Fáilte - Welcome
On this page you will find our policy statement proclaiming our rights to self identify as Indigenous Celtic Gaels. We hope the information in this statement and on this page can help you and others feel confident in self identifying as an Indigenous Celtic Gael. We are preparing another document which outlines the structure of our initiative called Tuath Mór na nGael, this second document details the structures in place for developing and maintaining our unique culture, traditions, customs and heritage. At the end of this page you will also find a video declaring Gael Law to be reinstated. If you would like a copy of the second document emailed to you as well as regular moonthly updates on all our activities please use the form below to subscribe to our mailing list.
Celtic Druid Temple, Indigenous Religion of Éire
Policy Statement
Introduction
We, the members of Celtic Druid Temple, being indigenous people of the Land known as Éire, proclaim and exercise our rights to self determination and self government, to practice, revitalize and evolve our cultural traditions and customs, to celebrate our ceremonies on ancestral sacred ground and to be secure in the enjoyment of our own means of subsistence and development, to engage freely in all our traditional and other economic activities, to preserve, honour and share our wisdom traditions, to maintain our right to choose traditional medicines and the natural holistic health practices of our Celtic Forest Nation of Éire.
We are Celtic Gaelic people of Ireland. We remain living on our ancestral homelands and seek to develop and continue our living cultural traditions and customs. We honour the Celtic Calendar with celebrations at our ancestral sacred temples and burial grounds. We live as people under the guiding principals of Meas, Meitheal and Mead. Meas encapsulates the concept of respect for self, others and Nature. Meitheal is the mechanism for working together through sharing the responsibilities of producing food, fuel and shelter. Mead is a celebratory drink made from honey and water and is our symbol of celebratory abundance. We live by these principals of self help, co operation and co creation with Nature to provide food, water, medicine, shelter and fuel for our families and community. We promote the use and learning of our native language Gaeilge. Our livelihoods depend on healthy natural woodlands, springs, waterways, sea and sky. Our sacred ancestral lands are of fundamental importance to our collective spiritual, physical and cultural survival as an indigenous people.
We are determined to preserve, develop and share with future generations the abundance of Nature from the Land, Sea and Sky. This includes access to our sacred herbs and vital medicinal plants, animals, birds, fish and minerals. We are preserving, developing and will share with future generations our Celtic Gaelic identity in accordance with our own cultural patterns, social institutions and body of Living Laws without external interference or discrimination.
Principles
1. Indigenous Status of Celtic Druid Temple
2. Self identifying as an Indigenous Celtic Gael
3. UN Permanent Forum definition of “indigenous peoples”
4. International Human Rights Law
5. Overall Intention to proclaim define and exercise our rights as members of Celtic Druid Temple
1. Indigenous Status of Celtic Druid Temple
The Celtic Druid Temple is an organised group of Celtic Gaelic People and Druí (Spiritual guide, teacher and ceremonial leader) honouring Nature as Supreme Being and are determined to practice, revitalize and evolve our cultural traditions and customs by celebrating our ceremonies on ancestral sacred ground in accordance with our Celtic calendar.
Structure and chronology
Recognition
BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN (Constitution of Ireland)
Department of Health
Department of Finance
Dept of Social Protection
Department of Justice
European Convention on Human Rights
Article 9(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees the rights of adherents to this policy document to full enjoyment of rights to thought, conscience and religion, including the ancient traditions of the Celtic Druid faith, and, more specifically, to our right of pilgrimage.
All comments and questions welcomed – [email protected]
2. Self identifying as an Indigenous Celtic Gael
If just one of the following determinants is a 'yes' for you – then you can self identify as an Indigenous Celtic Man or Woman and become a member of our Celtic Forest Nation of Éire. This is a true identity even if you do not currently live in Ireland but wish to live here and to have your descendants live here as your ancestors did.
1 Do you have Gaelic Celtic ancestors?
2 Do you live on or wish to live on the land of your ancestors?
3 Do you seek to live by the Celtic Calendar?
4 Do you want to learn / speak Gaeilge?
5 Do you wish to provide food for your family directly from the Land, Sea and Sky of Éire?
6 Do you wish to preserve, develop and transmit our connection to our Land, Sea and Sky of Éire?
7 Do you wish to restore our Celtic identity, cultural patterns, social institutions and lawful ways?
8 Do you wish to restore Ireland as a Celtic Forest Nation?
3. UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 'working' definition of “indigenous peoples”
* Self-identification as indigenous peoples at the individual level and acceptance by the community as their member;
* Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies;
* Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources;
* Distinct social, economic or political systems;
* Distinct language, culture and beliefs;
* Form non-dominant groups of society; and
* Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities.
Excerpt of a legal opinion by an international law expert who addresses indigenous issues. “Members of the Celtic Druid Temple have the right to self-identification as indigenous; there is historical continuity of indigenous-ness from prior to British invasions; the Temple’s members are tied to territory and resources; indigenous Irish do possess distinct social, economic and political systems and distinct language, culture and beliefs; and it is clear that the Temple and its members are resolved to “maintain and reproduce ... ancestral environments and systems as distinct peoples and communities” (in a modern setting). At end, according to the Permanent Forum document, “the most fruitful approach is to identify, rather than define indigenous peoples.” The Temple is clearly asserting distinct rights.”
4. International Human Rights Law
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations as General Assembly Resolution No. 61/295 (13 September 2007). Courts can apply the declaration in decisions and legislatures and other bodies can cite it to support positions to uphold and enforce specific provisions in the Declaration.
“The Declaration addresses both individual and collective rights; cultural rights and identity; rights to education, health, employment, language, and others. It outlaws discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them. It also ensures their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own priorities in economic, social and cultural development. The Declaration explicitly encourages harmonious and cooperative relations between States and indigenous peoples.”
Article 24 of the Declaration provides (in full):
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services.
2. Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest standard of physical and mental heath. States shall take necessary steps with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of this right.
Article 1 of the Declaration states the right of indigenous peoples, both individually and collectively, to enjoy all human rights as stated by the U.N. or otherwise.
Article 3 secures the right of self-determination, meaning the right to “freely determine” their political status and “freely” pursue and secure their own economic, social and cultural development.
Article 24 addresses the human right to health with this language:
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services.
2. Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. States shall take the necessary steps with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the right.
Excerpt of a legal opinion by an international law expert who addresses indigenous issues. “There is no specific language in the Declaration that addresses the right to refuse specific health measures or procedures, including vaccination. However the language about “their” health practices assumes a right to define what those might be, and the language “highest standard of physical and mental health” assumes that any given “standard” is the “highest” or most appropriate. Inappropriate standards include procedures or practices that are harmful or repulsive to a given indigenous group. I note that the Celtic Druid Temple is in fact engaging in an ongoing debate over the appropriateness of vaccination, and the right to reject it, and there is a right to speak to that — and be acknowledged in positions. I think that one of the most important points for the Celtic Druid Temple’s word is that the obligation is on the state (i.e. government) to deal with complaints of violations of human rights without requiring any person or group to “prove” their right. It is a matter of asserting a given right, e.g. the right to refuse vaccination, and compelling the state to engage. The right to refuse vaccination is a difficult subject, however, there is a right to articulate that right in general terms and compel the state to address it.”
5. Overall Intention to proclaim define and exercise our rights as members of Celtic Druid Temple
Celtic Druid Temple is officially recognised as the indigenous religion of Éire. Celtic Druid Temple presents a modern expression of the indigenous spiritual tradition of this island. Every man woman and child can choose to openly practice the indigenous spiritual traditions of this island. We can now openly show reverence to Nature as the Supreme Being and acknowledge the Spirit of our Celtic Ancestors without fear of censure. The dignity and inherent divinity of every man woman and child can be honoured and nurtured to its fullest expression.
We are in contact with indigenous peoples / groups in Europe, Russia, Australia, North America, South America and throughout the island of Ireland. It is our intention to share this statement with these groups seeking a declaration of acknowledgement and support from them with a view to developing relationships with and acknowledgement from other indigenous groups around the world that respect Nature. The first paragraph from the top of this page is on the back of the new CDT membership identity card. This replaces the Celtic Gaelic Oath that was shown on the back of the CDT identity card. The Oath will continue to be used and will appear on our Almanac, CDT website and in our social media as graphics/script.
Celtic Gaelic Oath
Respecting Nature as Supreme Being -
We honour the idea of
Gods and Goddesses
as the Source of all creation,
We celebrate the
Gaelic Pagan Festivals on
the cycles of the Sun and Moon,
We acknowledge the inherent
lifeforce in all things.
This proposed change is considered as very important. Our membership identity card has photographic ID and declares our status as a state recognised religion when we show - “RCN 20106003” this means ‘Registered Charity Number’ – a charity for the advancement of religion – but this is not immediately clear to first time readers. A modification to the front of the ID card includes - “Indigenous Religion of Éire”. To obtain an ID card, a real address is required with a recent photo of head and shoulders.
See https://www.celticdruidtemple.com/membershipcards.html
Members that choose to carry and use this card will have the ability to refer to a complete description / information page (i.e. this document) on our website of their rights as members of an indigenous religious group. This includes the “right to choose traditional medicines and natural holistic health practices” and can be used to politely and respectfully decline any vaccination or drug containing human foetal tissue, mercury or any other known or unidentified toxin/s. Members have the right to ask for a full list of ingredients in any medications / vaccinations. Because we hold Nature as Supreme Being we reject all unnatural or abnormal medications and we choose a healthy lifestyle with fresh air, living water and organic food as the means to creating and supporting a healthy immune system in tune with the natural order. The Celtic Druid Temple reaffirms is position that Nature is the Supreme Being and our members may decline all or any unnatural medications on religious grounds.
This policy statement of the mission and intent of the Celtic Druid Temple sets out some of the rights that are inherent in the beliefs of an ancient discipline that is the way of life for the Celtic Druid tradition.
Non-members of the Celtic Druid Temple who hold Nature as Supreme Being may also choose to decline all or any unnatural medications on religious grounds as explained here but without a Celtic Druid Temple Identity Card.
24th August 2020
We, the members of Celtic Druid Temple, being indigenous people of the Land known as Éire, proclaim and exercise our rights to self determination and self government, to practice, revitalize and evolve our cultural traditions and customs, to celebrate our ceremonies on ancestral sacred ground and to be secure in the enjoyment of our own means of subsistence and development, to engage freely in all our traditional and other economic activities, to preserve, honour and share our wisdom traditions, to maintain our right to choose traditional medicines and the natural holistic health practices of our Celtic Forest Nation of Éire.
We are Celtic Gaelic people of Ireland. We remain living on our ancestral homelands and seek to develop and continue our living cultural traditions and customs. We honour the Celtic Calendar with celebrations at our ancestral sacred temples and burial grounds. We live as people under the guiding principals of Meas, Meitheal and Mead. Meas encapsulates the concept of respect for self, others and Nature. Meitheal is the mechanism for working together through sharing the responsibilities of producing food, fuel and shelter. Mead is a celebratory drink made from honey and water and is our symbol of celebratory abundance. We live by these principals of self help, co operation and co creation with Nature to provide food, water, medicine, shelter and fuel for our families and community. We promote the use and learning of our native language Gaeilge. Our livelihoods depend on healthy natural woodlands, springs, waterways, sea and sky. Our sacred ancestral lands are of fundamental importance to our collective spiritual, physical and cultural survival as an indigenous people.
We are determined to preserve, develop and share with future generations the abundance of Nature from the Land, Sea and Sky. This includes access to our sacred herbs and vital medicinal plants, animals, birds, fish and minerals. We are preserving, developing and will share with future generations our Celtic Gaelic identity in accordance with our own cultural patterns, social institutions and body of Living Laws without external interference or discrimination.
