The Irish standard., 1906-03-24
Thf BRfHON laws
OF Ireland Now Engaging Stu.
dents In England
And Germany as Well as the
KmeFala Isle.

The study OF the Brehon laws OF an
cient Ireland is now engaging many
students in England and Germany as
we'll as in the Emerald Isle itself, says
the Kentucky Irish American of Louis
Vile.
since they furnish the connecting links
between the jurisprudence of the INTEL
ligent pagon and the enlightened legal
procedure of the Christian. The use
of the Irish language in court ceased
in the year 1919.
The Brehons We're lawyer bards
The bards of Ireland were divided in
to three classes-the Fileas, who cele-
brated the strains of war and religion;
the Rrehons, who devoted themselves
to the study of law which they versi-
fled and recited to the people, and the
Seanachies. who filled the Offices of
antiquarian and historian. Almost ev-
cry homestead of Importance had its
own Seanachie, whose duty it was to
sing the exploits and trace the geneal-
ogy of the family up to Milesius. The
! ancient Irish felt very proud of their
oriental descent from this monarch.
The clan or tribe system prevailed in
Ireland, as it did in all other countries
Of Europe in early ages. A clan or
sept consisted of "a number of families
all in one district and generally bear
ing tho same family name. A tribe
was larger group, consisting of sew
elal clans or septs, all more or less dis
tantly related to each other.
A tribe occupied territory, of
which each sept had Il separate dis
trict, without interference by other
septs Of. the same tribe. Over each
tribe. as well as over each sept, there
was q chief, and the chief Of the tribe
had authority over those of the sew
erai septs under him. If the territory
occupied by the tribe were very large,
the chief was Ri, or King, and some
| times a king ruled over two OF more
tribes.
! From the very early times Ireland
was partitioned into five provinces
Ulster. Leinster, Munster Connacht
and Meath. Ulster, in it's coast line,
extended from the Boyne round north
ward to the little river Drowes. which
issues from Lough Melvin, and flows
between the counties of Donegal and
Leitrim; Leinster from the Boyne to
the mouth of the SUR; Munster from
the SUR round southward to the Shan
non; Connacht- from the Shannon to
the Drowes. The province of Meath,
which was last formed, was much
larger than the present two counties
Of Meath and Westmeath; it extended
from the Shannon eastward to the sea,
and from the confines of the present
Kings county and County Kildare on
the south to the confines of Termanagh
and Armagh on the north.
Subsequently there were some
changes. Clare was wrested from
Connacht and added to Munster, and
Louth was transferred from Ulster to
Leinster. Finally, in the latter SUBJ
division Of the country, Meath disap-
peared altogether as q province, and
the four older provinces still remain.
Over each province there was q king,
and there was q king over all Ireland,
who was called the Ard-Ri (the "Over
King or supreme monarchy. He lived
at Tara till its abandonment as royal
residence in the sixth century, and the
Province Of Meath always belonged to
him. to enable him to maintain his
court with due dignity. Besides this
he received tribute from the provincial
kings to support his armies and defray
other expenses Of government.
The kings Of the provinces were in
like manner paid tribute by the chiefs
Of their several tribes. and these again
were partly supported by payments
from their subordinate chiefs and
heads Of households. AS the supreme
monarch had Meath for his personal
expenses, SO each king and chief had
a tract Of land for life, or as long as
he continued chief, for the support of
his household, along with the pay
ments he received from those under
him. This land on his death went not
to his family. but to his successor in
the chiefship.
The king, or chief, was always taken
from one Of the ruling families Of the
tribe Or clan. He was chosen because
he was considered best fitted to gov
ern in peace or in war, and he had to
be free from bodily deformity. The
King was elected by the votes Of the
principal men. However. the king was
not absolute; he could not decide on
any important matter concerning the
tribe or territory without consulting
and obtaining the consent of the lrin-
cipal men.
It was customary to hold meetings
in various places for the transaction
OF important business, sometimes once
year. occasionally once In two Or
three years. At these assemblies laws
were proclaimed to keep thcn before
the minds of the people; taxes were ar