ bhàraidh. No real difficulty, however, results. In terminal position, coming after a qualifying adjective, noun, or even preposition, innis assumes a variety of forms, and is often puzzling. Here also, of course, it is unaccented, the stress accent falling on the qualifying word. 1. It may appear as -nis (-nish), e.g. Brecknish, Mucknish, in Gaelic Breacinnis, Dappled Haugh; and Mucinnis, Swine Haugh, respectively. Other examples are, Mornish or Morenish, Big Haugh; Slignish, Shell Haugh; Craignish, Rock