Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2004, Síða 211

ÆRGI í SKARÐSVÍK, FUGLOY
209
formed in recent decades. For instance,
Bradley has demonstrated that there was a
signifícant Scandinavian or Hiberno-Scan-
dinavian presence in the rural areas sur-
rounding the urban centres, and that some
of these areas were very sizeable (Bradley,
1988). For example, the total area of the
hinterland of Scandinavian Dublin, Dyjfli-
narskiri (Bradley, 1988: fig. 3.1), approxi-
mately matches that of Viking-Age Ork-
ney. Recent work by Sheehan, Stummann
Hansen and Ó Corráin has demonstrated,
by means of archaeological, historical and
onomastic evidence from the southwest
coast of Ireland, that there is likely to have
been a developed network of Scandinavian
or Hiberno-Scandinavian settlements along
this coastline serving as way-stations for
shipping between tbe urban centres (Shee-
han et al. 2001). Therefore, it is clear that
there were significant amounts of Scandi-
navian settlement in rural environments in
Ireland. In such contexts, there would have
been many interchanges of knowledge and
practices, including interchanges relating
specifically to farming.
Fellows-Jensen’s comment on the preva-
lence of the áirge element in Ireland, fur-
thermore, is not correct. The element oc-
curs, for instance, in the following place-
name examples: Arrybreaga, Co. Limerick
(Modern Irish: An Áirí Bhreige), Arywee,
Co. Limerick (Modern Irish: An ÁiríBhuí),
Glenary, Co. Waterford (Modern Irish:
Gleann Áirí), Shronahiree Beg/More, Co.
Kerry (Modern Irish: Srón AiríBeag/Mor)
(Ó Cíobháin 1978: 158-159, 161), and
Drominaharee, Co. Kerry (Modern Irish:
Dromainn na hÁirí). All of these names are
located in upland locations, though the el-
evation of those in Co. Limerick is slight.
The latter locations, however, do contrast
markedly with the rolling plains of the ad-
jacent Golden Valley5.
All authorities agree that the occurrence
of the place-name element ærgi in the Faroe
Islands derives from the Celtic-speaking
world. However, there is disagreement about
where specifically it derives from and about
how it was transmitted to the Faroe Islands.
It is the view of the authors that its adoption
may \yell indicate that a sizeable section of
the Viking-Age settlers of the Faroe Islands
had their roots in Hiberno-Scandinavian
communities, and there is further archaeo-
logical and linguistic evidence to support
this hypothesis (see for instance Stummann
Hansen and Sheehan, submitted). These
settlers, probably bilingual, would already
have been familiar with the term ærgi and
it was only natural that they transplanted
this term into the landscapes of their new
homeland - the Faroe Islands.
Acknowledgements
The authors dedicate this article to the late Hans David
Matras (1924-2001) who originally brought our attention
to the site and shared his extensive knowledge of
Fugloy with us. We owe our thanks to Helgi Mikkelsen,
Department of Medieval Archaeology, University of
Aarhus, who helped plan the site. We also wish to thank
Irene Seiten, Danish Polar Center, Copenhagen, and
Mette Cecilie Krause, Department of Archaeology and
Ethnology, University of Copenhagen, who helped with
computer-graphics, and to Gullak and Lone Matras who
hosted one of the authors during a ftnal visit to the site.
We wish to acknowledge the assistance of the Klaksvík
Council, who provided us with maps. Furthermore our
sincere thanks to Donnchadh O Conxáin, Department
of History, University College Cork, and to Breandán Ó
Cíobháin for drawing our attention to several references.
Finally we wish to thank John Sheehan, Department of