Túath
Túath(pluraltúatha) is theOld Irishterm for the basic political and jurisdictional unit ofGaelic Ireland.Túathcan refer to both a geographical territory as well the people who lived in that territory.[1]
Social structure
[edit]In ancient Irish terms, a household was reckoned at about 30 people per dwelling. Atrícha cét( "thirty hundreds" ), was an area comprising 100 dwellings or, roughly, 3,000 people. Atúathconsisted of a number of alliedtrícha céta,and therefore referred to no fewer than 6,000 people. Probably a more accurate number for atúathwould be no fewer than 9,000 people.[2]
Eachtúathwas a self-contained unit, with its own executive, assembly, courts system and defence force.Túathawere grouped together intoconfederationsfor mutual defence. There was a hierarchy oftúathastatuses, depending on geographical position and connection to the ruling dynasties of the region.[3]The organisation oftúathais covered to a great extent within theBrehon laws,Irish laws written down in the 7th century, also known as theFénechas.[4]
The old Irish political system was altered during and after theElizabethan conquest,being gradually replaced by a system ofbaroniesandcountiesunder the new colonial system. Due to a loss of knowledge, there has been some confusion regarding old territorial units in Ireland, mainly betweentrícha cétaandtúatha,which in some cases seem to be overlapping units, and in others, different measurements altogether.[5]Thetrícha cétawere primarily for reckoning military units; specifically, the number of fighting forces a particular population could rally.[2]Some scholars equate thetúathwith the modern parish, whereas others equate it with the barony. This partly depends on how the territory was first incorporated into the county system. In cases wheresurrender and regrantwas the method, the match between the oldtúathand the modern barony is reasonably equivalent. Whereas in cases likeUlster,which involved large scale colonisation and confiscation of land, the shape of the original divisions is not always clear or recoverable.[5]
It has been suggested that the baronies are, for the most part, divided along the boundaries of the ancienttúatha,as many bog bodies and offerings, such as bog butter, are primarily found along present-day baronial boundaries.[6]This implies that the territorial divisions of the petty kingdoms of Ireland have been more or less the same since at least the Iron Age.
Etymology
[edit]Túathin Old Irish means both "the people", "country, territory", and "territory, petty kingdom, the political and jurisdictional unit of ancient Ireland".[1]The word possibly derives fromProto-Celtic*toutā( "tribe, tribal homeland"; cognate roots may be found in the Gaulish god nameToutatis), which is perhaps fromProto-Indo-European*tewtéh₂( "tribesman, tribal citizen" ).[7][8]InModern Irishit is spelledtuath,without thefadaaccent, and is usually used to refer to "rural districts" or "the country" (as in "the countryside", in contradistinction to "the city" ); however the historical meaning is still understood and employed, as well.[9]
Historical examples
[edit]- Tuatha Dé Danann
- Cairbre Drom Cliabh
- Tir Fhiacrach Muaidhe
- Tir Olliol
- Corann
- Dartraighe
- Osraige- túath that later became the kingdom of the same name in the Christian era
- Dál Riata- the túath that became a confederation of túatha and eventually settled inAlba,creating the modern nation ofScotland
- Clandonnell,Glenconkeyne,Killetra,Melanagh,Tarraghter,andTomlagh,which all once formed the ancient territory ofLoughinsholin
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
- ^abThe Royal Irish Academy (1990).Dictionary of the Irish Language.Antrim, Northern Ireland: Greystone Press. p. 612.ISBN0-901714-29-1.
- ^abDillon, Myles (1994).Early Irish Literature.Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland: Four Courts Press. xiv.ISBN1-85182-177-5.
- ^Ó Corráin, Donnchadh."Nationality and Kingship in Pre-Norman Ireland".CELT.Retrieved28 September2018.
- ^Patterson, Nerys t. (1994).Cattle Lords and Clansmen: The Social Structure of Early Ireland.University of Notre Dame Press.ISBN978-0268161460.
- ^ab"Medieval Irish political and economic divisions".3 March 2013.
- ^Kelly, Eamonn P. (2006). "Kingship and Sacrifice".Scéal na Móna.13(60): 57–59.
- ^"Tuatha de Danann | Etymology of phrase Tuatha de Danann by etymonline".etymonline.Retrieved18 December2023.
- ^"*teuta- | Etymology of root *teuta- by etymonline".etymonline.Retrieved18 December2023.
- ^Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977)."Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla".teangleann.ie.Retrieved28 September2018.
Further reading
[edit]- Colonisation under early kings ofTara,Eoin Mac Neill,Journal of theGalway Archaeological and Historical Society,volume 16, pp. 101–124, 1935
- Corpus genealogiarum Hibernia,i, M.A. O'Brien,Dublin,1962
- Early Irish SocietyFrancis John Byrne, inThe Course of Irish History,ed. T.W. Moody and F.X. Martin, pp. 43–60, Cork, 1967
- Hui Failgi relations with the Ui Neill in the century after the loss of the plain ofMide,A. Smyth,Etudes Celtic14:2, pp. 502–23
- Tribes and Tribalism in early Ireland,Francis John Byrne,Eiru22, 1971, pp. 128–166.
- Origins of theEóganachta,David Sproule,Eiru35, pp. 31–37, 1974
- Some Early Connacht Population-Groups,Nollaig O Muraile, inSeanchas:Studies in Early and Medieval Irish Archaeology, History and Literature in Honour ofFrancis John Byrne,pp. 161–177, ed. Alfred P. Smyth,Four Courts Press,Dublin,2000
- TheAirgiallaCharter Poem:The Political Context,Edel Bhreathnach,inThe Kingship and Landscape of Tara,ed. Edel Bhreathnach, pp. 95–100, 2005