Three words.

slowburner · 08-12-2011 11:16am #1

Spink, scalp and calp.

There is a steep heather covered valley side nearby, it is known locally, as 'the Spink'. The area was heavily worked by Cornish miners over the previous two or three centuries. Is this word Cornish or Irish in origin?

The Scalp, near Enniskerry, Co.Wicklow. Is this a derivation of an Irish word and does it have any relation to 'calp' - a particular type of dark, crushed limestone which was used to make roads around Dublin in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a notoriously dirty material and gave rise to the title 'Dear, dirty Dublin'.
The stone in the Scalp is entirely granite but it is a 'broken' stone and I wonder if the fact that both types of stone were/are broken is a common factor joining Scalp and calp.

HalloweenJack · 12-12-2011 8:02pm

I always thought it was called the Scalp because the tree line stops very abruptly about three-quarters of the way up so it looks as if the mountain has been "scalped".

slowburner · 12-12-2011 8:14pm

I never noticed that, I always thought the trees continued up and over both sides of the valley.

HalloweenJack · 12-12-2011 8:39pm

Huh, now I don't know if I'm thinking of the same one.

I'm from Bray and when I look at what I was told was the Scalp from my house, the tree line stops about three-quarters up and there's a large rock outcrop which is the summit. Unless that's a different mountain altogether.

slowburner · 12-12-2011 8:56pm

I'd say it's the same place. My view has always just been passing through it, yours is from Bray, which is not a view of the Scalp I know.
I think I see what might be the baldy.

Here's the spot in Google maps
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.21811,-6.1804193&z=16&t=h&hl=en

HalloweenJack · 12-12-2011 9:13pm

Ah right, I think the one I'm thinking of is directly to the north-east of the Dun Laoghaire golf club, according to Google Maps. The Scalp is the valley to the north-west of it so I'm thinking of a totally different mountain.

According to Wikipedia, The Scalp comes from Irish. 'An Scailp' is a chasm or a cleft, which would make more sense as it's a valley.

I really don't know the name of the mountain I'm thinking of, that's going to drive me nuts now.

slowburner · 12-12-2011 9:16pm

Haven't a clue how to spell it but I guess that mountain (hill) is Caituigallagher.
I'll look it up.

slowburner · 12-12-2011 9:41pm

After some lengthy research (I had to look at a paper map), the hill is Carrickgolligan. Carrickmines lead mines are north of the hill, is that the one?

I have a dim recollection that one of the peaks there is called something which sounds like Katty Gallagher.
If you find out, will you put me out of my misery?

nuac · 24-08-2014 12:05pm

Re Skelp

Appears at least twice in Mayo

1. An area so called on West side of Croagh Patrick, Steep hill there

2. An area at Porturlin - steep mountain side running down to a bay

dublinviking · 08-08-2015 7:48pm

An Scail gorge, Dublin mountains

What is interesting about this word is that it is just one of a cluster of Irish words with the root sc which all somehow relate to blades, making blades, using blades and consequences of using blades. I will here just list few representative ones; you can consult the dictionary for more:

Scaineamh– shingly
Sclata– slate
Scaineadh-crack, split
Sceallog– chip, thin slice
Scealla– shale, flake
Scablail– chisel work
Scaid– husks
Scaineach– thin, cracked
Scean,scian (pronounced shkian) – knife
Scean– crack, split, sever
Scailp - chasm or a cleft

You can read more here:

http://oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.ie/2014/03/people-of-the-blade.html

Three words.

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