Liberty, Order and Law Under Native Irish Rule

FOREWORD . . . . . . vii

Chapter I

PATRICK AND THE REVISION OF THE ANCIENT IRISH LAW . . . 1

¶ The respect given to the Senchus Mor original: "Senchus Mor"; the "Great Custom," a major collection of ancient Irish law, as it represents the pagan Irish law revised according to the advice of St. Patrick—How its authority endured in Ireland for more than 1,000 years—The origin of the Ancient Law attributed by the chief poet to the influence of the Holy Spirit upon the poets and righteous men of Ireland original: "Erin"—The revision of pagan law codes according to Christian revelation in other lands: for example, Rome and France, and later in England and Wales—The partnership of clergy with laypeople in all cases: though this characteristic in the Irish case is nevertheless unique—The origin and previous history of Patrick and his two assistants—The makeup of the Council of Revision (known as the "Big Nine").

Chapter II

INTRODUCTION TO THE SENCHUS MOR . . . 17

¶ The poem and the location where the Senchus was composed—The murder of Patrick's charioteer: Dubhthach's Dubhthach moccu Lugair, the royal poet and law-expert dilemma regarding a just judgment, and its solution—The men of Ireland assemble to hear Patrick: the agreement between the King and Patrick to appoint three kings, three saints, and three poets to revise the laws—The procedures of the "Big Nine" during their conference—The harmony between the Law of Nature and the Law of Scripture original: "Law of the Letter": Dubhthach's "thread of poetry" woven around the Senchus for Patrick—"No human judge brehon: an ancient Irish judge or legal expert of the Irish original: "Gaedhil" is able to overturn anything found in the Senchus Mor"—Remarkable revelations in