Principles
1. Indigenous Status of Celtic Druid Temple
2. Self identifying as an Indigenous Celtic Gael
3. UN Permanent Forum definition of “indigenous peoples”
4. International Human Rights Law
5. Overall Intention to proclaim define and exercise our rights as members of Celtic Druid Temple
1. Indigenous Status of Celtic Druid Temple
The Celtic Druid Temple is an organised group of Celtic Gaelic People and Druí (Spiritual guide, teacher and ceremonial leader) honouring Nature as Supreme Being and are determined to practice, revitalize and evolve our cultural traditions and customs by celebrating our ceremonies on ancestral sacred ground in accordance with our Celtic calendar.
Structure and chronology
- 1993 Originally formed as the Heritage Awareness Group identifying indigenous sacred sites and providing educational seminars to the general public supported by local county councils and public libraries.
- 22nd of November 2012 Incorporated as Celtic Druid Temple Company no. 520451
- 30th of August 2017 Changed form to an unincorporated association named Celtic Druid Temple governed by a constitution.
Recognition
BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN (Constitution of Ireland)
- Article 44 Secures our freedom to practice our religion.
2 1° Freedom of conscience and the free profession and practice of religion are, subject to public order and morality, guaranteed to every citizen.
Department of Health
- The Department recognises Druidry as an indigenous religion https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/publications/socialinclusion/interculturalguide/traditional/
Department of Finance
- On the 19th of May 2015 the Department recognised Celtic Druid Temple as an organisation established to promote the indigenous religion of Ireland with Nature as the Supreme Being and granted Celtic Druid Temple the following charity no. CHY20684
Dept of Social Protection
- On the 3rd of February 2016 Solemniser Status was granted by the Department to Celtic Druid Temple. The legally binding marriage registration certificate states that the marriage ceremony is performed "according to the Rites of Passage of the Indigenous Wisdom Tradition of Celtic Druid Temple”
Department of Justice
- On the 13th of June 2018 the Department recognised Celtic Druid Temple as an organisation established to promote the indigenous religion of Ireland and granted Celtic Druid Temple the following registered charity number RCN 20106003
- The Druí of Celtic Druid Temple have jury service exemption status and have exercised this exemption.
- An Garda Siochana have on four occasions provided protection for our public ceremonies
European Convention on Human Rights
Article 9(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees the rights of adherents to this policy document to full enjoyment of rights to thought, conscience and religion, including the ancient traditions of the Celtic Druid faith, and, more specifically, to our right of pilgrimage.
All comments and questions welcomed – [email protected]
2. Self identifying as an Indigenous Celtic Gael
If just one of the following determinants is a 'yes' for you – then you can self identify as an Indigenous Celtic Man or Woman and become a member of our Celtic Forest Nation of Éire. This is a true identity even if you do not currently live in Ireland but wish to live here and to have your descendants live here as your ancestors did.
1 Do you have Gaelic Celtic ancestors?
2 Do you live on or wish to live on the land of your ancestors?
3 Do you seek to live by the Celtic Calendar?
4 Do you want to learn / speak Gaeilge?
5 Do you wish to provide food for your family directly from the Land, Sea and Sky of Éire?
6 Do you wish to preserve, develop and transmit our connection to our Land, Sea and Sky of Éire?
7 Do you wish to restore our Celtic identity, cultural patterns, social institutions and lawful ways?
8 Do you wish to restore Ireland as a Celtic Forest Nation?
3. UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 'working' definition of “indigenous peoples”
* Self-identification as indigenous peoples at the individual level and acceptance by the community as their member;
* Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies;
* Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources;
* Distinct social, economic or political systems;
* Distinct language, culture and beliefs;
* Form non-dominant groups of society; and
* Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities.
Excerpt of a legal opinion by an international law expert who addresses indigenous issues. “Members of the Celtic Druid Temple have the right to self-identification as indigenous; there is historical continuity of indigenous-ness from prior to British invasions; the Temple’s members are tied to territory and resources; indigenous Irish do possess distinct social, economic and political systems and distinct language, culture and beliefs; and it is clear that the Temple and its members are resolved to “maintain and reproduce ... ancestral environments and systems as distinct peoples and communities” (in a modern setting). At end, according to the Permanent Forum document, “the most fruitful approach is to identify, rather than define indigenous peoples.” The Temple is clearly asserting distinct rights.”
4. International Human Rights Law
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations as General Assembly Resolution No. 61/295 (13 September 2007). Courts can apply the declaration in decisions and legislatures and other bodies can cite it to support positions to uphold and enforce specific provisions in the Declaration.
“The Declaration addresses both individual and collective rights; cultural rights and identity; rights to education, health, employment, language, and others. It outlaws discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them. It also ensures their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own priorities in economic, social and cultural development. The Declaration explicitly encourages harmonious and cooperative relations between States and indigenous peoples.”
Article 24 of the Declaration provides (in full):
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services.
2. Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest standard of physical and mental heath. States shall take necessary steps with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of this right.
Article 1 of the Declaration states the right of indigenous peoples, both individually and collectively, to enjoy all human rights as stated by the U.N. or otherwise.
Article 3 secures the right of self-determination, meaning the right to “freely determine” their political status and “freely” pursue and secure their own economic, social and cultural development.
Article 24 addresses the human right to health with this language:
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services.
2. Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. States shall take the necessary steps with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the right.
Excerpt of a legal opinion by an international law expert who addresses indigenous issues. “There is no specific language in the Declaration that addresses the right to refuse specific health measures or procedures, including vaccination. However the language about “their” health practices assumes a right to define what those might be, and the language “highest standard of physical and mental health” assumes that any given “standard” is the “highest” or most appropriate. Inappropriate standards include procedures or practices that are harmful or repulsive to a given indigenous group. I note that the Celtic Druid Temple is in fact engaging in an ongoing debate over the appropriateness of vaccination, and the right to reject it, and there is a right to speak to that — and be acknowledged in positions. I think that one of the most important points for the Celtic Druid Temple’s word is that the obligation is on the state (i.e. government) to deal with complaints of violations of human rights without requiring any person or group to “prove” their right. It is a matter of asserting a given right, e.g. the right to refuse vaccination, and compelling the state to engage. The right to refuse vaccination is a difficult subject, however, there is a right to articulate that right in general terms and compel the state to address it.”
5. Overall Intention to proclaim define and exercise our rights as members of Celtic Druid Temple
Celtic Druid Temple is officially recognised as the indigenous religion of Éire. Celtic Druid Temple presents a modern expression of the indigenous spiritual tradition of this island. Every man woman and child can choose to openly practice the indigenous spiritual traditions of this island. We can now openly show reverence to Nature as the Supreme Being and acknowledge the Spirit of our Celtic Ancestors without fear of censure. The dignity and inherent divinity of every man woman and child can be honoured and nurtured to its fullest expression.
We are in contact with indigenous peoples / groups in Europe, Russia, Australia, North America, South America and throughout the island of Ireland. It is our intention to share this statement with these groups seeking a declaration of acknowledgement and support from them with a view to developing relationships with and acknowledgement from other indigenous groups around the world that respect Nature. The first paragraph from the top of this page is on the back of the new CDT membership identity card. This replaces the Celtic Gaelic Oath that was shown on the back of the CDT identity card. The Oath will continue to be used and will appear on our Almanac, CDT website and in our social media as graphics/script.
Celtic Gaelic Oath
Respecting Nature as Supreme Being -
We honour the idea of
Gods and Goddesses
as the Source of all creation,
We celebrate the
Gaelic Pagan Festivals on
the cycles of the Sun and Moon,
We acknowledge the inherent
lifeforce in all things.
This proposed change is considered as very important. Our membership identity card has photographic ID and declares our status as a state recognised religion when we show - “RCN 20106003” this means ‘Registered Charity Number’ – a charity for the advancement of religion – but this is not immediately clear to first time readers. A modification to the front of the ID card includes - “Indigenous Religion of Éire”. To obtain an ID card, a real address is required with a recent photo of head and shoulders.
See https://www.celticdruidtemple.com/membershipcards.html
Members that choose to carry and use this card will have the ability to refer to a complete description / information page (i.e. this document) on our website of their rights as members of an indigenous religious group. This includes the “right to choose traditional medicines and natural holistic health practices” and can be used to politely and respectfully decline any vaccination or drug containing human foetal tissue, mercury or any other known or unidentified toxin/s. Members have the right to ask for a full list of ingredients in any medications / vaccinations. Because we hold Nature as Supreme Being we reject all unnatural or abnormal medications and we choose a healthy lifestyle with fresh air, living water and organic food as the means to creating and supporting a healthy immune system in tune with the natural order. The Celtic Druid Temple reaffirms is position that Nature is the Supreme Being and our members may decline all or any unnatural medications on religious grounds.
This policy statement of the mission and intent of the Celtic Druid Temple sets out some of the rights that are inherent in the beliefs of an ancient discipline that is the way of life for the Celtic Druid tradition.
Non-members of the Celtic Druid Temple who hold Nature as Supreme Being may also choose to decline all or any unnatural medications on religious grounds as explained here but without a Celtic Druid Temple Identity Card.
24th August 2020
Feineachus / Gael Law Reinstated.
The Hill of Tara, High Noon 23rd of April 2016 Presented by Con Connor, Ard Druí with the Celtic Druid Temple
script of the video above follows
Reinstate Gael Law, Tara, High Noon 23rd of April 2016
Presented by Con Connor, Ard Druí with the Celtic Druid Temple
Candlefield Castlerea Co Roscommon Eire
On the 23rd of April 1014 Brian Boru fought off invaders. On the 23rd of April 1916 Padraig Pearse was to read out the Proclamation on Tara. On the 23rd of April 2016 the free people hold a sovereign assembly on Tara at An Forradh. On Tara on the 23rd of April at high noon (not 12 o'clock) a sovereign assembly reclaims the Republic of Ireland at An Forradh, the Seat of Judgement from where the High King Cormac MacAirt held court using old Gael Law – Fenechus.
Unfinished business. We, the sovereign people of the Republic of Ireland are the guardians of our indigenous laws, customs and traditions. This Republic is controlled by a representative government directed by the 1937 Bunreacht na hEireann / Irish Constitution. A Democracy is direct government ruled by 51% majority mob rule. Democracy and Republic are often taken as one and the same thing, but there is a fundamental difference. In both cases the government is elected by the people, but in a Democracy - the majority rules according to their whims, whilst in the Republic the Government rule according to the constitution and the people have the right to opt out of majority decisions. Constitution should limit and control the power of Government ensuring some rights and protection to minorities and individuals. In all Irish Courts in Ireland, the 1937 Bunreacht na hEireann is ignored and Maritime Law / the Law of Equity (English Law) as exposed by the fringed tricolour is rigorously applied against minorities and individuals. Ireland has yet to become a full and proper Republic - this is what is meant by unfinished business.
This sovereign assembly on Tara has the express purpose of now reclaiming our Republic from the corrupt manipulators of truth, away from banksters, corporate vultures and deceiving politicians. Sovereignty was taken from the Irish People back in 1155 when a forged document called – 'Papal Bull Laudabiliter' was allegedly issued by Pope Adrian 4th giving Ireland and all her people as slaves to the King of England, Henry the 2nd. This document never existed. The exposure of this papal fraud giving the sovereign people and resources of Ireland to a foreign imperial warlord to enslave and exploit has been hidden from all by the contrived false recording of our history. This compound fraud has caused immeasurable hurt and hardship to our People.
We reject the King James "Proclamation touching the Earles of Tyrone and Tyrconnell" on 15 November 1607 that was enforced on deceased persons as a travesty of justice and consequently as null and void. The Crown and Vatican continue today with the willing assistance of their agents with their efforts to erase this memory of a sovereign people and to deny the fraud they perpetuated on a free people. Current elected government practice and the permanent government that guides them (aka the civil service) have evolved from this 'Papal Bull Laudabiliter' and the '1607 Proclamation' and our government does not recognise the natural rights of the sovereign people of Ireland. The majority of politicians in Ireland seek only to rule and not to serve the people thereby treating the free people as slaves instead of honouring our natural rights as a sovereign people.
