Liberty, Order and Law Under Native Irish Rule

in the territory. In the work of national renewal for the future that lies before the Irish people, a more widely shared and accurate knowledge of old Irish customs should be of great value. It can serve as an inspiring force as the modern, diverse Irish nation gradually rebuilds itself under its own government. This knowledge can help revive that ancient delight in the sacredness of contracts and fair law which is expressed in the pages of the Senchus Mor original: Senchus Mor; the "Great Custom," which is the primary collection of ancient Irish legal texts. and other Irish legal writings.

Regarding the historical interest this subject generates for students in general, there are two main perspectives from which one can study these ancient Irish laws. Irish readers, and others who love Ireland, are interested in learning everything they can about the origins of the Irish people. They want to understand the way of life through which they organized, governed, and educated themselves until their authority was broken by their militaristic neighbors—starting, perhaps, in the twelfth century, or, more definitely and completely, in the seventeenth century The 12th century marks the beginning of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, while the 17th century saw the final collapse of the traditional Gaelic legal and social order.. It is surely from this Irish perspective that the editors of the Ancient Laws of Ireland wrote the following words at the end of the preface to their second volume:

“But if we are to judge the Irish laws as a whole and see how well they were suited to achieve what legal experts original: "jurists" claim is the great object of all law—namely, not just to settle disputes as they arise, but to instill a love of justice in the hearts of the people—we shall find that the great lawyer who was most influential in the final overthrow of the Irish