{"product_id":"brehon-laws-the-ancient-wisdom-of-ireland","title":"Brehon Laws: The Ancient Wisdom of Ireland","description":"\u003cp\u003eAncient Ireland’s sophisticated legal system guided daily life with fairness and resilience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA fascinating look at the lifestyle and values of ancient Ireland\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThousands of years ago, Celtic Ireland was a land of tribes and warriors; but a widely accepted, sophisticated and surprisingly enlightened legal system kept society running smoothly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe brehons were the keepers of these laws, which dealt with every aspect of life: land disputes; recompense for theft or violence; marriage and divorce processes; the care of trees and animals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTransmitted orally from ancient times, the laws were transcribed by monks around the fifth century, and what survived was translated by nineteenth-century scholars.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJo Kerrigan has immersed herself in these texts, revealing fascinating details that are inspiring for our world today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith atmospheric photographs by Richard Mills, an accessible introduction to a hidden gem of Irish heritage\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction: page 9\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn which the true value of this rich heritage is expounded.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter One: A Brief History 13\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTouching upon the best efforts of Celts and Christians, Vikings and Normans, to eradicate these great laws; also how the Elizabethan age and the Penal Laws almost succeeded, but how Brehon law somehow survived in hiding.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter Two: Who Was Who in Ancient Ireland 42\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf kings and judges, poets and innkeepers – not forgetting the upwardly (and downwardly) mobile. The importance of the tribe and of the family, and the system of fosterage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter Three: For the Protection of the People 65\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConcerning murder and theft, injury and insult, restitution and rehabilitation. Also, the offence of the looker-on, and the punishment of ‘the ninth wave’.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter Four: Awareness of Animals 92\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWherein these are defended from injury, but also made responsible through their proper owner for their own trespasses. The personal importance of pet dogs, the rule of the cat in his every activity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter Five: Laws of the Land 117\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeing the control of boundaries, every man’s right to water, the guarding of the trees be they noble or common.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter Six: The Rights of Women 135\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn land ownership and property, marriage and divorce, insult and rape of both kinds. The proper vengeance of a first wife upon a second, and the power of a true queen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChapter Seven: A Day in the Life of Ancient Ireland 155\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTreating of daily life three thousand years ago, as the old laws depict it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Note on Sources 173\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The O'Brien Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44361159311494,"sku":"9781788491075","price":48.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/9199\/6550\/files\/9781788491075.jpg?v=1788925901","url":"https:\/\/aevumbooks.com\/products\/brehon-laws-the-ancient-wisdom-of-ireland","provider":"Aevum Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}