We, the sovereign people of the Republic of Ireland now restate our rights and take our Republic back from the dirty hands of the gangsters masquerading as elected representatives of the people. We take our Republic back from the thieving crown courts who are assisted by the Bar Council who operate unlawfully as pirates on land.
At this sovereign assembly today on Tara at An Forradh on 23rd of April 2016 we hereby reject the odious foreign exploitation of our land and people and totally reject all foreign laws as unlawfully enforced and without our people's consent. The very top of our system of government requires urgent reform to ensure sovereignty is restored. This requires the head of state of the territory of this island as declared in the 1919 Sovereign Constitution to publicly take an Oath to protect and enforce the natural rights of a free people. This same oath will be taken by the Taoiseach and members of the government, members of the Defense Forces, Navy, Air Corps and the Garda Siochana and all civil servants.
New public office oath -
"In the presence of the people of Ireland I ,do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will maintain and protect the 1919 Sovereign Constitution of Ireland for the benefit of the people of Ireland. I will fulfil my duties faithfully and conscientiously in accordance with the will of the sovereign people of Ireland, and that I will dedicate my abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland. May the spirit of the Native Laws of this Land and the 1919 Sovereign Constitution direct and sustain me."
This new 'public office oath' requires a New Treason Law -
“Treason is any type of war against the Sovereign People of Ireland, such as assisting any foreign power or person or inciting or conspiring with any person to levy any type of war against the people, or attempting by force of arms or canon law or other violent means or financial fraudulent practices to infringe on the sovereignty of the people or to attempt to overthrow the organs of government created by the people, or taking part or being concerned in or inciting or conspiring with any person to make or to take part or be concerned in any such attempt. Any act that seeks to dis-empower the Sovereign Republic of Ireland or the Sovereign People of Ireland is treason and is punishable by Gael Law.” Any man or woman who publicly takes the new public office oath and gets convicted of acting contrary to its purpose will stand to lose all rights to acquired property or pensions. Treason is a capital offence that carries a lifetime sentence (40 years minimum) of hard labour. Corporate, canon or financial treason carries the same sentence for the principle and or senior person/s convicted.
We hereby restore Gael Law, and empower People's Courts under the Law of Distraint, an Cuirt Athgabhail as seen by living witnesses here today and from this day forward supported by the following live person signatures.
You may sign this book at the Celtic Druid Temple.
Presented by Con Connor, Ard Druí with the Celtic Druid Temple
Candlefield Castlerea Co Roscommon Eire
On the 23rd of April 1014 Brian Boru fought off invaders. On the 23rd of April 1916 Padraig Pearse was to read out the Proclamation on Tara. On the 23rd of April 2016 the free people hold a sovereign assembly on Tara at An Forradh. On Tara on the 23rd of April at high noon (not 12 o'clock) a sovereign assembly reclaims the Republic of Ireland at An Forradh, the Seat of Judgement from where the High King Cormac MacAirt held court using old Gael Law – Fenechus.
Unfinished business. We, the sovereign people of the Republic of Ireland are the guardians of our indigenous laws, customs and traditions. This Republic is controlled by a representative government directed by the 1937 Bunreacht na hEireann / Irish Constitution. A Democracy is direct government ruled by 51% majority mob rule. Democracy and Republic are often taken as one and the same thing, but there is a fundamental difference. In both cases the government is elected by the people, but in a Democracy - the majority rules according to their whims, whilst in the Republic the Government rule according to the constitution and the people have the right to opt out of majority decisions. Constitution should limit and control the power of Government ensuring some rights and protection to minorities and individuals. In all Irish Courts in Ireland, the 1937 Bunreacht na hEireann is ignored and Maritime Law / the Law of Equity (English Law) as exposed by the fringed tricolour is rigorously applied against minorities and individuals. Ireland has yet to become a full and proper Republic - this is what is meant by unfinished business.
This sovereign assembly on Tara has the express purpose of now reclaiming our Republic from the corrupt manipulators of truth, away from banksters, corporate vultures and deceiving politicians. Sovereignty was taken from the Irish People back in 1155 when a forged document called – 'Papal Bull Laudabiliter' was allegedly issued by Pope Adrian 4th giving Ireland and all her people as slaves to the King of England, Henry the 2nd. This document never existed. The exposure of this papal fraud giving the sovereign people and resources of Ireland to a foreign imperial warlord to enslave and exploit has been hidden from all by the contrived false recording of our history. This compound fraud has caused immeasurable hurt and hardship to our People.
We reject the King James "Proclamation touching the Earles of Tyrone and Tyrconnell" on 15 November 1607 that was enforced on deceased persons as a travesty of justice and consequently as null and void. The Crown and Vatican continue today with the willing assistance of their agents with their efforts to erase this memory of a sovereign people and to deny the fraud they perpetuated on a free people. Current elected government practice and the permanent government that guides them (aka the civil service) have evolved from this 'Papal Bull Laudabiliter' and the '1607 Proclamation' and our government does not recognise the natural rights of the sovereign people of Ireland. The majority of politicians in Ireland seek only to rule and not to serve the people thereby treating the free people as slaves instead of honouring our natural rights as a sovereign people.
We, the sovereign people of the Republic of Ireland now restate our rights and take our Republic back from the dirty hands of the gangsters masquerading as elected representatives of the people. We take our Republic back from the thieving crown courts who are assisted by the Bar Council who operate unlawfully as pirates on land.
At this sovereign assembly today on Tara at An Forradh on 23rd of April 2016 we hereby reject the odious foreign exploitation of our land and people and totally reject all foreign laws as unlawfully enforced and without our people's consent. The very top of our system of government requires urgent reform to ensure sovereignty is restored. This requires the head of state of the territory of this island as declared in the 1919 Sovereign Constitution to publicly take an Oath to protect and enforce the natural rights of a free people. This same oath will be taken by the Taoiseach and members of the government, members of the Defense Forces, Navy, Air Corps and the Garda Siochana and all civil servants.
New public office oath -
"In the presence of the people of Ireland I ,do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will maintain and protect the 1919 Sovereign Constitution of Ireland for the benefit of the people of Ireland. I will fulfil my duties faithfully and conscientiously in accordance with the will of the sovereign people of Ireland, and that I will dedicate my abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland. May the spirit of the Native Laws of this Land and the 1919 Sovereign Constitution direct and sustain me."
This new 'public office oath' requires a New Treason Law -
“Treason is any type of war against the Sovereign People of Ireland, such as assisting any foreign power or person or inciting or conspiring with any person to levy any type of war against the people, or attempting by force of arms or canon law or other violent means or financial fraudulent practices to infringe on the sovereignty of the people or to attempt to overthrow the organs of government created by the people, or taking part or being concerned in or inciting or conspiring with any person to make or to take part or be concerned in any such attempt. Any act that seeks to dis-empower the Sovereign Republic of Ireland or the Sovereign People of Ireland is treason and is punishable by Gael Law.” Any man or woman who publicly takes the new public office oath and gets convicted of acting contrary to its purpose will stand to lose all rights to acquired property or pensions. Treason is a capital offence that carries a lifetime sentence (40 years minimum) of hard labour. Corporate, canon or financial treason carries the same sentence for the principle and or senior person/s convicted.
We hereby restore Gael Law, and empower People's Courts under the Law of Distraint, an Cuirt Athgabhail as seen by living witnesses here today and from this day forward supported by the following live person signatures.
You may sign this book at the Celtic Druid Temple.
Feineachus (aka Brehon Law)
1. Understanding and Return to Brehon Law 1
2. The Brehon Law System
3. Brehon Law is caring for the land
4. The Spirit of Brehon Law is in its intention
2. The Brehon Law System
3. Brehon Law is caring for the land
4. The Spirit of Brehon Law is in its intention
1. Understanding and Return to Brehon Law 1
Today the ancient indigenous law system of Ireland is often called Brehon Law. Its correct name is Senchus Mor or Gael Law and best understood as the ‘laws of the land tiller’ and was and is known to Gaelic speakers as Feineachus. A general term for all law, without special reference to that of Ireland, was Recht. But the law of the Gaels was Feineachus. Its very important to know that these ‘laws’ were not made by Brehons (singular Brithem in Irish) but by the people themselves to protect the people. English Law (as used in Ireland today ce 2013) and Church Canon Law protect only themselves and the head of their imperial system, mostly from loss of revenue or assumed status forced by fear or by the sword...
During the times of Brehon / Gael Law / Celtic Irish Law, there was no police force or prisons in Ireland. The Brehons (male and female) were arbitrators who remembered the laws in poems and had to be able to recite them when needed. A Brehon is not really a judge - its more like an arbitrator whose responsibilities included preservation and relevant interpretation of existing laws. Their status was displayed by the wearing of a torque around their necks. We are told in the old manuscripts that it would tighten chocking them if they told untruths and it would only loosen when the truth was told in place of falsehoods. Their interpretations were made public and could be challenged, so they had to stick to truth. This is very unlike the English Law system we suffer at present because today the ‘legal wigs’ stick only to the word of law as written and not to the intention of the wrongdoer.
During the early christian era,churchmen got far more severely punished than the ordinary man. After paying the eric or other fine imposed upon him, a layman would still carry a stigma and endure continued loss of status for some time; but eventually by good works and restitution etc he could recover his good name and honour-price. A churchman was never allowed to recover his honour-price or his former status - he must do penance for the remaining life allowed to him.
We dont have a start date for this ‘law of the land tillers.’ We do know that it was used in ancient times and there is some evidence of this type of system being used even during the Bronze age - 4000 years ago. It has also been used in modern times and there are even many examples / evidence of its use by the indigenous people of this land in 1920-22. Celtic Irish Law is seen as the oldest, most equal rights law system and as the most involved / complicated extensive of all European law systems. Known as the Book of Achill - four texts were brought together and bound in the 18th century in full sprinkled calf leather with the quires sewn twice on five flexible cords. This manuscript is from the late 1700s and
is being rebound in a limp vellum, adhesive-free binding, and stored in a pressure box by Trinity College - see pic below
Today the ancient indigenous law system of Ireland is often called Brehon Law. Its correct name is Senchus Mor or Gael Law and best understood as the ‘laws of the land tiller’ and was and is known to Gaelic speakers as Feineachus. A general term for all law, without special reference to that of Ireland, was Recht. But the law of the Gaels was Feineachus. Its very important to know that these ‘laws’ were not made by Brehons (singular Brithem in Irish) but by the people themselves to protect the people. English Law (as used in Ireland today ce 2013) and Church Canon Law protect only themselves and the head of their imperial system, mostly from loss of revenue or assumed status forced by fear or by the sword...
During the times of Brehon / Gael Law / Celtic Irish Law, there was no police force or prisons in Ireland. The Brehons (male and female) were arbitrators who remembered the laws in poems and had to be able to recite them when needed. A Brehon is not really a judge - its more like an arbitrator whose responsibilities included preservation and relevant interpretation of existing laws. Their status was displayed by the wearing of a torque around their necks. We are told in the old manuscripts that it would tighten chocking them if they told untruths and it would only loosen when the truth was told in place of falsehoods. Their interpretations were made public and could be challenged, so they had to stick to truth. This is very unlike the English Law system we suffer at present because today the ‘legal wigs’ stick only to the word of law as written and not to the intention of the wrongdoer.
During the early christian era,churchmen got far more severely punished than the ordinary man. After paying the eric or other fine imposed upon him, a layman would still carry a stigma and endure continued loss of status for some time; but eventually by good works and restitution etc he could recover his good name and honour-price. A churchman was never allowed to recover his honour-price or his former status - he must do penance for the remaining life allowed to him.
