Irish Druids and old Irish religions / by James Bonwick.

  • James Bonwick
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Irish Druids and old Irish religions / by James Bonwick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    that in his day every great family of the Western Islands kept a Druid priest, whose duty it was to foretell future events, and decide all causes, civil and ecclesiastical. Dr. Wise says, “ In the Book of Deer we meet with Matadan, ‘ The Brehon,’ as a witness in a particular case. The laws found in the legal code of the Irish people were adminis- tered by these Brehons. They were hereditary judges of the tribes, and had certain lands which were attached to the office. The successors of this important class are the Sheriffs of counties.” The learned John Toland, born in Londonderry, 1670, who was a genuine patriot in his day, believed in his country’s Druids. In the Hebrides, also, he found harpers by profession, and evidence of ancient Greek visitants. In Dublin he observed the confidence in augury by ravens. He contended that when the Ancients spoke of Britain as Druidical, they included Ireland ; for Ptolemy knew Erin as Little Britain. He recognized Druids’ houses still standing, and the heathen practices remaining in his country. “ In Ireland,” said he of the Druids, “ they had the privilege of wearing six colours in their Breacans or robes, which are the striped Bracese of the Gauls, still worn by the Highlanders, whereas the king and queen might have in theirs but seven, lords and ladies five,” &c. He had no doubts of their sun-worship, and of Abaris, the Druid friend of Pythagoras, being from his own quarters. While he thought the Greeks borrowed from the northern Druids, he admitted that both may have learned from the older Egyptians. Rhys, as a wise and prudent man, is not willing to abandon the Druids because of the absurd and most positive announcements of enthusiastic advocates ; since he says, “ I for one am quite prepared to believe in a