Unit 2: Early Irish Society

Emain Macha (left) now known as Fort Navan in County Armagh, and the Hill of Tara (Teamhair) (right) are the most notable centers of Irish kings.

Ogham Writing

The ogham script, based on the Latin alphabet and invented in Ireland, was the country's first experiment in writing. Ogham writing is typically found on stones, generally marking the site of an important person's grave or an important event. Ogham stones generally date from the 4th to 6th century AD, and most of them are found in the south and southwest of Ireland. The letters were formed by carving horizontal or slanted lines along a vertical axis, which was very often the edge of the standing stone itself.

The ogham stones in the following picture were collected from the southwest of Ireland by Lord Ventry in the 18th century. They are displayed on his former estate, which is now Colaiste Ide, just outside Dingle in County Kerry.

Other monuments of this time

Staigue Fort, County Kerry

Dun Beg Promontory Fort, County Kerry

Readings and Activities

• Read Moody, Chapter 3, pages 25-40
• Read Titley, Early Society, pages 11-16
• Read Dunne, The Tain (361-363), Cuchulain Comforted (363-364), The harp that once through Tara’s halls (114-115)
• Read Arnold, part of chapter 1, pages 9-16
• Read The Birth of Cuchulainn and The Boyhood Deeds of Cuchulainn (electronic reserve)
• Read the entire Táin Bó Cúalinge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) from this website (it's in a number of parts on the site):
  http://www.geocities.com/paris/arc/6084/tain.htm
• Read Defining kel tick: the Case of the Insular Celts (electronic reserve)
• Retrieve and read the following article from UMD’s electronic database:
  Lyden, Jacki. An Ireland of Legend: following in the Mythic Footsteps
  of Queen Maeve. The Atlantic Monthly, vol. 289, no. 3 (March 2002),
  pages 90-96.
• Consult the following helpful web sites:
  http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlkik/ihm/iremaps.htm
  http://www.usu.edu/anthro/origins_of_writing/ogham/
  http://www.stonepages.com/ireland/

Assignments

1. Some discussion about your project is due this week, preferrably in person. According to the project time line, your ideas must be finalized by week four.
2. Check out the map site, and peruse the maps from AD 100 to AD 700. You'll notice a lot of unfamiliar and probably unpronouncable names. Basically, Ulaid and Uladh correspond roughly to the Ulster provinces of today; Laigin to Leinster; Mumu, Eoghanachta, or Caisil to Munster; and Cruahain or Connachta to Connacht. You'll also notice that family names and "kingdom" names are the same. List the important clans of early Ireland and the sites and provinces (or areas) associated with each.
3. Explain the style of the La Tene period. Identify key pieces or sites. What do we see today that is reminiscent of this period's art?
4. What was the structure of early Irish society? Including information about everyday life as well as information about class, economy, and political organization.
5. Regarding The harp that once through Tara’s halls,how does this poem relate to early Ireland? What or who is "no more?"
6. Give a brief summary of the action of the Tain. You don't need to memorize every person or place name, but a thorough knowledge of the main characters and their actions is important.
7. Write your name in ogham script. Remember to use sound rather than individual letters.)