We dont have a start date for this ‘law of the land tillers.’ We do know that it was used in ancient times and there is some evidence of this type of system being used even during the Bronze age - 4000 years ago. It has also been used in modern times and there are even many examples / evidence of its use by the indigenous people of this land in 1920-22. Celtic Irish Law is seen as the oldest, most equal rights law system and as the most involved / complicated extensive of all European law systems. Known as the Book of Achill - four texts were brought together and bound in the 18th century in full sprinkled calf leather with the quires sewn twice on five flexible cords. This manuscript is from the late 1700s and
is being rebound in a limp vellum, adhesive-free binding, and stored in a pressure box by Trinity College - see pic below
Murder and Physicial Injury
Gael Law is seen as an expression of a cultured humane society that protects itself. It did not use capital punishment ie death, violent punishment was seen as of no value to society. Only deliberate murder could get a death penalty but the heavy fines system was the first option. The emphasis on fines instead means that fines extend to the entire family of the wrongdoer - such as loss of land, animal stock, posessions, future earnings. This was not just for the wrong doer but for his or her family for eternity... The chief factors in determining the amount of penalty for any given crime were, (1) the damage done; (2) the status of the injured person; (3) the status of the criminal; (4) the accompanying circumstances. The result was that like punishments did not always follow like crimes. A murderer could after all these fines also be sentenced to serve the family of the injured as a slave for life! Intentional and unintentional injury were seen as separate things - both require compensation because both were seen as unlawful. This cleverly avoided any ‘set up’ or trickery and made the wrong doer pay a fine. This made everyone stay awake and take care of others.
A legal text we have called Bretha Dein Checht tells of the various fines regarding the type, severity and place of wounds. A physician would define the wound after 9 days had passed. It may seem strange to us but a system of measuring the severity of a wound was to see how many grains or seeds of a certain plant would fit in the wound. High status persons that had been unlawfully wounded had their wounds measured with smaller seeds than the wound of a low status person. This system used a range of seeds from wheat to beans... When wounds did not heal and the cut of scar was to be a problem then the fine was increased in relation to this aspect. If the wound got better but the patient still had not returned to 100% health then the wrongdoer was in trouble / fines etc for a longer period called sick-maintenance. The (Brehon / Gael Law / Celtic Irish Law) names for sick maintenance are - crólige, folog n-othrusa, folog and orthus in various texts. Bretha Crólige explains the responsibility of the injurer in great details - he or she had to pay for the food and keeping of the wounded, had to have someone do the duties of the injured, had to protect the family of the wounded and there was an extra type of fine if the wounded or injured person missed or lost the ability to procreate.
Murder was probably the most serious crime and the two fines imposed used terms that are still known of today in many circles. Eraic / Eric or body fine was a fixed fine and Log nEnech was an honour price that related directly to the status of the murdered. This is an important piece of the laws of Celtic Ireland because it extended byond the perpetrator and the victim. When the murderer could not pay his or her family had the fine or the balance of the fine that the murderer could not pay imposed on them. If the murderer or his/her family did not pay or could not pay then the victims family took custody of the murderer. The family of the murdered had 3 options of what to do with the murderer - they could await payment of the fixed fine and the honour price, sell the murderer into slavery or kill the murderer. This was taken so seriously that if the murderer could not be caught or made to pay the body fine and the honour price then they (victim’s family) were under obligation to launch a blood feud. There had to be closure and some form of restitution - obscure or pointless words (as often given by judges today) were no good, it had to be real and things had to get balanced.
From The Brehon Laws by Laurence Ginnell, 1894 “The names of the fines are retained untranslated, for reasons already mentioned. They were eiric or eric, reparation; einachlan, honour-price (not strictly a fine); dire, fine; coirpdire, body-fine; smacht, usually a fine of five seds; and airer, a fine amounting to one-seventh of the honour-price. Eric is defined as the fine for separating body from soul, that is for killing, whether murder or manslaughter. But of course the amount of it was not the same in these cases; for one of the most important distinctions made by the law in crimes was the presence or absence of intention. A man who happened by pure accident to kill another who was about his lawful business did not go wholly unpunished, as such a one does here at the present time. Having destroyed human life and inflicted an irreparable injury on a family, he had to pay eric to the family of the deceased, and so alleviate suffering by sharing it. But one who committed wilful murder with malice aforethought had to pay at least a double fine.”
The best book on the Gael Law is - The Brehon Laws: A Legal Handbook by Laurence Ginnell, 1894 and a full online copy can be found at http://www.libraryireland.com/Brehon-Laws/Contents.php
Con Connor, Ard Druí, Winter 2012
2. The Brehon Law System
The Brehon law system is reputedly the second oldest recorded law system after Sanskrit. The Gaelic society which produced this body of law maintained an oral tradition for at least one thousand years. With the influence of the early Coptic Christian monastic sects which came to Ireland in the fifth and sixth centuries came the first writing. The monks were fascinated by the Brehon law and transcribed from the poets called “Na Filidh” who held the law in their heart literally; these poets would recite the law in four line stanzas, having learnt the law after a long initiation period. As new cases occurred new poems were added to the body of law ensuring the law was in synch with ever-changing life.
Brehon law is a natural law system based on the sustainable principle of common sense, this system was assimilated easily into the early Christian Gaelic order and continued to be used long after the introduction of English common law after the Norman and English invasions. The law survived into the seventeenth century in remote parts of Ireland. Common law was established in the thirteenth century after the Magna Carta was signed by some Irish chieftains who, after signing, reverted back to their own superior law system, “any thing for a quiet life”.
Common law is based on precedent, and international law is based on common law, and Brehon law has precedence over both by virtue of the fact fifty ancient law texts survive, as manuscripts copied from seventh and eight century originals. These copies were made between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries at which point the Old Gaelic order finally collapsed after the battle of Kinsale. The Gaelic leadership consisting of kings, chieftains, herbalists, poets, scholars and soldiers agreed after defeat at Kinsale to leave Ireland. This is known as the “Flight of the Earls”. In exchange for relocation and no more resistance they were promised that their now leaderless, vulnerable, people would be spared by the crown forces.
Brehon Law Manuscript
Gael Law is seen as an expression of a cultured humane society that protects itself. It did not use capital punishment ie death, violent punishment was seen as of no value to society. Only deliberate murder could get a death penalty but the heavy fines system was the first option. The emphasis on fines instead means that fines extend to the entire family of the wrongdoer - such as loss of land, animal stock, posessions, future earnings. This was not just for the wrong doer but for his or her family for eternity... The chief factors in determining the amount of penalty for any given crime were, (1) the damage done; (2) the status of the injured person; (3) the status of the criminal; (4) the accompanying circumstances. The result was that like punishments did not always follow like crimes. A murderer could after all these fines also be sentenced to serve the family of the injured as a slave for life! Intentional and unintentional injury were seen as separate things - both require compensation because both were seen as unlawful. This cleverly avoided any ‘set up’ or trickery and made the wrong doer pay a fine. This made everyone stay awake and take care of others.
A legal text we have called Bretha Dein Checht tells of the various fines regarding the type, severity and place of wounds. A physician would define the wound after 9 days had passed. It may seem strange to us but a system of measuring the severity of a wound was to see how many grains or seeds of a certain plant would fit in the wound. High status persons that had been unlawfully wounded had their wounds measured with smaller seeds than the wound of a low status person. This system used a range of seeds from wheat to beans... When wounds did not heal and the cut of scar was to be a problem then the fine was increased in relation to this aspect. If the wound got better but the patient still had not returned to 100% health then the wrongdoer was in trouble / fines etc for a longer period called sick-maintenance. The (Brehon / Gael Law / Celtic Irish Law) names for sick maintenance are - crólige, folog n-othrusa, folog and orthus in various texts. Bretha Crólige explains the responsibility of the injurer in great details - he or she had to pay for the food and keeping of the wounded, had to have someone do the duties of the injured, had to protect the family of the wounded and there was an extra type of fine if the wounded or injured person missed or lost the ability to procreate.
Murder was probably the most serious crime and the two fines imposed used terms that are still known of today in many circles. Eraic / Eric or body fine was a fixed fine and Log nEnech was an honour price that related directly to the status of the murdered. This is an important piece of the laws of Celtic Ireland because it extended byond the perpetrator and the victim. When the murderer could not pay his or her family had the fine or the balance of the fine that the murderer could not pay imposed on them. If the murderer or his/her family did not pay or could not pay then the victims family took custody of the murderer. The family of the murdered had 3 options of what to do with the murderer - they could await payment of the fixed fine and the honour price, sell the murderer into slavery or kill the murderer. This was taken so seriously that if the murderer could not be caught or made to pay the body fine and the honour price then they (victim’s family) were under obligation to launch a blood feud. There had to be closure and some form of restitution - obscure or pointless words (as often given by judges today) were no good, it had to be real and things had to get balanced.
From The Brehon Laws by Laurence Ginnell, 1894 “The names of the fines are retained untranslated, for reasons already mentioned. They were eiric or eric, reparation; einachlan, honour-price (not strictly a fine); dire, fine; coirpdire, body-fine; smacht, usually a fine of five seds; and airer, a fine amounting to one-seventh of the honour-price. Eric is defined as the fine for separating body from soul, that is for killing, whether murder or manslaughter. But of course the amount of it was not the same in these cases; for one of the most important distinctions made by the law in crimes was the presence or absence of intention. A man who happened by pure accident to kill another who was about his lawful business did not go wholly unpunished, as such a one does here at the present time. Having destroyed human life and inflicted an irreparable injury on a family, he had to pay eric to the family of the deceased, and so alleviate suffering by sharing it. But one who committed wilful murder with malice aforethought had to pay at least a double fine.”
The best book on the Gael Law is - The Brehon Laws: A Legal Handbook by Laurence Ginnell, 1894 and a full online copy can be found at http://www.libraryireland.com/Brehon-Laws/Contents.php
Con Connor, Ard Druí, Winter 2012
2. The Brehon Law System
The Brehon law system is reputedly the second oldest recorded law system after Sanskrit. The Gaelic society which produced this body of law maintained an oral tradition for at least one thousand years. With the influence of the early Coptic Christian monastic sects which came to Ireland in the fifth and sixth centuries came the first writing. The monks were fascinated by the Brehon law and transcribed from the poets called “Na Filidh” who held the law in their heart literally; these poets would recite the law in four line stanzas, having learnt the law after a long initiation period. As new cases occurred new poems were added to the body of law ensuring the law was in synch with ever-changing life.
Brehon law is a natural law system based on the sustainable principle of common sense, this system was assimilated easily into the early Christian Gaelic order and continued to be used long after the introduction of English common law after the Norman and English invasions. The law survived into the seventeenth century in remote parts of Ireland. Common law was established in the thirteenth century after the Magna Carta was signed by some Irish chieftains who, after signing, reverted back to their own superior law system, “any thing for a quiet life”.
Common law is based on precedent, and international law is based on common law, and Brehon law has precedence over both by virtue of the fact fifty ancient law texts survive, as manuscripts copied from seventh and eight century originals. These copies were made between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries at which point the Old Gaelic order finally collapsed after the battle of Kinsale. The Gaelic leadership consisting of kings, chieftains, herbalists, poets, scholars and soldiers agreed after defeat at Kinsale to leave Ireland. This is known as the “Flight of the Earls”. In exchange for relocation and no more resistance they were promised that their now leaderless, vulnerable, people would be spared by the crown forces.
Brehon Law Manuscript
It is recorded as soon as the Gaelic ships were out of sight, the whole-scale slaughter of the remaining Gaels commenced and with it the final annihilation of the primeval woodlands of Ireland which had been the bedrock of the Gaelic order for so long. The context for the sophisticated Brehon laws was removed.
Common law places material objects (property, goods, manmade objects, profits, etc) over and above living entities. Brehon law places people, life and nature before property.
