January 1, 2025
Celtchar (Keltair) And His Dog
So we live in Lecale. But how many of us know what Lecale means? It comes from the Irish Leath Chathail - “Cathal’s half”. Cathal was a prince of the Dál Fiatach tribe, who were lords in this part of the world in the 6th Century AD. Downpatrick was their capital, centred on the Mound of Down, as we know it today. However, the Mound of Down has a different, older name. It was known in times past as “Rathkeltair” - the fort of the warrior Keltair. Keltair was an ancient Irish hero hailing from this part of the world. He is mentioned in the “Ulster Cycle” - the great epic story of warriors and battles that forms part of our heritage. It is from this cycle that we know of Cú Chulainn and the Tain.
So what does all of this historiography have to do with animals? Everything. As usual, most of our history is tied to the natural world. Folk in those days regarded their animals every bit as highly as we do. So Celtchar had two pet dogs. One was called Lúch Donn (brown mouse) and the other Dóelchú (possibly “sad hound”). They were very fierce, and only Keltair could handle them. Evidently irony was not lost on our ancestors, as “brown mouse” is an amusing name for a big dog!
I find it interesting that we do not know the names of many humans from that period of our history, but we do know the names of three dogs - the two above and of course “Cú Chulainn” - the hound of Ulster. It says much that as a culture we commit to paper the names of man’s best friend for time immemorial. I have yet to see the day when a dog named “brown mouse” is called into my consultation room, but when that day comes, I will be braced for a wolfhound!
