In the Foreign tribe of Victory!

'And Dub did glow that night. In the Fingal of victories'

                                (P:329 L: 13)

     According  to the dictionary (most anyway) the word ‘fingal’ comes from (of course) the Irish word ‘Fine Gall’ or as I will point out the possible significant meaning(s) ‘Foreign tribe’ and an administrative county founded in 1994 (with references to giants as all of Ireland seems to make from time to time).

      I first noticed Fingal when I heard Joyce himself (‘Pace bee with him’) recite it in 1929 with the River or ALP chapter (many river names are hidden in that particular chapter… I can only count ten!)  ‘of fingalls and dotthergills’ (P:  215 L: 14) and for me, in this context (above quote) can only mean a sort of foreign tribe winning a victory by night fall (a Norse ballad could be written about this, as many were recorded in song) and war kind of penetrates  all throughout The Wake don’t forget the top of the second page ‘what clashes here… something fishy gods” .

     I would have loved to go into the county its self and maybe I will someday… but one problem remains when you take things into (not out of) context, the country was founded in 1994 WAY after Finngeans Wake was published… so only two possible images pop up; that of a tribal victory or of a massive (Irish) giant… so I leave you with those and hope you can come up with some more… watch out for footsteps!