From common law we have the example of property being nine tenths of the law, which explains how stolen property is hard to retrieve. Now we see how common law was used to legalise stolen property for the English crown. Under the Gaelic order there was no personal property; the most people could say was WE own this land. Like many earth based peoples the concept of land ownership was alien; the tribe were caretakers of the land. The Brehon laws ensured that the uses of the land were sustainable, which is why we can learn so much from this wise system of natural law today as we struggle to come to grips with the massive environmental and social degradation witnessed today.
As more and more people become aware that we are an integral part of the environment and not separate from it, we are in it and it is in us, it becomes clearer than ever that our human rights to clean air, water, access to the natural world, spiritual fulfilment and economic sustenance via native natural forests, which are the recognised lynchpin for biodiversity restoration, cannot be protected by common/international law.
Common law places material objects (property, goods, manmade objects, profits, etc) over and above living entities. Brehon law places people, life and nature before property.
From common law we have the example of property being nine tenths of the law, which explains how stolen property is hard to retrieve. Now we see how common law was used to legalise stolen property for the English crown. Under the Gaelic order there was no personal property; the most people could say was WE own this land. Like many earth based peoples the concept of land ownership was alien; the tribe were caretakers of the land. The Brehon laws ensured that the uses of the land were sustainable, which is why we can learn so much from this wise system of natural law today as we struggle to come to grips with the massive environmental and social degradation witnessed today.
As more and more people become aware that we are an integral part of the environment and not separate from it, we are in it and it is in us, it becomes clearer than ever that our human rights to clean air, water, access to the natural world, spiritual fulfilment and economic sustenance via native natural forests, which are the recognised lynchpin for biodiversity restoration, cannot be protected by common/international law.
There is a need to urgently re-examine how the Brehon laws, although dormant due to historic circumstances, can help us today to safeguard the future for the generations of unborn.
Make no mistake about it Brehon law is a living, breathing, vibrant law system of huge significance for this island and the world. As well as holding precedence over common law/international law, it is my understanding Indigenous people in North and South America have used aspects of Brehon law as an example of earth based peoples principles to regain territories lost to common/international law. They related to the Brehon laws as the nearest law system they could identify with, and the courts were forced to allow Brehon law into the arguments as it was written down four or five centuries before common law, and therefore had precedent.
International copyright law is derived solely from Brehon law from a famous recorded case from the sixth century involving a dispute between two monks. One monk said Colmcille had copied an illustrated manuscript created by another monk, called Finian. The case was resolved using the Brehon law and the judgement maintained as the original manuscript was created on vellum (a natural material) the Brehon poets decided in favour of compensation to Finian, as they stated to every cow its calf, to each manuscript a copy with compensation to the creator. This judgement has not been bettered to this day.
It would appear the reason for Brehon laws amazing longevity and continued use was the simple fact that it worked and it was built on respect for life allied to common sense ensuring the conditions upon which all life depends were respected and therefore maintained.
Andrew St Ledger, Woodland Druid
http://www.woodlandleague.org/info/info/brehonlaw.htm
3. Brehon Law is caring for the land
Let’s get away from the false idea of ownership and look at a better and more respectful attitude to being here on and with planet Earth. Stewardship is close to the ideal but caretaker is more hands-on when it comes to explaining what it really means to be caring for the land. You’re not in control of the land anyway but this only becomes clear when you realize your own impending mortality and the notion that the land existed before you and will certainly outlive you.
There are three options when you have land – extract wealth, ignore it and tend it. Extracting wealth without facilitating re-growth damages the natural harmony that the land has created itself through time. In Ireland in the 1500’s when Henry 8 and Liz 1 harvested by clear fell, thereby destroying the great Oak forests of Ireland to build the ships and the huge buildings of their empire, they destroyed the entire sustainability of the natural system or order of things that had been protected for thousands of years by Gael or Brehon Law. The natives could no longer enjoy the abundance of the forest i.e., fuel, food, shelter but instead they now had shortages instead of plenty. The wild herbs, plants and animals had their support system seriously reduced with the large scale deforestation in the 1500s.
After Henry 8 the natural forest existed only in areas that were too difficult to harvest the wood cheaply. Even today our native forests have only minimal presence and our government has not made any serious efforts to re-grow or restore our native woodlands. Did Henry 8 and Liz 1 know what they were doing? They certainly did. They saw huge abundant natural wealth that they could steal by force of arms and they knew that there would be a huge catastrophic negative effect on the indigenous peoples and Celtic traditions of this land at the same time. These acts of theft or destruction led directly to the dissolution of the old Celtic traditions and within 100 years we also see the end of the independence of the Gaelic Order. The end of the old order is referred to as the ‘Flight of the Earls’ and this doesn’t sound too bad. But when you know that the Irish Earls had made a deal with the English army (who heavily outnumbered the Gaels in manpower and weaponry) that would ensure the safety of the Gael soldiers and women / children, you can get a clearer idea of what was happening at the time. It was the last great heroic stand by the Irish in the medieval era, but the Earls chose to leave Ireland because they got an agreement that their people would be spared punishment. After the Earls had gone – the invading army slaughtered all the Gaels they could find. History records this as the ‘Devastation of Munster’ because their army burned everything it could not lift or carry away.
This foreign army then began to starve and asked for food supplies from home and the little that did arrive did not stop the hunger for their army. Imagine it – the army usually lived off the land where ever it was but in their extreme violence they had killed almost all the farmed and wild beasts and burned the crops and homesteads so there was nothing left to rob. Then, with the next wave of activity, they began to cut down the great Oak forests. This clear fell of wild forest was a great crime against the people, the land and all the wild creatures and their homes. It was a blitzkrieg designed for re-population by English lords and their tenant farmers and a total change in land use that would now generate taxable profits for the empire.
For the first time in Ireland trees were seen merely as profit and the natural respect by the people for their forests became secondary to actual human survival.
This meant that in a very short period of time the natural habitat for the flora and fauna was gone, never to be restored. Hunting and harvesting from the wild was not a viable option for the invader or the native population any more. Of course there were hunters but the herds had diminished and hunting became illegal for the native. A total shift in land use from the traditional respect for the forests and all that they provide in a sustainable relationship because of Brehon Law now became a series of big monoculture fields of grain for export back to their empire. The native people were seriously impoverished without their forests. A slow and continual genocide followed.
Let’s go back nearly 500 years before Henry/Liz to when the Anglo Normans invaded in 1170s. They were the first in Ireland to force the ‘ownership’ concept. It was very simple. They stole land by force of arms and killed everyone who would not serve them. They gave each other pieces of paper that said ‘we own this’ and then they could sell or trade the ‘deeds’. All this was revised and modified and updated by successive English kings who sought merely to increase the tax take. The robber kings were thus robbing (taxing) the land robbers who in turn robbed the natural fertility that the old Brehon / Gael traditions had guarded and protected for thousands of years. In the 1500’s Henry’s ship building and the roofing of huge new buildings using Irish Oak across England was further supported by the burning of Irish Oak in their fires. Their upper class preferred Oak to coal for their palace fires.
Then there was a forced land grab under the title of Plantation that pushed the remaining Gael into the worst land. This was followed by the change from tillage or crop farming and rearing cattle to sheep farming. This sheep farming caused displacement of people and was followed in time by the so-called famine. (Note – there were huge supplies of food in Ireland at the time of the so-called famine that the natives were not allowed to eat, the invading army guarded these supplies as they were taken to the shipping ports). The native people were put off the tillage land they were renting and giant sheep farms were established. In the 1840’s Irish men, women and children were once again sold off into slavery again as they had been in the 1500’s and in the 1650’s.
Ireland today has the lowest % of forestry cover in Europe – this shows that as a nation we have not recovered from the foreign imperial idea of land ownership yet. The remains of the great forests exist now only in hard to harvest areas. This is because modern farming / forestry practice now uses the land that was once forest. But in the last 20 years there has been phenomenal decrease in the amount of farmers who work full time on the farm from over 120 thousand to approx 50 thousand farmers, many of whom have second jobs and there has been a corresponding decrease in the actual ‘reclaimed’ land use as well. The natural forest has not been allowed to re-grow, nor has its re-growth been seen and understood as vitally important and there has been little or no government support for the re-establishment of the great forests. The short term cash needs of the politicians never goes away – its part of the profit cake that they bake to cut up between themselves – the system simply will not invest money in real forestry if that money can be spent elsewhere first. In Ireland there has been only lip-service with regards to long-term planning for restoring our great forests because there is little or no willingness to reconsider core values of the forests real value and the relationship of forests to and with the people.
Today, many parts of Ireland are ignored by farmers / growers because there is no way to grab wealth from them. Here in Connaught, west of the Shannon, land is valued at approx E2000 / acre or E5000 / hectare. But rearing cattle on this low quality land does not return any profit. We have 16 acres on our farm but we could not make a living from cattle or sheep today. 100 years ago – a small farm like ours could still return a tidy profit if it was worked with awareness of the needs of the land itself but today it would be foolish to even try to farm here. The old days the winter stocking rate would be only 2 or 3 cows and their calves but today that amount of stock would be seen as a hobby… Now isn’t that amazing? A lot of people won’t be able to understand this but its true – some where along the line the fertility was stolen and kept being stolen until now the value of ‘stock’ as farmers call cattle and sheep has gone too. The commonage (low grade land that’s shared by a group) such as the mountain side and the edges of the turf bogs has even lower value and farming there has to be supported by grant aid or the grade of those lands will reduce even further in a commercial sense.
But when stock farming stops something wonderful happens…
Nature returns restoring fertility when we get ignorance and greed out of the way. How does Nature do this? The answer is simple – the forest returns. First we see the rushes and ferns begin to grow in the damp and wet areas. Then the pioneer trees begin to re-colonize – Birch, Alder and Hazel etc. They start out as shrubs and in time grow in to trees and as they do this the wildlife begins to visit dropping seeds and bit by bit the great forest is re-grown. Bigger animals create tracks to good drinking water, the birds follow the insect populations and within only 20-30 years the damp wet ground has begun to stabilize. Nature does all this for free when we get greed out of the way. We call living with this awareness ‘Permaculture or Forest Gardening’ when we humans have conscious involvement in supporting abundance from Nature.
Tending a Permaculture or Forest Garden is similar to parenting – you have to protect the young forest but the time comes too when you have to let it go…. But if you have done it right you will always enjoy a positive exchange both ways. This understanding is enshrined in the principles of the Brehon or Gael Law system – to tend and care for the people, the animals and the forest land.
So we went and sought advice about grants for tree planting on our 16 acres of rough grazing land. A professional tree planting man called and took a simple soil sample, and tested it and quickly said – “you’ll never get a grant for native woodland”. After a few more questions he said we would only qualify for ‘sitka spruce’ planting grant. I said “sure that’s not native or needed – the forest of monoculture pines damages the air, water and earth – there’s no life i.e. birds or animals in a pine forest”. The tree planter said his reputation would be compromised if he applied for native broadleaf planting on our farm. So I suggested that we might simply plant it up ourselves with volunteer support and donations etc. He reckoned we would be breaking regulations… I said “sure if we did nothing then Nature would re-colonise with pioneer trees and eventually the big trees”. When he went quiet I asked if he reckoned “they’d take Nature to court for breaking their regulations”. He just put his head down; I thanked him for his openness and honesty and he left on good terms understanding our purpose but unable to help.
We could get a full establishment grant for sitka spruce and an annual payment of e200 per hectare / year for 20 years but no support at all to plant native trees. We could not get permission to plant Irish trees and if we plant native trees we are in breach of regulations that were made for cash profit. Therefore an outside commentator could have the opinion that our government has made regulations prohibiting native woodlands in favor of profit making foreign cloned sitka spruce…
So what did we do? We planted and will continue to plant our native Irish trees on our farm in Ireland. We have begun the re-establishment of the native broadleaf woodlands on our little farm regardless of imperial style regulations based on theft and exploitation of natural resources. We have bought hundreds of native trees and been gifted hundreds more. Willows from our Reed Bed tertiary sewerage treatment system have been cut and re-planted – this is a fast growing coppice wood and land colonizer. With our Druí, student volunteers and friends we plant Scots Pine, Ash, Alder, Willow, Hazel, Birch, Chestnut, Oak and even a few Yews and Junipers. We make sure the Gorse and Broom with their beautiful yellow flowers are protected from the horses that graze the grass and rushes on the main part of the farm and we don’t let our friendly farmer (who has the grass of 10 acres for his horses in exchange for fencing, ditching and topping the rushes) spray any chemicals. Our hedges are growing up to 20 foot into the fields. We have created wildlife corridors and added many trees to the banks of the field drains.
