Celt: The Irish

[Wijitmaker]

The Irish were originally a Bronze Age civilization that was transformed with the arrival of the Celts in 6th-5th Century B.C. Since then the Celtic Irish culture and ways continue to this day in recognizable form in many parts of Ireland.

The Celts first arrived in the British Isles around 500 B.C. (in the form of the Brythonic tribes) and continued to arrive in waves after that. It is debated on whether it was an invasion or gradual cultural assimilation that brought about the Celtic Irish culture and people. Another wave of Celtic immigration came much later to Ireland when two peoples called the Fir Blog and Goidels (also called the Milesians) arrived. Some modern historians believe the Fir Blog were Belgae in origin and the Goidels possible kin of the Celtic peoples in Iberia. Other historians dismiss the notion in its entirety because the two groups are found in the old mythology of Ireland. Regardless it is now widely accepted the Goidels’ arrival and intermarriage with the existing Brythonic tribes led to the eventual creation of the Gaels, whom the Romans called Scoti.

Later in time as the Gaels began to settle themselves more firmly kingdoms began to form and with them a distinct culture. According to the folk stories and later archaeological evidence, the Gaels began to form many different kingdoms or Tuath as they became more settled on the island. By the end of the B.C. era, there was as many as 200 Tuath in Ireland. By this time the Gaels developed a royal grade system that measured a king’s power based on how much land he owned. A Ri Tuaithe ruled a single kingdom. A Ruiri was the overlord of many local kings. A Ri Ruirech was the king of an entire province. Higher then all was the Ard Ri, the High King of the Gaels who was selected by process of election between the greatest of the lesser ri. Each Tuath had a royal site from which the king ruled over his kingdom. These royal sites were usually heavily defended forts.

By the beginning of its known history, Ireland had five major kingdoms that are the focus of Irish historical studies. The first of these major kingdoms was the Kingdom of Ulster, which was located in modern day Northern Ireland. The Kingdom of Ulster was the most powerful kingdom until the early AD era when it collapsed. Only to reform itself into several smaller kingdoms loosely united under the rule of the Ui Neill, the descendants of the Niall of the Nine Hostages (Rome’s greatest Gaelic foe). Ulster’s royal site was Emain Macha (today called Navan Fort). The second major Kingdom was Connaught, which was situated in the county that bears its name. Connaught started out weak but became more powerful as time went on, it would eventually merge with the Kingdom of Mide. Connaught shared her royal site with Munster and Mide at Tara or Teamhaidh, a religious sanctuary that was also the royal site of the Ard Ri. The third Kingdom was Munster. It was based in the county that bears its name. Munster was a powerful state but it would not equal the power of Ulster before its decline and Connaught. Munster shared her royal site of Tara with Connaught and Mide. The fourth Kingdom was Leinster that like Connaught and Munster was located in the county that bears it name. Leinster again like Munster was powerful but never attained the status of Ulster and Connaught. Leinster’s royal seat was Dun Ailinne. The last of the major Kingdoms was Mide. Mide was situated like the previous kingdoms in the county that bears it name. Mide was a close follower and ally of Connaught and led many attacks on Ulster, leading to its eventual collapse, this lead the eventual merging between Connaught and Mide. Mide shared her royal seat with Connaught and Munster. It is important to mention that while all of these major kingdoms may have started around the modern counties that bare their name all five kingdoms grew and shrunk throughout their history well outside modern territorial lines. Not all the above kingdoms necessarily existed concurrently either for that matter or under the same name, making Gaelic history a potentially confusing course of study.

In 55 B.C. the Romans under Julius Caesar invaded Britain, this at first did not affect the Irish, but the fall of the all of kingdoms south of Pictland in 43 AD was a cause for alarm. Shortly after a brief expedition into southern Pictland the Roman General Agricola considered an invasion but knew that Emperor Domitian would probably not allow it. While the Romans never invaded Ireland they did trade with them and that in turn heavily influenced the Irish. As the Roman grip on Britain lessened and the Roman Empire began to collapse, the Gaels took the advantage, raided up and down the coast, and eventually even began to colonize parts of Britain. The most successful of these colonies was Dal Riada in Pictland, which eventually merged to form Alba, the forerunner of Scotland. The Deisi, Laigin, and Erainn founded other colonies. Apart from colonies, the Gaels also engaged in the practice of setting up client states in Britain. The best known, and unusual, was Dyfed in modern Wales. Dyfed was a client state of Munster but once conquered the Munster kings lost interest and the fiction of vassalage persisted for little over a century.

In the year 431 AD the Pope sent a man named Bishop Palladius to Ireland to “Be bishop to the Scoti who believe in Christ”. Palladius’ mission is little known and controversial. At best, it appears he enjoyed some measure of success among the Gaels of Leinster. The most famous man of all who preached to the Irish however was St. Patrick. According to the book he wrote, Confessions, Patrick was a native Briton who was captured and made a slave when he was 16 years old in a Gaelic raid. Patrick worked as sheepherder in what is believed to be Co. Mayo or Silgo for about six years, during this time Patrick wrote that he had found God, after this he escaped to Gaul and studied to be bishop at Auxerre. In 432 AD (or 460 depending on the chronology one uses) Patrick returned to Ireland, landing in the town known as Saul, where he founded his first church. Patrick continued to preach and eventually was granted royal permission from the Ard Ri to do so when he visited Tara. Patrick then began to preach all over the island but more so in the northeastern parts. For about 30 years, Patrick and other missionaries went about Ireland preaching and setting up churches and dioceses around Ireland. When he died in 462 (or 493) St. Patrick and the other missionaries in Ireland had set up a thriving, vibrant, church. In the late 400s early 500s a new form of Christianity was sweeping Ireland: Monasticism. For the Irish Christians Monasticism had great appeal and these monasteries attracted the patronage of kings and the wealthy. As time went on the monasteries became so many and influential that the dioceses set up by Patrick and other missionaries soon broke down and the abbots of the monasteries soon had more power then the bishops. The Irish version of Christianity, called Celtic Christianity had several main founders, they were: St. Enda of the Aran Islands, St. Finnian of Clonard, St. Columba of Derry and Kells, St. Brendan of Clonfert, St. Brigid of Kildare, St. Comgall of Bangor, St. Finbarr of Cork, and St. Kieran of Clonmacnois. The monasteries that these men built would go on to become great centers of learning and culture that would last to the present-day. The form of Christianity they preached would also exert a great influence in the British Isles, strong enough to contest direct with the mainstream church in Rome.

[Fionn]

I like this a lot. It good to hear from someone with interests with the Irish people. Also it is interesting to see all about the Christianisation of the island, which is a vital part in Irish history.

This should more or less be about the Gaels who the Romans called the 'Scoti'. You see, there were many "invasions" including many semi-mythical people. These included groups such as the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Formorians and the Fir Bolg. Eventually a Celtic people called the Milesians invaded and overwhelmed the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Milesians eventually became the majority. After they were called the Gaels. They would take the Isle of Mann and set there eyes on Caledonia. Caledonia was ruled by a Celtic group called the Picts (some legends hold that these people tried to invade the Gaelic homeland of Ireland a few times). The Picts were the ones who fought naked, painted blue and who even frightened the Romans. In fact, Roman expansion into Caledonia was halted mainly due to these people. The Gaels invaded Caledonia and took it. Their population became the majority and Caledonia is now known as 'Scotland', named after the Latin word for the Gaels. Although there were no official wars between the Romans and the Gaels, the former would remember the latter via Gaelic raids on Roman ports the above article said.