Labels:text | screenshot | font | letter OCR: The Clans OF IRELAND IncRobucCion Ireland before the Normans was a patchwork of about 150 small kingdoms or tuatha, largely autonomous but owing allegiance to regional or provincial kings. There were occasional claimants to the position of High King of all Ireland, but these were unlikely to have been substantiated before the time of Brian Boru in the 11th century. Each kingdom comprised a grouping of families, with one family occupying the ruling position. The other families had specific roles within the structure of the tuath and all were overseen by a class of Brehon lawgivers, custodians of a comprehensive oral tradition reaching back to the time of their predecessors, the Druids. The Brehon laws had evolved over a long period to cover practically any contingency and resulted in a stable, unified society throughout the whole island of Ireland. « BACK next »
