Irish History
And
The Fighting Irish
And
The Fighting Irish
Celtic Life Continued....
A ' ri tuaithe ' was the ruler of a single kingdom. A ' Great King ' or ' ruiri ' was a king who had gained the allegiance of, or become overlord of, a number of local kings. A ' king of overkings ' or ' ri ruirech ' was a king of a province. Ireland had between 4 and 10 provinces at any one time, because they were always in a state of flux as their kings' power waxed and waned. Today's 4 provinces, Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught represent only only the final state of these borders. Interestingly the Irish-language word for the territorial division ' cuige ' literally ' fifth part ' indicates that there were once five - Meath ( now incorporated into Leinster ) being the fifth. The origins of these provinces ( loosely federated kingdoms with somewhat flexible bounderies ) of which there were five in existence prior to the coming of the Normans can be traced to the overriding influence exerted in their respective territories by great Irish dynastic families such as O' Neill ( Ulster ) O' Melaghlin ( Mide )
O' Brien ( Munster ) O' Conor ( Connaught ) and MacMurrough-Kavanagh ( Leinster ). In the later post-Norman period the historic provinces of Leinster and Meath gradually merged, mainly due to the inpact of the Pale, which straddled both, thereby forming the present day province of Leinster. In the Irish Annals these five ancient political divisions were invariably referred to as Cuigi, ie ' Fifth parts ' such as the fifth of Munster, the fifth of Ulster and so on. Later record makers dubbed them ' provinces ' in imitation of the Roman imperial provinciae.
This ' dinnseanchas ' poem named ' Ard Ruide ' ( Ruide Headland ) poetically desribes the Kingdoms of Ireland. Below is the translation from Old Irish:
O' Brien ( Munster ) O' Conor ( Connaught ) and MacMurrough-Kavanagh ( Leinster ). In the later post-Norman period the historic provinces of Leinster and Meath gradually merged, mainly due to the inpact of the Pale, which straddled both, thereby forming the present day province of Leinster. In the Irish Annals these five ancient political divisions were invariably referred to as Cuigi, ie ' Fifth parts ' such as the fifth of Munster, the fifth of Ulster and so on. Later record makers dubbed them ' provinces ' in imitation of the Roman imperial provinciae.
This ' dinnseanchas ' poem named ' Ard Ruide ' ( Ruide Headland ) poetically desribes the Kingdoms of Ireland. Below is the translation from Old Irish:
" Connaught in the west is the kingdom of learning, the seat of the
Greatest and wisest druids and magicians; the men of Connaught
Are famed for their eloquence, their handsomeness and their
Ability to pronounce true judgement.
Ulster in the north is the seat of battle valour, of haughtiness,
Strife, boasting; the men of Ulster are the fiercest warriors of all
Ireland, and the Queens and Goddesses of Ulster are associated
With battle and death.
Leinster, the eastern kingdom, is the seat of prosperity,
Hospitality, the importing of rich foreign wares like silk or
Wine; the men of Leinster are noble in speech and their women
Are exceptionally beautiful.
Munster in the south is the kingdom of music and arts, of
Harpers, of skilled ficheall players and of skilled horsemen. The
Fairs of Munster were the greatest in all Ireland.
The last kingdom, Meath, is the kingdom of Kingship, of
Stewardship, of bounty in government; in Meath lies the Hill of
Tara, the traditional seat of the High King of Ireland. The
Ancient earthwork of Tara is called Rath na Rithe ' Ringfort of
The Kings .'
Greatest and wisest druids and magicians; the men of Connaught
Are famed for their eloquence, their handsomeness and their
Ability to pronounce true judgement.
Ulster in the north is the seat of battle valour, of haughtiness,
Strife, boasting; the men of Ulster are the fiercest warriors of all
Ireland, and the Queens and Goddesses of Ulster are associated
With battle and death.
Leinster, the eastern kingdom, is the seat of prosperity,
Hospitality, the importing of rich foreign wares like silk or
Wine; the men of Leinster are noble in speech and their women
Are exceptionally beautiful.
Munster in the south is the kingdom of music and arts, of
Harpers, of skilled ficheall players and of skilled horsemen. The
Fairs of Munster were the greatest in all Ireland.
The last kingdom, Meath, is the kingdom of Kingship, of
Stewardship, of bounty in government; in Meath lies the Hill of
Tara, the traditional seat of the High King of Ireland. The
Ancient earthwork of Tara is called Rath na Rithe ' Ringfort of
The Kings .'
