Ireland in the early 1500s was very different than modern Ireland. It was covered by thick forests and wild animals roamed freely. Travel was dangerous due to poor road conditions. The country was not centrally governed and instead powerful Irish lords ruled local clans according to ancient Brehon laws. These laws differed significantly from English common law, being more lenient and administered locally by judges. Wealth was measured by the number of cows owned. Life was rural and traditional for the Gaelic Irish, while the Anglo-Norman lords had begun adopting Irish customs after settling in the country.

2. Ireland in the Early
1500s

 Ireland in 1500 was very different to what it is like
today.
 Thick forests covered a lot of the country.
 Wild boar and wolves roamed freely.
 Roads were dirt tracks.
 There were very few bridges so it was difficult to
cross rivers and streams.
 Travel was dangerous, even men would not travel
without protection.

3. Ireland in the Early
1500s

 There was no central government in Ireland.
 Henry VII was King of England at the time and
called himself ‘Lord of Ireland’, but he only
controlled a small area around Dublin known as the
Pale. The people who lived in the Pale followed the
laws and customs of England.
 Powerful Lords rules the rest of the country. They
had their own private armies.
 Brehon Law was used instead of English Law.

4. Irish Lords

 Irish Lords were divided into two groups; Gaelic
Lords and Anglo-Norman Lords.
 Those whose names began with Mac or O were
Gaelic Irish. Their ancestors lived in Ireland for
centuries.
 The other Lords were Anglo-Norman, they came to
Ireland during the Middle Ages. The most powerful
of these were The Butlers of Ormond, The
Fitzgeralds of Desmond, The Fitzgeralds of Kildare.

5. Gaelic Lords

 Gaelic Lords ruled over a clan - a group of people
with the same name as them. Eg: O’Connor, O’Neill.
 A Lord was elected from the ruling family
(derbhfine). Any man whose father, grandfather or
great-grandfather had been Lord could be elected.
 Mostly, the new Lord was a brother or son of the
previous Lord.
 This way of picking a Lord often caused wars among
leaders of the clan.

6. The Brehon Laws

 The Brehon Laws were ancient Gaelic laws.
 The Brehon (judge) administered the laws.
 The post of Brehon was passed down from father to
son.
 The court was held on hillside and anyone could
attend.
 There were no jails and no executions.
 The only form of punishment was a fine, which the
guilty person paid to the victim.

7. The Brehon Laws

Marriage Laws
 Wives could keep their own name and property.
 Divorce was allowed.
 Children born outside wedlock were entitled to a
share of their father’s property.

8. The Brehon Laws

Cattle and Land
 In Gaelic Ireland the cattle was the property of the whole
clan.
 A person’s wealth was calculated by the number of cows
they owned.
 The cattle belonged to the freemen of the clan, below them
were the tenants and labourers who did the hard work.

9. The Brehon Laws

How did people dress?
 Women wore a long tunic, similar to a dress. They
wore an Irish mantle (a thick cloak) over their
shoulders.
 Men wore a knee length tunic and an Irish mantle.
They also had a long moustache.
 Both men and women often wore no shoes.

10. The Anglo-Norman

 When the Normans first came to Ireland, the King of
England gave them land.
 When the Lords died, their eldest sons became the
new lords.
 As the years passed the families gradually became
like their Gaelic neighbours.
 They married Gaelic people, adopted Gaelic
customs, spoke Irish and used Brehon Laws.
 On the surface, they seemed more Gaelic than
English.
Lords

11. Questions

1. Describe what Ireland was like in 1500.
2. Explain what the Pale was.
3. Name the two types of Lord in Ireland.
4. What was a clan?
5. What was the derbhfine?
6. Explain how a new Lord was chosen.
7. What were the Brehon Laws?
8. Who was in charge of these laws?
9. How was a person’s wealth measured?
10. Can you identify a hierachy in Gaelic Ireland?
11. Did Anglo-Normans assimilate well into Irish society?
12. Sketch a man and woman from Gaelic Ireland.

12. The Pale


13. The Pale

 The Pale was an area around Dublin stretching from
Dundalk (Co. Louth) to the Wicklow Mountains and
West as far as Kells (Co. Kildare).
 The people of the Pale were descended from
Normans. They spoke English, followed English Law
and wore English style clothes.

14. The Pale

 Crime and Punishment:
 Common Law was the English system of law.
 The King appointed judges to go from place to place
and try serious crimes.
 Courts were held in a courthouse in a town.
 Sentences were harsh. People found guilty were
executed by beheading or hanging, or were put in
prison for a long time.

15. 
 Marriage Laws:
 Divorce was forbidden.
 Children born outside marriage could not inherit their
father’s property.
 A wife took her husband’s name.
 A husband took control of his wife’s property and her
money.
The Pale

16. The Pale

 What did the people of the Pale think of the Lords?
 The landowners and the merchants of the Pale hated
the Gaelic Irish Lords and Anglo-Norman Lords.
 The Gaelic Irish frequently raided the Pale to steal
cattle. Many Pale farmers paid ‘black rent’ (protection
money) to the raiders to stop them stealing their cattle.

17. Questions

 Take these down into your copy:
1. How were the people of the Pale different from te
people in the rest of Ireland?
2. What was Common Law?
3. List three ways in which Common Law was different
from Brehon Law.
4. How did the people of the Pale feel about the rest of
Ireland? Explain why they felt this way.
5. Which, in your opinion, was the better system –
Common Law or Brehon Law? Give a reason for your
answer.