A compendium dedicated to Ireland and the Gaelic Arts
I’ve heard women were equals to men in the Brehon Laws, is this true? Despite what the myths show us, no, it’s not true. Women were just as powerless in Brehon Law as indeed they were in most countries across the world at the time. Regular women didn’t carry an honour price. They shared their rank in law with a few others. They were, um… – Children, – The dependent…
Read moreWhat is Brehon Law? Brehon Law is the law system that Ireland used up until around 400 years ago when the final nail was put in its coffin with the Flight of the Earls. It worked quite differently to the law system we use today. It has been described as tribal, rural, hierarchical and familiar – meaning a society in which family, not the individual, is the unit. The family…
Read moreHiberno-Latin was a literary and monastic tradition in Ireland which saw its peak between the 500s and 1000s. It concerned not only Ireland and the Irish language, but also ended up having a profound impact on continental Europe.
Read moreWhat’s the point? England had to put down rebellion after rebellion after rebellion after rebellion in Ireland from the moment it moved in. Well, it was worth it when you consider the amount of money and resources that Ireland could provide. King Edward really liked waging wars. In 1277 he launched a nice long war against Wales that lasted into the 1280s and Ireland played an important role.
Read moreWhat happened next? The Normans brought widespread coinage and tried to bring a centralised system of justice with local and royal courts. The Brehon laws continued to be used across the majority of the country, particularly because the Irish were excluded from the benefits of Norman law. As such, the Normans then had to decide to either be swallowed by the culture of the Irish or keep them completely at…
Read moreRound towers are clearly phallic symbols but besides that, did they serve much purpose? The popular story is that they were safe places to flee to when the Vikings came looting. The problem with that is that the Vikings weren’t exactly stupid and had mastered the basics of the wooden ladder centuries before they mastered the sea in their long boats. There is also the fact that they could simply…
Read moreThe Anglo Irish Church Henry II’s son, Prince John, eventually took over the Ireland campaign. One of his first moves was to give the Diocese of Dublin to his Norman candidate. With it, he gave him grants of land and spiritual jurisdiction. Most notable of which was the area of Glendalough. Taking this off the Irish clergy took years to suppress and get handed over in 1192. It was the start…
Read moreThe Norman invasion was inevitable. They had had amazing success in England and the rest of Britain since the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and, despite Henry II’s disinterest in Ireland, the rest of the Normans were hungry for lands and titles. So what led to the invasion in 1169? Why were they so successful, despite shorter numbers? Why didn’t the Irish unite against them and drive them out when…
Read moreThe Viking Invasion We all know Brian Boru drove back the Viking invasion in 1014, right? RIGHT? Well done to those who shook their heads. This is a pseudo-history brought forward by Brian Boru’s grandson to boost his family’s name and prestige. The truth is that Vikings were here long before Brian was even born. Vikings first landed in Ireland somewhere around the year 794 when they started their raids…
Read moreThe above is a ringfort. There are two types of ringforts in Ireland, those made from stone and those made from earth. There are over 45,000 of them spread across the country and they do not all look like this. This example is in immaculate condition. In fact, for the vast, vast majority, you could have walked through it without ever realising it was there. It’s said that you can’t go more…
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