Each province had a royal site, a place where important events took place. In 100 AD there were Royal Sites at Emain Macha, near Armagh, Tara, County Meath and Dun Ailinne, County Kildare as well as other locations.
For most of the civilian population, however life was spent in small farming units consisting of a wooden or wattle-and-daub house with a circular enclosure. Most would have had access to common land on higher ground on which to graze animals. Dairying was common, but almost everyone grew grain crops such as corn, oats, barley, wheat and rye. The land was ploughed using wooden ploughs pulled by oxen. Almost all farming as subsistence based, and there was very little trade in food.
For most of the civilian population, however life was spent in small farming units consisting of a wooden or wattle-and-daub house with a circular enclosure. Most would have had access to common land on higher ground on which to graze animals. Dairying was common, but almost everyone grew grain crops such as corn, oats, barley, wheat and rye. The land was ploughed using wooden ploughs pulled by oxen. Almost all farming as subsistence based, and there was very little trade in food.
A typical Celtic Village scene which would have been common across Ireland
The only interruption of the daily ritual of grazing animals and growing crops would have been cattle-raids from neighbouring warriors, who may have pilaged and burned on their way to battle, although in general warfare seems to have been a highly formalised affair in which the peasants were usually involved. By 400 AD there were probably between half a million and one million people living in Ireland. This number would have fluctuated due to the recurrent plague and famine which affected all prehistoric cultures in Europe.
The law that the Celts in Ireland used has been called ' Brehon Law ' Forms of Brehon Law were used in Ireland for hundreds of years. The idea behind the Law was that a person's identity was defined by the Kingdom in which they lived. A peasant had no legal status outside the ' tuath ' with the exception of men of art and learning. Those who were tied to their tuath were unfree and worked for the King. All land was owned by families, not by individuals. Wealth was measured in cattle, and each individual had a status measured in terms of wealth. Almost any crime committed against an individual could be recompensated by paying equal to the status of the individual. For example 50 cows for an important person, 3 for a peasant. There was no death penalty; but an individual could be ostracised from the tuath in certain circumstances.
The Language spoken by the Celts in Ireland was Celtic, a variant of the Celtic languages which were used across Europe. In the British Isles, there were at least two dialects in use. Brittonic ( P-Celtic ) which was spoken in southern Britain and France, and Goidelic ( Q-Celtic ) which was spoken in Ireland and northern Britain. Brittonic is the root of modern Welsh, Cornish and Breton. Goidelic is the root of modern Irish and Scots-Gaelic. Brittonic and Goidelic must have been heavily influenced by the Bronze Age languages of Ireland. The first written Irish appeared in the fifth century around the same time as the initial Christianisation of Ireland. Called Ogham script, it consists of a series of grooveson the corner of a stone. Each combination of grooves represents a different letter in the Latin alphabet, and a number of Ogham stones have been found in Ireland and in Wales. Those in Ireland are mostly along the south coast. Usually they give the name of a person or ancestor and were probably commemorative.
The law that the Celts in Ireland used has been called ' Brehon Law ' Forms of Brehon Law were used in Ireland for hundreds of years. The idea behind the Law was that a person's identity was defined by the Kingdom in which they lived. A peasant had no legal status outside the ' tuath ' with the exception of men of art and learning. Those who were tied to their tuath were unfree and worked for the King. All land was owned by families, not by individuals. Wealth was measured in cattle, and each individual had a status measured in terms of wealth. Almost any crime committed against an individual could be recompensated by paying equal to the status of the individual. For example 50 cows for an important person, 3 for a peasant. There was no death penalty; but an individual could be ostracised from the tuath in certain circumstances.
The Language spoken by the Celts in Ireland was Celtic, a variant of the Celtic languages which were used across Europe. In the British Isles, there were at least two dialects in use. Brittonic ( P-Celtic ) which was spoken in southern Britain and France, and Goidelic ( Q-Celtic ) which was spoken in Ireland and northern Britain. Brittonic is the root of modern Welsh, Cornish and Breton. Goidelic is the root of modern Irish and Scots-Gaelic. Brittonic and Goidelic must have been heavily influenced by the Bronze Age languages of Ireland. The first written Irish appeared in the fifth century around the same time as the initial Christianisation of Ireland. Called Ogham script, it consists of a series of grooveson the corner of a stone. Each combination of grooves represents a different letter in the Latin alphabet, and a number of Ogham stones have been found in Ireland and in Wales. Those in Ireland are mostly along the south coast. Usually they give the name of a person or ancestor and were probably commemorative.
The Ogham Stone at Coolmagort, Coonty Kerry.
