0104Fermanagh

The centuries that followed the arrival of St Patrick in 432AD and the introduction of Christianity are known in Irish history as the �Golden Age�, when Ireland became known as the Island of �Saints and Scholars�. An era of peace followed the establishment in Ireland of the Kingdom of the Prince of Peace. That this is substantially true is beyond question � compare the circumstances of Europe as it entered the Dark Ages. While Europe was rudely invaded and disrupted by tribes of barbarians from the East, Ireland remained calm and free from invasion. Our great schools flourished and our missionaries re-kindled the light of Christianity in Europe.

We could hardly overestimate the role that the monasteries played in the lives of the ordinary people and indeed of the chieftains. So much so that pious people often willed their farms and possessions to the monastery.

Not the least good done by the monasteries was the way in which they helped to break down the class distinctions of the time. Celtic societies were extremely conservative, and one�s �class� meant everything. The social unit in Ireland at this time was a deirfine group of four generations, presided over by the oldest man. A typical group would contain, say, a great-grand-parent, grand-parents, fathers and sons. Property, too, was held in common by this group, so that when the head of a group died and his sons formed new deirfines, the land had to be re-distributed. This was called gavelkind, or periodic distribution of the family land. Within this group the soil was privately owned and fenced off. The law tracts tell us of fines being imposed for bad fencing, wandering cattle and injured grass.

Tuaths and Provinces
What was true of Ireland in general was also true of Fermanagh. Before describing the political fortunes of the county during the period we will examine briefly the institutions that obtained in the country as a whole. The smallest political unit was the tuath. A tuath was, in fact, a self contained and practically independent little kingdom. There were said to be 100 such kingdoms in the whole country (possibly about 8 in Fermanagh) and even this number may be regarded as rather low. A taoiseach or leader (the same title given today to an Irish prime minister) presided over each kingdom. He was its commander-in-chief, its judge and he presided over its assembly or d�il. The Taoiseach was himself elected by the freemen of the tuath. He had to be, however, a member of the deirfine or royal family.

Tuaths were often grouped together � either because of a common origin, or for practical reasons or because they were forced � and the groups too were linked together in provinces. After the fall of Ulster there were seven such provinces in Ireland � Munster, Connacht, Leinster, Meath, Aileach, Ulster and Oriel. Today in 1998 there are four provinces. Each province was presided over by a r� or king. Above all there was a high king or ard r�. The High King symbolised the unity of the country although his powers over his subordinates were not great � they were mainly limited to settling disputes between the provincial kings. He also, of course, received tributes from his subordinates.
A glance at the map of Fermanagh during the period will tell us at once that the modern county contained at least eight tuaths. The men of Lurg, the Fir Lurg, ruled the modern barony of the same name and these had Oriel connections. The modern barony of Magheraboy was held by two Connacht clans, the Cin�al Cairpre and the Cin�al Laoire. A Connacht tribe, the Cin�al �anna also held the modern Clanawley while yet another held the modern Knockninny Barony. North of the lake were the Fir Manach themselves to whom legend gives a Leinster origin. As well there were two other Oriel groups � the Clankelly and the people of Tirkennedy. In many other ways, then, Fermanagh could be described as the crossroads of Ireland, the place where the clans met. It is strange that this ostensibly tense situation should not have led to constant war and change. We find, however, that the general picture of the county did not alter much in these centuries and that they were very peaceful. It would seem that the monasteries and their influence had instilled a desire for peace.

News
Since there were few wars in these years the Irish people fell back on their old reliable topic of conversation, the weather. The Annals of Ulster, compiled years later at Belleisle, contain frequent references to the weather in this period. Two good examples are:

748AD � Snow of unusual quantity so that almost all the cattle in Ireland were destroyed; and the world afterwards was parched with draught.

819AD � Unprecedented frost and great snow from the Epiphany to Shrove. Herds and multitudes went on Lough Neagh and wild deer were hunted. The roofing of an oratory was afterwards brought by carriage way across the lakes of Erne from the lands of Connacht to the lands of U� Cremhthainn.

This age had its spaceships too. If science had not yet invented them, the people imagined them. Let us read the annals

749AD � Ships with their crews were seen in the air over Clonmacnoise.

744AD � A terrible and wonderful sign was seen in the stars to-night.

917AD � A mass of fire was observed, with thunder, passing over Ireland from the west, which went over the sea eastwards.

There were famines and diseases, good harvests and bad ones, signs and wonders. That nuts were used frequently to feed animals is seen in the interest the annals take in them.

935AD � Great produce of acorns.

1067AD � A great nut crop in all Ireland, so that it impedes the rivers.

1097AD � A great nut crop in this year, thirty years from the other nut crop to this nut crop.

More on Page 0104A