This is easily the oldest book I own (the publication date on the title page is given as M,DCC,LXXXII - that's 1782 if I know my Roman numerals).

While a theory of common origin of some of the Indo-European languages had been posited by van Boxhorn in 1647, his ideas were not widely known, and it seems the author (Lt. Col. Charles Vallancey, LL.D) was unfamiliar with them. Therefore, in this engaging work the author attempts to demonstrate the dignity and antiquity of Irish Gaelic by 'proving' its relationship to virtually every language he can think of.

Vallancey correctly demonstrates the language's similarity to 'several Celtic Dialects' by printing the Lord's Prayer and Apostles' Creed in these languages side-by-side. However, he also attempts to connect Irish Gaelic to Basque, Arabic, Hebrew, the Showiah of Africa, and Algonkin (!!!).

This is a highly readable book, its scholarship admirable for its time although hopelessly out of date by the early nineteenth century. It is also possibly the first attempt by a philologist and comparative linguist to defend the value of studying Irish Gaelic to an English-speaking audience. ( )