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102 Stephen Dunford: The Journey of The IrIsh
The following piece was written in AD 731by Bede or Saint Bede the Venerable, as this controversial Northumbrian-born monk is now referred to; it was published in his Ecclesiasti- cal History of the English People, a celebrated collection which is often referenced as being ‘the first account of English History.’
“Ireland, in breadth and for wholesomeness and serenity of climate, far surpasses Brit- ain; for the snow scarcely ever lies there above three days; no man makes hay in summer for winter’s provision, or builds stables for his beasts of burden. No reptiles are found there; for, though often carried thither out of Britain, as soon as the ship comes near the shore, and the scent of the air reaches them, they die. On the contrary, almost all things in the island are good against poison. In short, we have known that when some persons have been bitten by serpents, the scrapings of leaves of books that were brought out of Ireland, being put into water and given them to drink, have immediately expelled the spreading poison, and assuaged the swelling. The island abounds in milk and honey; nor is there any want of vines, fish, and fowl; and it is remarkable for deer and goats”.
The advancement of religion and learning was undoubtedly the most positive and note- worthy activity in Ireland during her Golden Age-but during this celebrated period many other events of importance also occurred.
As we know, Laoighaire, son of the infamous Niall of the Nine Hostages was High-King during the entire stretch of St.Patrick’s mission. In 463 King Laoighaire was slain while fighting a war with the men of Leinster, and, as had been the custom since the time of Cor- mac Mac Airt, in the third century, the then king of Connacht succeeded to the High-kingship of Ireland. So it came to pass that the new High-King was Aillill Molt. Now from Cormac’s time up to the time of Aillil, this succession right had never once been challenged, but by then, things were changing and trouble was brewing, and eventually, when Aillil was about twenty years into his reign, events came to a head and boiled over into all-out war.
In order to understand the situation then pertaining to such an important monarchical process, it is necessary to have a clear picture of how the succession to kingship in Ireland was settled in those far off days.
When a king died, any one of the male members of his “deirbh-fhine” could be elected as his successor. The deirbh-fhine was a family or tribal group consisting of four degrees or generations-eight in Roman Law, and in Canon Law, as in Irish Law, four, including with certain reservations, the mother’s family. In the Ireland of those times this grouping was composed of the head, his sons, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren. Each heir
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