5 26 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The settlement of such questions as these and others they may suggest 

 must be left in the combined hands of futurephilologists, historians, archaeo- 

 logists, botanists, and agriculturists. Meantime we can at least say which 

 were the chief crops and products under the Brehon system. 



One of the features of the Brehon system was the farmer's insecurity of 

 tenure of the cidtivable land. He was sure of such land; but, because of the 

 changes arising through accessions and deaths, he was not sure how long he 

 would hold the same piece. He was in similar uncertainty as to the site of 

 his dwelling which, in consequence, was built with a view to temporary 

 occupation. Some tribes seem to have arranged for a biennial or triennial 

 re-allotment; but even this is a short tenure. Add to this the frequent inter- 

 tribal aggressions and contests, and it can be seen that the conditions necessary 

 for wide and careful tillage did not exist. Land naturally dry and suitable 

 might have been tilled and sown with grain; but the essentials necessary to 

 the increase of such land, viz., drainage and reclamation, could not be 

 undertaken with great hope. At the same time, the possibility of having to 

 move frequently from one farm to another was all in favour of crops using 

 the ground for a short time only and against such a crop as wheat which had 

 to be ploughed for and sown the one year and harvested the next. Conse- 

 quently, where crops were grown at all, we can look only for oats and barley ; 

 but especially for oats, since that crop can thrive better in land indifferently 

 drained and tdled. But, above all, we must look for grazing and herding as 

 the mainstay of the people's existence. 



And so we find it. Indeed, it is very doubtful whether the northern or 

 Brehon half of Ireland had made much material advance since Strongbow's 

 invasion. This we find on the authority of Sir John Davies, James the First's 

 Attorney-General for Ireland, who lived in the country from 1603 till 1616, 

 was elected Member of Parliament for Fermanagh in 1612, and was Speaker of 

 the Irish House of Commons from 1613 to 1615. Carrying out his duties, he 

 " visited all the provinces of that kingdom in sundry journeys and circuits " ; 

 and it fell to him to take part in ending the Brehon customs and settling on 

 the spot which lands were to be given to the Irish ha Ulster and which to 

 James's " planters " from England and Scotland. 



For a description of Ireland in Strongbow's time we are indebted to 

 Giraldus Cambrensis, whom we have already quoted as to "Wales. He came 

 to Ireland with Henry's son John, afterwards King John ; and from his 

 description we may make such quotation as is necessary to give some 

 idea of the agriculture of the country as he saw it : — " The Irish are a rude 

 people, subsisting on the produce of their cattle only. . . . This nation . . . 

 lead the same life their fathers did in the woods and open pastures, neither 



