“The shrine of Colum-Cille and all his relics were brought to Ireland to escape the Foreigners” (an. 877).
[15] The _War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill_ (p. 27) mentions another battle between Fair and Black Gentiles, in which many of the latter were killed.
[16] It is extremely difficult to identify these two princes owing to the similarity between their names. It has been suggested that Sighfrith is the Siefredus or Sievert who ruled jointly with Guthred-Cnut (d. c. 894) as King of Northumbria, while Sitriucc son of Ivarr is probably the “Sitric comes” whose name appears on a coin dating from this period. (See A. Mawer: _The Scandinavian Kingdom of Northumbria_, pp. 11-13. Saga-book of the Viking Club, VII. Part I.)
[18] _Annals of Ulster_, A.D. 918. _War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill_, p. 37. An entry in the _Anglo-Saxon Chronicle_ (A.D. 921), referring to the result of this battle, runs:--“In this year King Sihtric slew his brother Niel.” There is, however, no evidence in Irish sources that Sihtric and Niall were brothers, or even half-brothers.
[19] _Annals of Ulster_, A.D. 920, 921, 923, 925.
[24] _Ib._, A.D. 937. _Anglo-Saxon Chronicle_, A. Annal, 937.
[25] _Anglo-Saxon Chronicle_, D. Annal 941.
[26] _Ib._, E. Annal 942; _Annals of Clonmacnoise_, A.D. 934.
[27] _Anglo-Saxon Chronicle_, A. Annal 944.
[28] _Anglo-Saxon Chronicle_, E. Annals 949, 952.
[29] _Annals of the Four Masters_, A.D. 978, 979; _Annals of Ulster_, A.D. 979 (= 980).
[30] _War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill_, p. 77.
[31] _War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill_, p. 115; _Annals of the Four Masters_, A.D. 997.
[32] _War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill_, p. 153. _Njáls Saga_, ch. 155. In the _Annals of Loch Cé_ (A.D. 1014) Brodar is called the earl of York (_iarla Caoire Eabhroigh_).
[33] _War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill_, p. 151.
[34] _Ib._, pp. 151-191; _Njáls Saga_, chs. 155-157, _Annals of Loch Cé_, A.D. 1014; _Annals of the Four Masters_, A.D. 1013.
[35] _Calendar of the Ancient Records of Dublin_ (ed. by J. T. Gilbert), II. 81; _Chartularies of St. Mary’s Abbey, Dublin_ (ed. by Gilbert), I. 258; II. 251; Giraldus Cambrensis: _Topographia Hibernica_, V. 187.
The name “Ostmen” is generally supposed to have been first given to them by the English, but the word is Norse (_i.e._, _Austmenn_, plural of _Austmathr_, “a man living in the East”) and therefore must have been current in Ireland before the English invasion. It may be suggested that the name was applied to the original Scandinavian settlers in Ireland, to merchants and other later comers from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Cf. the nickname _Austmathr_, given to a certain Eyvindr by the Scandinavian settlers in the Hebrides because he had come there from Sweden.