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Dunadd, Glassaey, Argyllshire; the Place of Inauguration

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Dunadd, Glassaey, Argyllshire; the Place of Inauguration 28 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 9, 1878. I. DUNADD, GLASSAEY, ARGYLLSHIRE PLACE TH INAUGURATIOF ; EO N E DALKIADIOTH F C KINGS CAMY B . .. F W THOMASL . , R.N., V.-P. S A. SOOT. It is not generally known that there is an engravure of a footmark on Dunaddf o p to e , th which most probably indicate e placth s f inauguraeo - tion of the kings of Argyll. The paris f Kilmartinho , during summe d autumnan r indees i , d "a smiling land," where moorland, hills, forests, fields, rivers, and marsh, together form landscape f greaso t beauty t i likewis d an ; e aboundn i s pre-historic and mediasval monuments. Among the most interesting is Dunadd, which is upon the border of the parish; it was submitted to a minute inspection, and it was then that my companion, the Rev. M. Macphail, observe e rock-engraveth d d footmark, which, howevers i , locally well know thostako no t interesn ea ewh antiquarian i t n subjects; and, it is also noted on the Ordnance Map, sheet clx. as a " Trough." Dunadd, pron. Doon-att, and written Dunad, Dunatt, Dunat, in the Irish Annals, and which translated would be Add Castle, takes its name from the river Add.1 The river Add is generally accepted as representing Gaelie th c Amhainn Fhada (wher e Fh silent)s th i e d meaninan , e th g Long Kiver.2 Dunad s alsi d o callen Monaidh,Du d i.e., Bog-castle, 135n 1I 3 Afena Nortn d(i h Knapdale nameds i ) Pr. .Or vol. 41parp I ii . , . 2 t cannot identify possibls i it t i ; Locy yb h Sweyn. 2 This etymology is not quite satisfactory. It is not called Amhainn Fhada by inhabitantse writte o I fins th Irisn e t di th ca nh; r annalistno , s write r neitheno h F r the terminal a; and I should expect a long river to be called Amhainn Mhdr. I have given reasons elsewher r supposinefo g that hoyyov WOTO/UOU «K£O\CU doet no s mea e moute Lonnth th f g ho e moutrivee Riverth th t rf ho bu ,Loehy n Linnhi , e Loch (the real nam f whico e s Linuhi e Duhh=the Dark Gulf). (ProcScotA . ,S . vol. xi. p. 202.) But the river is certainly, by comparison, long; several lakes are called Loch Fad, not Fada ; and " Macvurich tells of John Lord of the Isles, that he went to Mac Cailin (Campbell), and gave him all that lay between Abhuinn Fhada and Alt na Sionach, at Braigh Oltinntirc, i.e., neck of Kintyre or Tarbert; that is, lie gave knohime w ws ,a from charters, Knapdale."— W. Skene.F . THE PLACE OF INAUGURATION OF THE DALKIADIC KINGS. 29 which is very appropriate, as it forms the most conspicuous object in Monadh Mdr, modern i n Gaelic Maine Mhdr, i.e.,Greae th t Bog r Moso , s of Crinan. Malcol c Kennetmma h (A.D. 1005-1034) e s callei 1th n i d Albanic Dua i Monaidh,nR i.e., Kin Monadhf go , whic s explainei h s da referring to Dun Monaidh, in Lorn.2 Dun Monaidh, appears as the re- sidenc f Kineo g Eoehade th hf o Buidhe,e on dieo d d43an wh ; A.D9 62 . fabulous ancestor f Macleoso "s di Monach Mor, from whom Dun Mon- naigh is named."5 Again, Moni is said to have been a Norwegian princ landeo districe th ewh n di f Criuan o tcommemorates i d an , e th n di Pas Moni;f so 6 here theramusinn a s ei g confusion betwee Gaelie th n c Mdine a = peat-moss d Magnus,an , n Gaelici , Manis, Kin f Norwaygo . e tal Deirdrif th eo n I n MonaidhDu , s namedi 7 e neigh th wels a ,s a -l bourin Treoin,n gDuntroonDu w 8no . Bishop Carswell's Gaelic Prayer- book9 bear o havt s e been printe t "Dua d n Edin, whose other nams ei Dun Monaidh." Now Edinburgh was never called Dun Monaidh, but the Carswell family were settled in Kilmartin, and Bishop Cars well him- self was also rector of that parish, so that Dun Monaidh = Dunadd would be mor confuses togethero ha e tw e familiaEdin thah e n m dth d . nDu M ,an o rt Mose Th f Crinanso r Maineo , Mhdr, larga s i e flat, containing threr eo four square miles; it is but fifteen or twenty feet above the mean level of the sea, and, during winter, is frequently inundated by the Add, which flows along the east side of Dunadd. Dunad s dsituatei e westwar mile th do on et f Kilmichaeo d l Innd an , hal a t Carnbaa ond f northwar e Crinae n emilan th th in o n e t no n th f do Canal t i rise: s abruptly a smalfro e plain,s mi th l d conoidal—o1an 0 r 1 Celtic Scotland, vol. p. 384. 