 There is a remarkable collection of 12th-century runic inscriptions inside Maeshowe.In early Irish literature Shetland is referred to as "Inse Catt"—"the Isles of Cats", which may have been the pre-Norse inhabitants' name for these islands.The Cat tribe certainly occupied parts of the northern Scottish mainland and their name can be found in Caithness, and in the Gaelic name for Sutherland ("Cataibh", meaning "among the Cats").