Brehons, Brahmins, and an Irish Scholar who made an Incredible Connection
Myles Dillon spent fifty years arguing that early Ireland and ancient India shared more than a distant ancestor — this is his story, and his case
What Does Brehon Law Say About the Sea? Muirbretha—Sea Judgements
Muirbretha, the "sea-judgements," is the main surviving Brehon law text on maritime affairs, and it survives only because a handful of scribes thought it worth copying fragments of it into…
Trial by Truth: The Twelve Ordeals of Brehon Law and the Testament of Morann
When people imagine early Irish law, they usually picture the brithem — the brehon — weighing evidence and handing down a careful judgement based on precedent. That's true enough for…
Ireland’s Oldest Rule for Kings: Tell the Truth, or Watch the Kingdom Die
Imagine a political idea so old and so serious that a king who told a lie could, in theory, cause the harvest to fail.
The Spirit of the Law: What Irish Mythology Can Teach Us About Ancient Irish Laws
A guide to the principles of Ireland's ancient legal tradition, told through myth and legend. The Demise of the Brehon Laws? Sir John Davies wrote the following in a treatise…
What the Brehon Laws Understood About Relationships That We’re Still Figuring Out
Long before modern contract law, before the Anglo-Norman invasions rewrote Ireland's social fabric, and centuries before the Church imposed its singular vision of marriage across the land, the early Irish had developed one of the most nuanced legal frameworks for human relationships in the ancient world.
Dreaming the Law — Living Law Part VIII
Part VIII of the Living Law series, exploring ritual, skin, and the memory of land. Introduction Before law is written, it is imagined. Before it is spoken, it is formed…
“Let No Man Write My Epitaph” Robert Emmet’s Speech From the Dock
On the 19th of September, 1803, a young man stood before a Dublin court and delivered words that would echo across centuries. He was twenty-five years old. He had led…
Ancient Ireland’s Environmental Laws Were 1,000 Years Ahead of Their Time
Imagine living in a society where cutting down the wrong tree could cost you the same penalty as harming a human chief. Where poisoning a river carried massive fines. Where…
The Breath Between Worlds – Part VII
Part VII of the Living Law Series, exploring ritual, skin, and the memory of land. Air is the first and last element we meet. Before the law is spoken, breath prepares…
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