Hibernia
Hibernia is the
Roman Latin name for the island of
Ireland. The Romans referred to the North of Ireland as
Scotia after the
Scotti who lived there.
Hibernia may derive from the Latin term
hibernus that translates as wintry.
Another possibility is that Hibernia is derived from Ivernia, which in turn is latinised
Ierne.
Ierne was the name given to Ireland by
Pytheas of Massilia, the
Greek merchant and explorer from the 4th Century BC and may derive from
Erin the mythological name for Ireland, which is itself derived from the dative singular of
Éire (
Éirinn), the name for Ireland in the
Irish language. As recently as the early 20th century, "Ivernian" was used among the educated in Britain to refer to Hibernia.
The island of Ireland was never formally incorporated into the
Roman Empire. It is commonly believed that the Romans or
Romano-British neither invaded nor particularly influenced
Ireland.
Irish tribal expeditions harried the Roman provinces of
Britannia (
Britain) and
Gaul (
France) as evidenced from surviving Roman texts.
But what is less certain is whether the Romans had a direct effect on Ireland. What few written records remain are brief but do suggest Roman interest in a military incursion into Ireland and little else.
In the early first century, Roman and Greek knowledge of Ireland was thin. The geographers
Strabo and
Pomponius Mela, describe a cold land inhabited by savages who feast on the flesh of their dead fathers and perform
incest with their mothers and sisters. Despite the cold, the grazing was so tasty and lush that cattle exploded if allowed to eat unchecked.
By the second century, the geographer
Ptolemy gave coordinates for a surprisingly detailed map of Ireland, naming tribes, towns, rivers and headlands. This information could have come from a variety of sources, but does demonstrate the increasing knowledge and interest in Ireland.
Irish written history does not mention Rome at all. If Rome is referred to by some other name, no one has yet put a convincing case forward.
However the lack of written history does not mean that Rome or the Roman province of
Britannia did not significantly interact with Ireland.
From early in the archaeological record, the peoples of North West of Europe, including Britain, Gaul, Spain and Ireland had mutually warred, traded and settled.
Significant British settlement in the Southwest of Ireland occurred around year
1.
Ptolemy, in
100s, records Irish tribal names identical to those of tribes in Gaul and Britain, suggesting significant settlement, particularly of the
Brigantes and
Belgae.
At this time Ireland, western and central Europe was home to several
Celtic peoples, with their associated
Celtic religion, supervised by the
Druids. In Ireland and Britain, its peoples shared a broadly similar Celtic heritage. The Isle of
Anglesey,
Welsh Ynys Môn, was the centre of the Druidic religion, just across the
Irish Sea from Ireland.
Transport and communication was often along rivers and coasts, with the Irish Sea being a part of this network. When
Julius Caesar briefly invaded southern
England in
54 BC, he received the submission of many tribes, including that of the
Orcadians in the
Orkney Islands, north of
Scotland. Communications could be long distance, but whether any Irish knew of the Romans at this time is uncertain.
Rome often projected its power beyond its boundaries. Beyond the West coast of Britannia was the Irish Sea, with many easy crossings, and many distinctive mountain landmarks to ease navigation. The spread of Roman power to Ireland's neighbours would have had significant effects on Ireland.
By
51 BC French Gaul had been conquered by the Romans, with the permanent garrisoning of Britain starting after the second invasion in
43. England and Wales would remain within the Roman Empire for another 350 years.
Revolts by the newly subjugated British tribes, may have increased settlement from Britain to Ireland, and reduced settlement in the other direction. Events such as the destruction of the druidic shrine and sacred groves at Anglesey in
60 by the Roman general
Suetonius Paulinus surely would have been noticed in Ireland.
Generally in Ireland, Roman material is rare and found in different contexts from the native
La Tene material. No roads have been identified as being Roman, and no large Roman settlements have been found. However in the southeast of Ireland, where native material is rare, Roman-style cemeteries and large quantities of Roman artifacts have been found.
