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from Edward Bunting, The Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin 1840), page 22: The strings of the harp.
Irish crónán íochtar-chanas
spoken by Gráinne Yeats
Scottish Gaelic crònan iochdar-chanas
spoken by Tony Dilworth
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Cronan ioctar-chanus - Lowest note
See cronan. The term here looks somewhat artificial, because its second element looks artificial: this seems to be a verbal form meaning 'which sings lowest'. Íochtar is the 'lower part, bottom' of anything, and it here seems to be compounded with the present tense relative form (normally chanas) of the verb can, 'chant, sing'.
Colm Ó Baoill 2002
Note that this is the lowest string of the Downhill harp. Other instruments had different highest and lowest notes. See also Alasdair Codona's comments on Chanas.