I picked up a wonderful little pocket book of 'Irish Laws' the other day, beautifully illustrated by Ian McCullough, which detail the ancient 'Brehon' laws of Ireland.
As one writer has it:
"Irish Law was practical, "down home" law and Elizabeth had it banned. English common law was substituted and that was the end of Gaelic order, which as far as I can determine, was far superior to anything the English offered, and from a practical point of view seems superior to anything we have going for us today."
From before the time of Caesar, these laws draw from common sense and Ireland's tribal nature. They speak of a time when justice reflected on families and small holdings, not on filling the coffers of a separate and aloof bureaucracy.
Here are a few of the laws:
"When you become old your family must provide you with one oatcake a day, plus a container of sour milk.
They must bathe you every twentieth night and wash your head every Saturday.
Seventeen sticks of firewood is the allotment for keeping you warm."
Which ties in with what we were saying about today's elders pushed into uncaring "retirement homes.""If an accident occurs while a building is under construction no fine is due for injury to the bystander who is present only out of curiosity. Should the owner of the building have knowledge of danger or defect, however, full payment shall be made to those present on legitimate business, and to beasts. But only half payment to idlers."
If only local councils had such a law today, most council workman, leaning on their shovels, might fall into the latter category.
"No fools, drunks or female scolds are allowed in the doctor's house when a patient is healing there. No bad news to be brought, and no talking across the bed. No grunting of pigs or barking of dogs outside."
This might be brought ot the attention of the NHS today given news the other week of what nurses discuss across a sickbed!
There are many more laws to do with living within your community, your hospitality duties to travelers, common courtesies - even when drinking, and restitution due for actual bodily harm.
Better these laws than the "human rights" rot that emanates from the Freemasons in Brussels.
Links:
The Brehon Laws by the Irish Cultural Society
The Brehon Laws - Catholic Encyclopadia (written by Douglas Hyde, I don't know if it's the leading ex-red who wrote "I Believed" -- a great book btw).
The Brehon Laws - by the Woodland League
The Brehon Laws - Library Ireland's full handbook
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