Its so rewarding to plant trees, almost all our guests in the planting season are asked to plant some trees with us. People from many countries have planted trees with us – people from Hong Kong, Brazil, Alaska, USA, Sweden, France, New Zealand, Australia, England and of course many Irish natives too.
It’s a start.
Con Connor, Ard Druí Imbolg 2013
(in 2020 we have over 16 thousand broadleaf trees)
4. The Spirit of Brehon Law is in it's intention
(or why do Irish politicians lie so much?)
Irish politics has changed a lot in the last few years. A growing number of our politicians have been caught doing wrong things and various tribunals have repeatedly exposed numerous and huge corruption scandals, with brown envelopes full of money being given to top politicians for planning and other favors. Very few politicians and no judges seem to get convicted as they deny, lie and twist events to effectively say “you can’t catch me”. There seems to be no end to the size of this problem. We even had an attempt by politicians under tribunal investigation to limit the financial cost of tribunals so (we are informed seriously) as to not cripple the exchequer that has to pay the excessive legal fees for both sides in some cases.
But the reality is that any such limit would be a great mechanism to exhaust the process of proper investigation into the corruption and leave the tribunal judges with insufficient information on which to base their judgments. This type of trickery is in fact an attempt by the corrupt to bully the judges. Most judges are political appointees as seen with each new government appointing their favorites. But we are lucky in Ireland in that many of our judges are not controlled by the corrupt politicians and their financiers. Some Irish judges are very obviously influenced or guided by their money masters; some judges have openly declared as and are even known to be members of Opus Dei, the fundamental fascist cult of the biggest church in Ireland. For many senior people in Ireland today telling lies now seems to be standard procedure, spin doctoring and other forms of re-presentation and the half lie and the outright dodge backed up governance have become standard policy. What is going on and how can it be stopped?
A part of the Slí an Druí (or Path of the Druid) is not being involved in politics because it is a discipline where we do not have the relevant skills and it has very little to do with spiritual awareness. Under special circumstances however, permission may be granted by the Órd na Druí for a Druid member to become involved in politics but normally no member would consider this extreme action. I, as an Ard Druí (Arch Druid) feel the need to share my own opinion as to why so many Irish politicians tell so many lies so often because I believe that this constant dishonesty is destroying the very fabric of our society from the top down. I will not enter politics but in the interests of encouraging truth and honesty I offer the following opinion on why they lie so easily and so often.
Is telling a half lie wrong? I reckon it is, especially if the person actually knows the full truth but chooses to lie. Politicians lie because they know that they can get away with it because it is only a small ‘sin’ or spin of words. They believe themselves to be above the law of the land because they can make the laws or change / modify the laws or cause some judges to deliver an interpretation of the law to suit their agendas. Why do they think that this is ok? How did thinking like this become so common? Where did such notions evolve from? And most of all – how can such attitudes be changed to deliver real truth instead of carefully packaged falsehoods?
Little boys and little girls tell little lies/sins and it seems that as they get bigger so do their lies/sins. In a society based on truth this would not happen because the habit would be nipped in the bud. But here in Ireland we have a system that actually encourages lies and dishonesty. I am going to suggest that in part this has happened because as a society we no longer respect the truth, instead we fear poverty and thereby glorify wealth above all else. This situation can be seen as the effects of not having the core concept of Brehon Law in our hearts and minds anymore.
Classic image of Irish Brehons
Make no mistake about it Brehon law is a living, breathing, vibrant law system of huge significance for this island and the world. As well as holding precedence over common law/international law, it is my understanding Indigenous people in North and South America have used aspects of Brehon law as an example of earth based peoples principles to regain territories lost to common/international law. They related to the Brehon laws as the nearest law system they could identify with, and the courts were forced to allow Brehon law into the arguments as it was written down four or five centuries before common law, and therefore had precedent.
International copyright law is derived solely from Brehon law from a famous recorded case from the sixth century involving a dispute between two monks. One monk said Colmcille had copied an illustrated manuscript created by another monk, called Finian. The case was resolved using the Brehon law and the judgement maintained as the original manuscript was created on vellum (a natural material) the Brehon poets decided in favour of compensation to Finian, as they stated to every cow its calf, to each manuscript a copy with compensation to the creator. This judgement has not been bettered to this day.
It would appear the reason for Brehon laws amazing longevity and continued use was the simple fact that it worked and it was built on respect for life allied to common sense ensuring the conditions upon which all life depends were respected and therefore maintained.
Andrew St Ledger, Woodland Druid
http://www.woodlandleague.org/info/info/brehonlaw.htm
3. Brehon Law is caring for the land
Let’s get away from the false idea of ownership and look at a better and more respectful attitude to being here on and with planet Earth. Stewardship is close to the ideal but caretaker is more hands-on when it comes to explaining what it really means to be caring for the land. You’re not in control of the land anyway but this only becomes clear when you realize your own impending mortality and the notion that the land existed before you and will certainly outlive you.
There are three options when you have land – extract wealth, ignore it and tend it. Extracting wealth without facilitating re-growth damages the natural harmony that the land has created itself through time. In Ireland in the 1500’s when Henry 8 and Liz 1 harvested by clear fell, thereby destroying the great Oak forests of Ireland to build the ships and the huge buildings of their empire, they destroyed the entire sustainability of the natural system or order of things that had been protected for thousands of years by Gael or Brehon Law. The natives could no longer enjoy the abundance of the forest i.e., fuel, food, shelter but instead they now had shortages instead of plenty. The wild herbs, plants and animals had their support system seriously reduced with the large scale deforestation in the 1500s.
After Henry 8 the natural forest existed only in areas that were too difficult to harvest the wood cheaply. Even today our native forests have only minimal presence and our government has not made any serious efforts to re-grow or restore our native woodlands. Did Henry 8 and Liz 1 know what they were doing? They certainly did. They saw huge abundant natural wealth that they could steal by force of arms and they knew that there would be a huge catastrophic negative effect on the indigenous peoples and Celtic traditions of this land at the same time. These acts of theft or destruction led directly to the dissolution of the old Celtic traditions and within 100 years we also see the end of the independence of the Gaelic Order. The end of the old order is referred to as the ‘Flight of the Earls’ and this doesn’t sound too bad. But when you know that the Irish Earls had made a deal with the English army (who heavily outnumbered the Gaels in manpower and weaponry) that would ensure the safety of the Gael soldiers and women / children, you can get a clearer idea of what was happening at the time. It was the last great heroic stand by the Irish in the medieval era, but the Earls chose to leave Ireland because they got an agreement that their people would be spared punishment. After the Earls had gone – the invading army slaughtered all the Gaels they could find. History records this as the ‘Devastation of Munster’ because their army burned everything it could not lift or carry away.
This foreign army then began to starve and asked for food supplies from home and the little that did arrive did not stop the hunger for their army. Imagine it – the army usually lived off the land where ever it was but in their extreme violence they had killed almost all the farmed and wild beasts and burned the crops and homesteads so there was nothing left to rob. Then, with the next wave of activity, they began to cut down the great Oak forests. This clear fell of wild forest was a great crime against the people, the land and all the wild creatures and their homes. It was a blitzkrieg designed for re-population by English lords and their tenant farmers and a total change in land use that would now generate taxable profits for the empire.
For the first time in Ireland trees were seen merely as profit and the natural respect by the people for their forests became secondary to actual human survival.
This meant that in a very short period of time the natural habitat for the flora and fauna was gone, never to be restored. Hunting and harvesting from the wild was not a viable option for the invader or the native population any more. Of course there were hunters but the herds had diminished and hunting became illegal for the native. A total shift in land use from the traditional respect for the forests and all that they provide in a sustainable relationship because of Brehon Law now became a series of big monoculture fields of grain for export back to their empire. The native people were seriously impoverished without their forests. A slow and continual genocide followed.
Let’s go back nearly 500 years before Henry/Liz to when the Anglo Normans invaded in 1170s. They were the first in Ireland to force the ‘ownership’ concept. It was very simple. They stole land by force of arms and killed everyone who would not serve them. They gave each other pieces of paper that said ‘we own this’ and then they could sell or trade the ‘deeds’. All this was revised and modified and updated by successive English kings who sought merely to increase the tax take. The robber kings were thus robbing (taxing) the land robbers who in turn robbed the natural fertility that the old Brehon / Gael traditions had guarded and protected for thousands of years. In the 1500’s Henry’s ship building and the roofing of huge new buildings using Irish Oak across England was further supported by the burning of Irish Oak in their fires. Their upper class preferred Oak to coal for their palace fires.
Then there was a forced land grab under the title of Plantation that pushed the remaining Gael into the worst land. This was followed by the change from tillage or crop farming and rearing cattle to sheep farming. This sheep farming caused displacement of people and was followed in time by the so-called famine. (Note – there were huge supplies of food in Ireland at the time of the so-called famine that the natives were not allowed to eat, the invading army guarded these supplies as they were taken to the shipping ports). The native people were put off the tillage land they were renting and giant sheep farms were established. In the 1840’s Irish men, women and children were once again sold off into slavery again as they had been in the 1500’s and in the 1650’s.
Ireland today has the lowest % of forestry cover in Europe – this shows that as a nation we have not recovered from the foreign imperial idea of land ownership yet. The remains of the great forests exist now only in hard to harvest areas. This is because modern farming / forestry practice now uses the land that was once forest. But in the last 20 years there has been phenomenal decrease in the amount of farmers who work full time on the farm from over 120 thousand to approx 50 thousand farmers, many of whom have second jobs and there has been a corresponding decrease in the actual ‘reclaimed’ land use as well. The natural forest has not been allowed to re-grow, nor has its re-growth been seen and understood as vitally important and there has been little or no government support for the re-establishment of the great forests. The short term cash needs of the politicians never goes away – its part of the profit cake that they bake to cut up between themselves – the system simply will not invest money in real forestry if that money can be spent elsewhere first. In Ireland there has been only lip-service with regards to long-term planning for restoring our great forests because there is little or no willingness to reconsider core values of the forests real value and the relationship of forests to and with the people.
Today, many parts of Ireland are ignored by farmers / growers because there is no way to grab wealth from them. Here in Connaught, west of the Shannon, land is valued at approx E2000 / acre or E5000 / hectare. But rearing cattle on this low quality land does not return any profit. We have 16 acres on our farm but we could not make a living from cattle or sheep today. 100 years ago – a small farm like ours could still return a tidy profit if it was worked with awareness of the needs of the land itself but today it would be foolish to even try to farm here. The old days the winter stocking rate would be only 2 or 3 cows and their calves but today that amount of stock would be seen as a hobby… Now isn’t that amazing? A lot of people won’t be able to understand this but its true – some where along the line the fertility was stolen and kept being stolen until now the value of ‘stock’ as farmers call cattle and sheep has gone too. The commonage (low grade land that’s shared by a group) such as the mountain side and the edges of the turf bogs has even lower value and farming there has to be supported by grant aid or the grade of those lands will reduce even further in a commercial sense.
