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Prince Boghole
by Erik Christian Haugaard
The Kingdom of Munster
Munster is located in the south of the Republic of Ireland and is the largest of
Ireland’s four provinces. Over 2,000 years ago, Munster was one of the five
kingdoms of Ireland. It was divided into two territories: Thomond in the north
and Desmond in the south. Today, Munster covers over one-third of the area of
Ireland and contains three of the country’s five largest cities: Cork, Limerick,
and Waterford. Currently, Munster is the main dairy-farming region of the land
and specializes in herding beef cattle and farming barley, oats, potatoes, sugar
beets, and wheat.
The Celts
The Celts were technologically advanced farmers and warriors from the region in
Europe between the Rhine and Danube rivers. They conquered much of ancient
Europe, however they have the largest and most extensive Celtic populations in
Ireland. Having arrived in Ireland in approximately 400 B.C., the Celts grew
flax (a fiber plant) and cereal grains and also herded cattle and sheep. They
had their own religious beliefs, culture, and language (Gaelic), which have
formed into the folklore of Ireland today.
The Celtic religion was polytheistic, meaning they believed in more than one
God. Women were held in high regard in ancient Irish society and many Celtic
deities (Gods) were female including mother goddesses and war goddesses, which
reflected their warrior nature. Their ritual life revolved around a class called
the druids, who were extremely important among the Celtic people and performed
the ritual and “priestly” functions as well as those of law and education.
The Celts split the country of Ireland into 150 small villages called tuatha,
which were ruled under their own king. At times, many kings looked to one king
as an overking, who had supreme rule of the area. The society was class-based
and revolved around tribal groups called tuath, which means “people” in Irish.
Within the tuath was a smaller organized unit called a cenedl (clan), which had
its own unique identity.
Animal Symbolism
Animals played a major role in Celtic myth and folklore. Boars, fish, horses,
serpents, cattle, and birds symbolized different parts of Celtic life. Boars,
with their rough bristles, represented the courage and strength of Celtic
warriors. Fish were connected with secrets and wisdom. Both horses and cattle
symbolized fertility and the Celtic warriors wore horns on their helmets to
increase their success in battle. Serpents and dragons were negative images in
Celtic myth and symbolized infertility, conflict, and trouble. Birds symbolized
visionary knowledge, skill, and bloodshed. In some cases they also demonstrated
the skill of a warrior.
Flags
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Related Activity
Print and color a map of Ireland
Take a quiz on Ireland
Links
Ancient Ireland
Irish map
Irish national anthem
Historic Irish castles
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