Túath (plural túatha) is an Old Irish word, often translated as "people, tribe or nation". "Túath" referred to both the people who lived in a shared territory, and the territory they controlled.

In ancient Irish terms, a household was reckoned at about thirty people per dwelling. A tríca cét ("thirty hundreds"), was an area comprising a hundred dwellings or, roughly, three thousand people. A túath consisted of a number of allied tríca céta, and therefore referred to no less than 6,000 people. Probably a more accurate number for a túath would be no less than 9,000 people.

Social Organization

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The organization of túatha is covered to a great extent within Brehon Law, Celtic laws written down in the 7th century, also known as the Fénechas. The social structure of ancient Irish culture was based around the concept of the fine (plural finte), or family kin-group. All finte descended from a common ancestor out to four generations comprised a social unit known as a dearbhfine (plural dearbhfhinte). These dearbhfhinte comprised the basic foundations of the overall túath. Túatha have often been described as petty kingdoms or clans, but such comparisons are not entirely accurate. Due to the complex and ever-changing political nature of ancient Ireland, túatha ranged from being sovereign, autonomous "kingdoms" to states comprising a much larger sovereign kingdom, such as Connacht or Ulaid, and thus describing their place in the socio-political structure of Ireland is varied depending on what era one is referring to.

Historical Examples

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Eóghanacht- the tuath descended from Eóghan Mór. Uí Néill- the tuath descended from Niall Noígiallach. Osraige- tuath that later became the kingdom of the same name in the Christian era. Dál Riata- the tuath that became a confederation of tuatha and eventually settled in Alba, creating the modern nation of Scotland.

See also

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• Tuatha Dé Danann
• History of Ireland

References

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