 It is known that Norsemen settled the islands c. 800, bringing the Old Norse language that evolved into the modern Faroese language.These settlers are not thought to have come directly from Scandinavia, but rather from Norse communities surrounding the Irish Sea, Northern Isles and Western Isles of Scotland, including the Shetland and Orkney islands, and Norse-Gaels.A traditional name for the islands in the Irish language, "Na Scigirí", means "the Skeggjar" and possibly refers to the "Eyja-Skeggjar" (Island-Beards), a nickname given to the island dwellers.