But when stock farming stops something wonderful happens…
Nature returns restoring fertility when we get ignorance and greed out of the way. How does Nature do this? The answer is simple – the forest returns. First we see the rushes and ferns begin to grow in the damp and wet areas. Then the pioneer trees begin to re-colonize – Birch, Alder and Hazel etc. They start out as shrubs and in time grow in to trees and as they do this the wildlife begins to visit dropping seeds and bit by bit the great forest is re-grown. Bigger animals create tracks to good drinking water, the birds follow the insect populations and within only 20-30 years the damp wet ground has begun to stabilize. Nature does all this for free when we get greed out of the way. We call living with this awareness ‘Permaculture or Forest Gardening’ when we humans have conscious involvement in supporting abundance from Nature.
Tending a Permaculture or Forest Garden is similar to parenting – you have to protect the young forest but the time comes too when you have to let it go…. But if you have done it right you will always enjoy a positive exchange both ways. This understanding is enshrined in the principles of the Brehon or Gael Law system – to tend and care for the people, the animals and the forest land.
So we went and sought advice about grants for tree planting on our 16 acres of rough grazing land. A professional tree planting man called and took a simple soil sample, and tested it and quickly said – “you’ll never get a grant for native woodland”. After a few more questions he said we would only qualify for ‘sitka spruce’ planting grant. I said “sure that’s not native or needed – the forest of monoculture pines damages the air, water and earth – there’s no life i.e. birds or animals in a pine forest”. The tree planter said his reputation would be compromised if he applied for native broadleaf planting on our farm. So I suggested that we might simply plant it up ourselves with volunteer support and donations etc. He reckoned we would be breaking regulations… I said “sure if we did nothing then Nature would re-colonise with pioneer trees and eventually the big trees”. When he went quiet I asked if he reckoned “they’d take Nature to court for breaking their regulations”. He just put his head down; I thanked him for his openness and honesty and he left on good terms understanding our purpose but unable to help.
We could get a full establishment grant for sitka spruce and an annual payment of e200 per hectare / year for 20 years but no support at all to plant native trees. We could not get permission to plant Irish trees and if we plant native trees we are in breach of regulations that were made for cash profit. Therefore an outside commentator could have the opinion that our government has made regulations prohibiting native woodlands in favor of profit making foreign cloned sitka spruce…
So what did we do? We planted and will continue to plant our native Irish trees on our farm in Ireland. We have begun the re-establishment of the native broadleaf woodlands on our little farm regardless of imperial style regulations based on theft and exploitation of natural resources. We have bought hundreds of native trees and been gifted hundreds more. Willows from our Reed Bed tertiary sewerage treatment system have been cut and re-planted – this is a fast growing coppice wood and land colonizer. With our Druí, student volunteers and friends we plant Scots Pine, Ash, Alder, Willow, Hazel, Birch, Chestnut, Oak and even a few Yews and Junipers. We make sure the Gorse and Broom with their beautiful yellow flowers are protected from the horses that graze the grass and rushes on the main part of the farm and we don’t let our friendly farmer (who has the grass of 10 acres for his horses in exchange for fencing, ditching and topping the rushes) spray any chemicals. Our hedges are growing up to 20 foot into the fields. We have created wildlife corridors and added many trees to the banks of the field drains.
Its so rewarding to plant trees, almost all our guests in the planting season are asked to plant some trees with us. People from many countries have planted trees with us – people from Hong Kong, Brazil, Alaska, USA, Sweden, France, New Zealand, Australia, England and of course many Irish natives too.
It’s a start.
Con Connor, Ard Druí Imbolg 2013
(in 2020 we have over 16 thousand broadleaf trees)
4. The Spirit of Brehon Law is in it's intention
(or why do Irish politicians lie so much?)
Irish politics has changed a lot in the last few years. A growing number of our politicians have been caught doing wrong things and various tribunals have repeatedly exposed numerous and huge corruption scandals, with brown envelopes full of money being given to top politicians for planning and other favors. Very few politicians and no judges seem to get convicted as they deny, lie and twist events to effectively say “you can’t catch me”. There seems to be no end to the size of this problem. We even had an attempt by politicians under tribunal investigation to limit the financial cost of tribunals so (we are informed seriously) as to not cripple the exchequer that has to pay the excessive legal fees for both sides in some cases.
But the reality is that any such limit would be a great mechanism to exhaust the process of proper investigation into the corruption and leave the tribunal judges with insufficient information on which to base their judgments. This type of trickery is in fact an attempt by the corrupt to bully the judges. Most judges are political appointees as seen with each new government appointing their favorites. But we are lucky in Ireland in that many of our judges are not controlled by the corrupt politicians and their financiers. Some Irish judges are very obviously influenced or guided by their money masters; some judges have openly declared as and are even known to be members of Opus Dei, the fundamental fascist cult of the biggest church in Ireland. For many senior people in Ireland today telling lies now seems to be standard procedure, spin doctoring and other forms of re-presentation and the half lie and the outright dodge backed up governance have become standard policy. What is going on and how can it be stopped?
A part of the Slí an Druí (or Path of the Druid) is not being involved in politics because it is a discipline where we do not have the relevant skills and it has very little to do with spiritual awareness. Under special circumstances however, permission may be granted by the Órd na Druí for a Druid member to become involved in politics but normally no member would consider this extreme action. I, as an Ard Druí (Arch Druid) feel the need to share my own opinion as to why so many Irish politicians tell so many lies so often because I believe that this constant dishonesty is destroying the very fabric of our society from the top down. I will not enter politics but in the interests of encouraging truth and honesty I offer the following opinion on why they lie so easily and so often.
Is telling a half lie wrong? I reckon it is, especially if the person actually knows the full truth but chooses to lie. Politicians lie because they know that they can get away with it because it is only a small ‘sin’ or spin of words. They believe themselves to be above the law of the land because they can make the laws or change / modify the laws or cause some judges to deliver an interpretation of the law to suit their agendas. Why do they think that this is ok? How did thinking like this become so common? Where did such notions evolve from? And most of all – how can such attitudes be changed to deliver real truth instead of carefully packaged falsehoods?
Little boys and little girls tell little lies/sins and it seems that as they get bigger so do their lies/sins. In a society based on truth this would not happen because the habit would be nipped in the bud. But here in Ireland we have a system that actually encourages lies and dishonesty. I am going to suggest that in part this has happened because as a society we no longer respect the truth, instead we fear poverty and thereby glorify wealth above all else. This situation can be seen as the effects of not having the core concept of Brehon Law in our hearts and minds anymore.
Classic image of Irish Brehons
In the Brehon system it is the spirit or intention of the law that must be honored, but in the English law system (that we have inherited) in Ireland it is the word of the law that is interpreted. It can be understood that the more money you have the more interpretation of the law you can get or put another way – you can buy the best legal mind to present the most favorable version of the word of the law for your money or another way - the best legal minds will search intensively for a loophole for you (even if you are guilty) if you can pay them enough money.
But working with the Word of English Law and not the Spirit of Brehon Law is only a part of the problem because there is a secondary back up system for telling lies and getting away with it. It is called ‘Confession’ – this neat trick allows those who lie to ‘get it off their conscience’ and to feel good again. This technique is used by the main church is an important funding mechanism and in fact is a religious tax on dishonesty that I see as a “Guilt Tax on Sin”. An example follows -
The judge who has just made a corrupt decision in court enters the confessional box in church and says “Bless me father for I have sinned”. The Priest smiles because he knows the voice and the prosperity levels of its owner and when the sin (deliberate wrong doing) has been told the priest replies “Four Hail Marys, two Our Fathers and 5000 euro into the box – cheques accepted”. “The judge replies “Thank you father” and the Priest replies “See you again next week” while rubbing his hand together in financial pleasure.
Effectively, the judge has got rid of his guilt, the priest has been given money to take away this guilt and the judge can do the same sin over and over again and the priest will happily take the money over and over again. This money given to the church must be seen as a ‘Guilt Tax’. These priests have escaped any or all obligation to report these crimes (such as a judges corrupt decision) to the authorities because of a special law they made to keep it all quiet. The politician will visit the same priest of course but will probably pay his or her ‘Guilt Tax’ in an unmarked brown envelope filled with used, unmarked notes...
The first system of twisting the word of the law avoiding the spirit of the law is based on high intelligence, skillful presentation and of course big money. The second system means that the judge and the politician can both repeatedly do wrong things and get away with it because they pay a ‘Guilt Tax’ to the church. The church is in fact financially dependent on the wealthy repeatedly doing wrong things because it is an important and major income stream for a global organization that does not produce any goods. When looked at from a higher humorous perspective “the church depends on sin for its very survival”.
But it is not the fault of the church that politicians lie so much, they merely extract money from the wrong doing. The fault lies directly in the choices that the politicians make, in who they serve but ultimately it lies in the lies they tell themselves as they knowingly make those wrong choices.
In a system based on the Spirit of the Law you would not be allowed to ‘get away with it’ on a regular basis because a ‘Guilt Tax on Sin’ would not exist. There was no sin in Ireland before the church created the concept. In pre-church times - a single mistake or deliberate act would have education or reparations or restitution as a consequence. But doing the same wrong thing over and over would be seen as a lack of or a sign of poor mental health and cause the person to lose their place in society. Judges, lawyers and politicians would have to completely change their way of business to express honesty, integrity and the highest understanding of truth or lose their salary / standing in society.
No sin means no guilt tax which in turn means not living by clever twists of the word of the law which means that politicians and judges could no longer ‘get away with it’ anymore. It would also mean that we Irish would abandon English Law and return to the Spirit of the Law or the Brehon system of truth. This in turn, might help speed up the final dissolving of the church of fear and its system of sin, fear and separation from the God and Goddess.
It might seem a bit far fetched but just for a few moments imagine a world without sin and all that goes with it – and imagine instead a world filled with love, honesty and truth. It exists already in our hearts - we just need to make the correct choices to express it as best as we can. The Spirit of Brehon Law is in its’ intention to honour truth so when we connect with truth and become really clear on what we want to say and do because of our understanding of the truth; we are aligned with the highest good and express the native traditional laws of this land.
Ard Druí Con Connor, Imbolg 2013
But working with the Word of English Law and not the Spirit of Brehon Law is only a part of the problem because there is a secondary back up system for telling lies and getting away with it. It is called ‘Confession’ – this neat trick allows those who lie to ‘get it off their conscience’ and to feel good again. This technique is used by the main church is an important funding mechanism and in fact is a religious tax on dishonesty that I see as a “Guilt Tax on Sin”. An example follows -
The judge who has just made a corrupt decision in court enters the confessional box in church and says “Bless me father for I have sinned”. The Priest smiles because he knows the voice and the prosperity levels of its owner and when the sin (deliberate wrong doing) has been told the priest replies “Four Hail Marys, two Our Fathers and 5000 euro into the box – cheques accepted”. “The judge replies “Thank you father” and the Priest replies “See you again next week” while rubbing his hand together in financial pleasure.
Effectively, the judge has got rid of his guilt, the priest has been given money to take away this guilt and the judge can do the same sin over and over again and the priest will happily take the money over and over again. This money given to the church must be seen as a ‘Guilt Tax’. These priests have escaped any or all obligation to report these crimes (such as a judges corrupt decision) to the authorities because of a special law they made to keep it all quiet. The politician will visit the same priest of course but will probably pay his or her ‘Guilt Tax’ in an unmarked brown envelope filled with used, unmarked notes...
The first system of twisting the word of the law avoiding the spirit of the law is based on high intelligence, skillful presentation and of course big money. The second system means that the judge and the politician can both repeatedly do wrong things and get away with it because they pay a ‘Guilt Tax’ to the church. The church is in fact financially dependent on the wealthy repeatedly doing wrong things because it is an important and major income stream for a global organization that does not produce any goods. When looked at from a higher humorous perspective “the church depends on sin for its very survival”.
But it is not the fault of the church that politicians lie so much, they merely extract money from the wrong doing. The fault lies directly in the choices that the politicians make, in who they serve but ultimately it lies in the lies they tell themselves as they knowingly make those wrong choices.
