Tribes
Gaelic Ireland was organised into peoples and kin groups. We’ve revived the idea as chosen belonging: anyone can join any tribe, wherever they live and whatever their surname.
Three ways to belong
Your roots. Where your surname comes from: Gaelic, Norse, Norman or later. It can guide your choice but never decides it. Coming soon.
Your place. Your province, county and townland. Those abroad belong to what has long been called the fifth province: the word for province, cúige, means “a fifth”. Coming soon.
Your calling. One of eight tribes, each rooted in a role from early Irish society. Take the quiz below, or simply choose.
The eight tribes
The Briugu
Hosts
In early Irish law the briugu kept an open house, bound to give food and shelter to any traveller. It was a role of high honour.
The Brehons
Judges
The brehons held and interpreted Ireland’s native law, which aimed to set things right through compensation rather than punishment.
The Filí
Poets
The highest grade of poet, the ollam, had an honour-price equal to a king’s. Poets trained for years, and their praise or satire could make a reputation.
The Seanchaithe
Storytellers
Keepers of lore, genealogy and story, carrying a community’s memory by heart from one generation to the next.
The Gaibhne
Smiths and makers
Smiths held a protected, honoured place in early Irish society. In myth, Goibniu forged the weapons of the gods.
The Bóaire
Farmers
The bóaire was the strong free farmer of early Irish law, measured in cattle and in duty to neighbours.
The Harpers
Musicians
The harp was the most honoured instrument of Gaelic Ireland, and harpers travelled between the great houses. It is still the emblem of the state.
The Navigators
Voyagers and emigrants
Named for Brendan, whose voyage tale was read across medieval Europe, and for the navvies who took their name from the canal “navigators”.
These tribes are a modern revival inspired by early Irish society, not a continuation of it. They make no claim to bloodline or chiefship.