A group of burials on
Lambay Island, off the coast of
County Dublin, contained Roman brooches and decorative metalware of a style also found in northern England from the late first century. However this could represent, for example, Brigantes fleeing reprisal from the crushed revolt of
74.
Tara, the midland ritual complex,
Clogher, a northern hillfort, and
Cashel, in the south have produced early and late Roman material, the first two having produced no native finds of contemporary age. The place name Cashel is thought to derive from the Latin
castellum. All become capitals of new kingdoms and all believe that their origins derive from
Britain. If these were British settlers whether they were supported by or fleeing from Roman influence is not known.
At
Drumanagh, 25
km north of
Dublin, a large (200,000 m²) site has recently been identified as possibly Roman. Consisting of a peninsula defended by three rows of parallel ditches on the landward side, the site appears to be a port or bridgehead. Access to the finds and the site has been prohibited for over 10 years due to a court case about ownership.
Other Roman influences can be seen such as the penannular brooch, used to fasten Irish cloaks from 4th-11th century, which derives from a style of
Romano-British brooch, or the early
medieval Irish sword which derived from the Roman
Spatha and even the rapid adoption of
Christianity.
Roman coins have been found at
Newgrange, possibly offerings from early tourists.
Tuathal was, in the Irish myths, a
High King of Ireland. He was the son of a High King
Fiacha Finnfolaidh. His father was overthrown and killed in a revolt by the King of
Ulster. Tuathal's mother, who was the daughter of the King of
Alba (Britain), fled to Britain with her son. 20 years later he returned to Ireland, defeated his fathers enemies in a series of battles and subdued the entire country. He became High King at
Tara, on the on the Irish East Coast. There he convened a conference where he established laws. He annexed territory from each of the other four provinces to create the central province of
Míde (
Meath). Four fortresses were built, one for each of the four areas of land.
Some consider him to be the first real High King. The dating of Irish history/mythology is prone to error, however the most popular belief is that Tuathal was exiled in
56 and reigned from around
80 to
100.
Tacitus, the Roman author, tells us that around this time Agricola had with him an Irish chieftain who would return to conquer Ireland with an army. Later
Juvenal later tells us that Roman arms were "taken beyond the shores of Ireland." Excavations at sites linked to the tale of Tuathal have produced Roman material of the late 1st or early 2nd centuries. Perhaps Tuathal was that Irish chieftain, and he carried out his Midlands conquest with Roman-trained troops, power and technology.
Everyone accepts that
Julius Caesar 'invaded' Britain. Yet his army left few discoverable traces, stayed only a couple of years, and failed to incorporate Britain into the Roman Empire. It is only through the survival of Caesar's book,
The Gallic War, that we know of the Roman invasion of Britain in
54 BC. (The successful invasion and incorporation into the Roman Empire occurred 100 years later).
The few other remaining texts from that period, combined with the archaeology, suggest that interaction between Romanised Britain and Ireland occurred. But without the miraculous discovery of a lost Roman text, or some dramatic archaeological finds, the details will remain debated.
Hibernia is a word which is rarely used today with regard to Ireland, however it is occasionally used for various names of organisations and things, for instance: Hibernia Bank,
Ancient Order of Hibernians,
Hibernia College,
Hibernian Football Club,
HMS Hibernia and modern derivatives, from
Latin like
Respublica Hibernica (
Irish Republic) and
Universitas Hiberniae Nationalis (
National University of Ireland). The compound form
Hiberno- remains more common, for example, in
Hiberno-English,
Hiberno-Scottish,
Hibernophile etc.
Hibernia is also one of the three realms in the
MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot.
Carson, R.A.G. and O'Kelly, Claire:
A catalogue of the Roman coins from Newgrange, Co. Meath and notes on the coins and related finds, pages 35-55. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, volume 77, section C
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Ireland*
Hibernophile