6 N. S. A. Inverness-shire, p. 45. 2 Todd's Nennius . 285p , . 7 Gael. Soc. Trans. 118volp . i . 3 Battle of Magh Rath, p. 46. 8 Ibid. p. 108. 4 Chron. Picts and Scots, p. 347. 9 Beprint, Edinburgh, 1873. 5 Uls. Jour. Arch. vol. ix. p. 100. MapletoEevJ e . 10Th E . n states that about twenty-five years ago, when planting was being done on the estate of Poltalloch, it was considered, with great good taste, tha rouge th t h bold outline f Dunadso d were more impressiv thein ei r natural condi- tion hil e thath l f nweri e covered with trees. 30 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 9, 1878. ratlier from some aspects, a saddle-backed—hill, whose base is about 200 yards in diameter, and height 176 feet. The face of the hill is broken, craggy, and precipitous on the south-west, north-west, and northern sides, an t couldi d ther easile eb y made unassailabl gape filliny eth b sp witgu h masonry; which, however, does not now exist. The south-east side of the hill is steep and craggy at the base, becoming more so as we proceed up- feet0 wards13 , r advantago e heigh0 , th till12 t bees f a ,o te ha n takef no an escarpment on which to found a wall of defence.1 The wall abuts agains a perpendiculat e nortr th cra n ho gside , and, enclosin horsea g - shoe-shaped area, again abuts agains south-weste th craa t n go wale Th l . is a complete ruin, but on the south side the foundation stones for 8 or situ;yardn 0 i 1 e sar the large ar y e undressed blocksf theo 5 e ms i on , feet long; elsewhere stonee th , f whicso e wals buil hth e small wa lar t , averaging a cubic foot. e port r Th gatewayo , , facee south-eastth s i forme a d y b an d, straight, narrow, natural gap or ravine; it is about 9 feet broad and 17 yards long, enclosed by perpendicular native rock from 8 to 10 feet high, and over which there was, no doubt, a roof, on which the defending wall was carried. The gateway has a steep incline. e area r Th courto , ,e regarde b whic y broaa s ma ha d d terrace vers i , y broken and uneven, and encumbered by huge ice-borne blocks; it is approximatel 6 yard6 y s from nort5 yard 4 o southt hd s an broad, . No rui f ancienno t masonr e nort th visible s n ho ywa sidet bu ; , closo et e wallth , ther s ai e large well a spring , y o doubtwhicb n .d , is fe h, Tradition tell sd flo e tha welan we wateth b th t l wit n i eb viser ho t d e tidealsd th an o, tha e welintentionalls th twa l ypreveno t fille , up d t accidents.2 e wesTh e tare th sidprotectes ai f hille eo e ape th th ,f whicxo y db h was also the acropolis, or citadel of the dun. It is of small extent, perhaps 30x12 yards; it is generally secured by upright crags, which Sheec 1Se t CIX .Scotland f Ordo inch6 p ( . Ma ) . 2 Handboo Ardrishaigr kfo , Crinan, Loch-Awe Pasd f Brandiran ,s o . 40 . p . THE PLACE OF INAUGUKATION OF THE DALKIADIC KINGS. 31 were surmounte a wall y b d, through e easwhichth t n sidetho s , ewa , entranc naturaa y eb l gap—a continuatio f thano t gatewaa use r dfo o yt the area below. The area of the citadel is formed by two rooks with betweenp ga a ; that e soutoth n hhigheste growte sidth th s d i ef ho an , nettles indicate enrichen sa d soil .fee 2 e 1 th Aboutr o belowo t 0 d 1 t an , northwar e highesth , dof t point e livinth , g rock- s smoothi s i , t bard flati an f n sward,ei o d an , engraved a depression of a footmark,1 not of a naked foot, but such as would be made when fooe th t is clothe thica y db k stockin cuaranr go (see woodcut) e engravure righth Th r .t fo s i e foot; and it exactly fitted my right boot. The footmar suns i k k haln inca f h deep, with per- pendicular sides, the surface is smooth or polishede outlint th no d regulars s i ei an , t (I .
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