In a system based on the Spirit of the Law you would not be allowed to ‘get away with it’ on a regular basis because a ‘Guilt Tax on Sin’ would not exist. There was no sin in Ireland before the church created the concept. In pre-church times - a single mistake or deliberate act would have education or reparations or restitution as a consequence. But doing the same wrong thing over and over would be seen as a lack of or a sign of poor mental health and cause the person to lose their place in society. Judges, lawyers and politicians would have to completely change their way of business to express honesty, integrity and the highest understanding of truth or lose their salary / standing in society.
No sin means no guilt tax which in turn means not living by clever twists of the word of the law which means that politicians and judges could no longer ‘get away with it’ anymore. It would also mean that we Irish would abandon English Law and return to the Spirit of the Law or the Brehon system of truth. This in turn, might help speed up the final dissolving of the church of fear and its system of sin, fear and separation from the God and Goddess.
It might seem a bit far fetched but just for a few moments imagine a world without sin and all that goes with it – and imagine instead a world filled with love, honesty and truth. It exists already in our hearts - we just need to make the correct choices to express it as best as we can. The Spirit of Brehon Law is in its’ intention to honour truth so when we connect with truth and become really clear on what we want to say and do because of our understanding of the truth; we are aligned with the highest good and express the native traditional laws of this land.
Ard Druí Con Connor, Imbolg 2013
Some pics of records of Irish Indigenous Law
The following images of 'Brehon Law' and 'Bardic Poems' are on public display in the museum at Clonalis House, Castlerea, Co Roscommon, this is the ancestral home of the O'Connor Don clan. Some of these documents are from the late 16th century!
When I started school the old Irish script used above had just been replaced, we still used a pen with a 'nib' and dipped it in ink to scratch out words - we wrote within four lines - three equal spacing's per sentence... a far cry from txting...
Primary Principle of Gael Law
ATHGABHAIL is the word translated distress. It means the resumption or recovery of either property or right of which one has been deprived. What was meant for a definition in the Gaelic is translated thus—"It is called Athgabhail, because through it advantage is obtained after disadvantage, property after the absence of property, possession after non-possession, truth after untruth, legality after illegality, justice after injustice, lawful possession after unlawful possession, right after wrong, order after disorder. Athgabhail is a general name for every security by which one recovers his right. Athgabhail is that which renders good to the good, which renders evil to the evil, which takes the guilty for his guilt."
Whatever the law commanded or prohibited, the command or prohibition, if not obeyed, was enforced by means of distress. It was a remedy of almost universal application. It was available for the recovery both of tributes and of ordinary debts, thus corresponding to both distress and the final execution of a writ of fieri facias in English law; but it was equally applicable, and as freely used, for the recovery of all sorts of mulcts, forfeitures, penalties, and fines, and for the satisfaction of every species of liability. And since the Brehons reduced all liabilities of whatsoever original nature to material value to be recovered by distress, the modern distinction between civil and criminal liability did not exist, and distress was applicable to every action and to every charge. Further, it was not alone the mode of executing a judgment, but also a mode of instituting an action. Hence the disproportionate importance of this subject and the enormous amount of space occupied by it in the Brehon Laws; and hence in the part of the Senchus Mor dealing specially with it nearly all other branches of law are mentioned incidentally.
Whoever had any claim or complaint against another, either summoned that other or, by distraining, obliged that other to summon him before a brehon, who decided which party was in fault, and assessed the amount that person should pay to the other. There was no sheriff or other public officer to execute the distress and realise the amount assessed; the plaintiff, creditor, or person who had gained the suit was obliged to do it himself; but in doing so he was bound to take with him a law agent in the character of a notary, together with witnesses, as a guarantee that the requirements of the law should be duly observed on both sides. He also took with him such assistants as the occasion suggested. A person distraining in this way does not appear to have been any weaker or less successful than is the sheriff in our time. "If a man who is sued evades justice, knowing the debt to be due of him, double the debt is payable by him, and a fine of five seds." This provision made the defendant the party most interested in effecting a speedy settlement.
http://www.libraryireland.com/Brehon-Laws/Distraining-Definition.php
Whatever the law commanded or prohibited, the command or prohibition, if not obeyed, was enforced by means of distress. It was a remedy of almost universal application. It was available for the recovery both of tributes and of ordinary debts, thus corresponding to both distress and the final execution of a writ of fieri facias in English law; but it was equally applicable, and as freely used, for the recovery of all sorts of mulcts, forfeitures, penalties, and fines, and for the satisfaction of every species of liability. And since the Brehons reduced all liabilities of whatsoever original nature to material value to be recovered by distress, the modern distinction between civil and criminal liability did not exist, and distress was applicable to every action and to every charge. Further, it was not alone the mode of executing a judgment, but also a mode of instituting an action. Hence the disproportionate importance of this subject and the enormous amount of space occupied by it in the Brehon Laws; and hence in the part of the Senchus Mor dealing specially with it nearly all other branches of law are mentioned incidentally.
Whoever had any claim or complaint against another, either summoned that other or, by distraining, obliged that other to summon him before a brehon, who decided which party was in fault, and assessed the amount that person should pay to the other. There was no sheriff or other public officer to execute the distress and realise the amount assessed; the plaintiff, creditor, or person who had gained the suit was obliged to do it himself; but in doing so he was bound to take with him a law agent in the character of a notary, together with witnesses, as a guarantee that the requirements of the law should be duly observed on both sides. He also took with him such assistants as the occasion suggested. A person distraining in this way does not appear to have been any weaker or less successful than is the sheriff in our time. "If a man who is sued evades justice, knowing the debt to be due of him, double the debt is payable by him, and a fine of five seds." This provision made the defendant the party most interested in effecting a speedy settlement.
http://www.libraryireland.com/Brehon-Laws/Distraining-Definition.php
The Republic of Ireland was reclaimed on Tara on the 23rd of April 2016
On the 23rd of April 1014 Brian Boru fought off invaders
On the 23rd of April 1916 Padraig Pearse was to read out the Proclamation on Tara
On the 23rd of April 2016 the people hold a sovereign assembly on Tara at An Forradh.
On Tara on the 23rd of April at high noon (not 12 o'clock) a sovereign assembly reclaims the Republic of Ireland. An Forradh is the Seat of Judgement from where the High King Cormac MacAirt held court using old Gael Law – Fenechus.
Unfinished business.
We, the sovereign people of Ireland are the guardians of our constitution. Our Republic is a representative government restrained by Bunreacht na hEireann / Irish Constitution. A Democracy is direct government ruled by 51% majority mob rule. Democracy and Republic are often taken as one of the same thing, but there is a fundamental difference. In both cases the government is elected by the people, but in a Democracy - the majority rules according to their whims, whilst in the Republic the Government rule according to the constitution. This Constitution limits the power of Government ensuring some rights and protection to minorities and individuals. In most Irish Courts in Ireland, Bunreacht na hEireann is ignored and Maritime Law / the Law of Equity (English Law) is rigorously applied against minorities and individuals. Ireland has yet to become a full and proper Republic - this is what is meant by unfinished business. This sovereign assembly on Tara has the express purpose of now reclaiming our Republic from the corrupt manipulators of truth, away from banksters and corporate vultures.
Sovereignty was taken from the Irish People back in 1155 when a forged document called – 'Papal Bull Laudabiliter' allegedly issued by Pope Adrian 4th gave Ireland and all her people as slaves to the King of England, Henry the 2nd. That document never existed. The exposure of this papal fraud giving the sovereign people and resources of Ireland to a foreign imperial warlord to enslave and exploit has been hidden from all by the contrived false recording of our history. This compound fraud has caused immeasurable hurt and hardship to our People.
The Crown and Vatican continue today with their efforts to erase this memory of a sovereign people and to deny the fraud they perpetuated on a free people. Current elected government practice and the permanent government that guides them (aka the civil service) has evolved from this 'Papal Bull Laudabiliter' and our government does not protect the natural rights of the sovereign people of Ireland. The majority of politicians in Ireland seek only to rule and not to serve the people thereby treating the free people as slaves instead of protecting our constitutional rights as a sovereign people.
We, the sovereign people of Ireland now reclaim the Republic by invoking Article 48 of the 1922 Constitution and take Ireland back from the dirty hands of the gangsters masquerading as elected representatives of the people. In Article 48 of the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State the founders of the Irish Free State included a provision, that made the people the ultimate rulers of Ireland by giving them the direct powers to make, mould, amend and repeal their own laws. This fundamental democratic right was taken away from the people of Ireland without their consent in 1928. We hereby reinstate Article 48 and reclaim all powers to make, mould, amend and repeal our own laws.
In Article 73 of the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State and again in Article 50 of the 1937 Constitution the state carried over all the English Laws that applied in Ireland up to 1922. This is directly connected to the fraud of the Papal Bull Laudibilier that empowered the Crown and Vatican to enslave and exploit Ireland. At this sovereign assembly today on Tara at An Forradh on 23rd of April 2016 we hereby reject the odious foreign exploitation of our land and people and totally reject all foreign law as illegally enforced and without the people's consent. We hereby reinstate Gael Law, and empower People's Courts under the Law of Distraint, Cuirt Athgabhail.
We repeal the Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution so that full reproductive health services, including abortion are made available in line with best medical practice, international human rights norms and the will of the majority of people in Ireland. We honour the rights of women to determine their own health.
The primary key to reclaiming our Republic is to reinstate Article 48. We must negate Article 73 of the 1922 Constitution and negate Article 50 of the 1937 Constitution as they evolved from an odious fraudulent forgery. The Eighth Amendment must be repealed as it is offensive to all women. The very top of our system of government requires urgent reform to ensure sovereignty is restored. This requires the President of Ireland to publicly take an Oath to become more in-line with the needs of a free people. This same oath will be taken by the Taoiseach and members of the Oireachtas, all Judges and members of the Defence Forces, Navy, Air Corps and the Garda Siochana and senior civil servants.
New public office oath -
"In the presence of the people of Ireland I ,do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will maintain and protect the Constitution of Ireland for the benefit of the people of Ireland. I will fulfil my duties faithfully and conscientiously in accordance with the Constitution and in accordance with the will of the sovereign people of Ireland, and that I will dedicate my abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland. May the spirit of the Native Laws of this Land and the Constitution of Ireland direct and sustain me."
The above replaces the Old oath -
"In the presence of Almighty God I ,do solemnly and sincerely promise and declare that I will maintain the Constitution of Ireland and uphold its laws, that I will fulfil my duties faithfully and conscientiously in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and that I will dedicate my abilities to the service and welfare of the people of Ireland. May God direct and sustain me."
Article 39 of the Constitution of Ireland 1937 relates to Treason Law and urgently requires revision to ensure the new public office oath is empowered to stop fraud and acts of treason against the sovereign people.
New Treason Law
treason is any type of war against the Sovereign People of Ireland, such as assisting any foreign power or person or inciting or conspiring with any person to levy any type of war against the people, or attempting by force of arms or canon law or other violent means or financial fraudulent practices to infringe on the sovereignty of the people or to attempt to overthrow the organs of government established by the Constitution, or taking part or being concerned in or inciting or conspiring with any person to make or to take part or be concerned in any such attempt. Any act that seeks to dis-empower the Sovereign Republic of Ireland or the Sovereign People of Ireland is treason and is punishable by Law.
Old Treason Law
treason shall consist only in levying war against the State, or assisting any State or person or inciting or conspiring with any person to levy war against the State, or attempting by force of arms or other violent means to overthrow the organs of government established by the Constitution, or taking part or being concerned in or inciting or conspiring with any person to make or to take part or be concerned in any such attempt.
All who publicly take the new public office oath and get convicted of acting contrary to its purpose will loose all rights to property or pensions. Treason is a capital offence that carries a lifetime sentence (40 years minimum) of hard labour. Corporate, canon or financial treason carries the same sentence for the principle or senior person/s convicted. Con 8/4/16