Go raibh maith agat, a Chathail. / Thanks, Charles. The word 'Gall' is very old in Irish. It originally meant a person from Gaul (pre-Frankish France). Such Gauls are specifically mentioned in certain old texts such as Tairired na nDéssi ('The Expulsion of the Déisi'). Eventually 'Gall' came to mean a foreigner and was used in turn for Vikings, for participants in the Cambro-Norman invasion (Normans, Welsh, Bretons, Flemings, Anglo-Saxons), and finally for English. I've haven't seen or heard it applied to Ireland's new immigrants, but that could come next. Magnus is indeed of Viking origin, but borrowing of such names did indeed happen in family's without Viking blood. For example, the Ó Briain (O'Brien) family are a branch of the Uí Thoirdhealbhaigh ('Descendants of Thor-Shaped') of the Dál gCais. Le gach dea-ghuí / Best, Jerry Cló an Druaidh / The Druid Press www.druidpress.com -----Original Message----- From: dna-r1b1c7-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:dna-r1b1c7-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Charles Cain Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2011 3:41 PM To: dna-r1b1c7@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [R-M222] Con muighe na nGall O'Cathain I have wondered if the '"foreign" reference goes back several centuries when the Vikings were playing a large role in Ireland. Consider: "Magnus of the Battle of Down..." Am I wrong in assuming that Magnus is a name of Viking origin? If so, seems a little strange to me for good Irishmen to take Viking names. Unless, of course, if the Vikings were not always seen as an enemy. Could names like "Magnus," and reference to foreign influence, go back to the Vikings who may not have always been viewed, as they seem from our perspective, as the enemy? Charles