H, a letter not originally found in the ogham or in Gaelic;

now grouped with other letters to suggest lenition.

HAOINE, DI-, (je hoeunn-e), Friday, from aoine, fast, after

the goddess Aoine; OIr. oine, Br. iun, Latin, jejunium, the
major fast-day of each week. "Friday is a good day for
planting or sowing...engaging one's self in matrimony or any
other bargain. It is not right to buy on a Friday, nor to be
buried, nor cut one's nails or hair, nor to kill sheep. On Good
Friday no metal must be put in the ground, such as a spade
or plough; but seaweed may be spread on the surface, or the
wooden rake used. It is not right to sharpen a knife on
Friday. A knife so treated is cursed and will probably be
used before long to skin one's own cattle, which will have
fallen to the Powers of Evil, or fallen dead before the Evil
Eye. A person born on Friday is said to be delicate and
dilatory." (Celtic Monthly, p. 162).

HI, HY, obsolete word, see I. See also Breas-il also entitled
Hy-Breasil. See I na-beatha. The prime island of Hy was
Iona, the modern name being transposed from Ioua, the error
having come from Adamanan’s remark that Columba’s name
in Hebrew was Iona, “a Dove.” An earlier form were Ivo
which became Eo or Eu. The root is thought to be beo,
“living.” Relates to the Eir. Eo, a yew-tree. Thus an “island
of yew-trees.” William Watson relates these words to the
Gaullish god Ivavos, the genius of healing waters of Evaux in
France, but notice also the more localized Aod or Hu. In any
event, the yew was the longest lived tree in the forest,
“Patriarch of the woods, sacred to feasts.” Irish literature
makes mention of Fer hI mac Eogbail, a foster son to Manaan
mac Ler, and a druid of the Tuatha daoine. He came out of
the western Otherworld to fetch an Irish concubine for
Manann and failed in the project. In another tale he is
credited with using music as a charm to promote a quarrel
among the leading men of Munster. Interestingly, his
father’s name translates as Eo-gabal, the “Yew-fork.”
Clearly he was a divinity of the forest.

HIORT, OIr. Hirt, Irt, to pass through or over. A death place.

This is the Gaelic name for St. Kilda. In the Norse sagas it is
given as Hirtir, “certain isles beside the Hebrides.” Later it
is seen spelled Hert, Hyrte or Hirth, “the strongest of all
isles.” “likely that the ancient Celts fancied sunset isle to
be the gate of their earthly paradise, the Land-under-the -
waves, over the brink of the western sea. This name occurs
as Duibh-hirteach, “the black deadly one,” the name for a
lonely rock north of Colonsay, another danger in the sea. A
resident of Colonsay confided that this rock was “a great
bogey used to keep the children in their place.”It was once a
common threat to say to children, “Quiet, or I’ll send you to
Hirt on the Cow’s back.” A teasing person was often driven
off with the words, “I wish you alone on Hirt!”

HUI CORRA. A traveller in the Atlantic. One of his brothers

saw a vision of the Otherworld and was converted to
Christianity: “I perceived thereafter that I was borne away
by birds to look upon Heaven. I saw the Lord himself upon
His throne and a bird-flock of angels making music to Him.
Then I saw a bright bird. sweeter than all the rest. And
(Saint) Michael was there and it was he who stood in bird-
form before the Almighty. See eun.

HUISDEAN or ‘Uisdean, Uis, Hui, Eng. Hugh, less frequently

Hew, in Argyllshire G. Eôghan, MG. Huisduinn, “Hugh’s man,”
from Scand.-Germ. models. Confers with ON Eysteinn, the
root is thought to be ON. hug, thought. Note that Hugin was
one of the raven-messengers of the god Odin. Also confers
with the G. Aod, one of the old day-gods often seen as the
equivalent of Lugh. “In terms of modern usage Hugh is
decidedly Scottish. It was in 12th position in 1858, 15th in
1935, and 28th (in popularity as a boy’s name) in 1958. The
name has hardly been used in other English-speaking
countries except Ireland for the last hundred years.” In
Scotland the feminine Hughina is still seen and many
Scottish surnames derive from this god: Hewat, Hewet,
Hewit, Hewatson, Hewison, Howat, Howatson, Hugan, Huggin,
Hughson, etc. See Aod for additional material.