The Scots Gaelic Myth

[Allan Thomson]

Not sure that peer-reviewed articles end the debate about Q- versus P-.
Dr. Ewan Campbell suggested that Q-Celts were in Scotland prior to any Irish in-migration and that some Picts may have spoken Q-Celtic
https://www.electricscotland.com/his...scotsirish.htm
(originally published in Antiquity 75)
Bridget Brennan, on the other hand, disputes his analysis
http://www.academia.edu/7174193/A_cr...e_Scots_Irish_

Alan

Further to this I was watching a documentry on Roman Britain & another hypothesis for the appearance of Gaelic in Galloway was that mercenaries could have been employed from Ireland either towards the end of the Roman period or after the end of the Roman occupation in a similar way to the Saxons. So possibly another source for the appearance of Gaelic in Lowland areas - payment would have most likely in land and therefore this could have lead to the introduction of Gaelic placenames even though the language of the majority of Scotland at that point would definitely have been a Brythonnic possibly with element of Latin influences remaining.

[Damion]

Further to this I was watching a documentry on Roman Britain & another hypothesis for the appearance of Gaelic in Galloway was that mercenaries could have been employed from Ireland either towards the end of the Roman period or after the end of the Roman occupation in a similar way to the Saxons.

That would be very convenient if true as it might solve the mystery of who the Attecotti were. The name possibly derives from Aithechthuatha, which referred to vassal people in Ireland. Attecotti units did exist in the Roman army.

That only accounts for the first Irish settlers, obviously they kept coming over the centuries including the Norse Gaels. The Irish colonised much of the western seaboard of Britain during this time though only the ones in what became Scotland were successful.