In
Gaelic Ireland
Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans co ...
, a ''bruiden'' was a building offering shelter, drink and food, often translated as "
hostel
A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...
", "banqueting hall" or "
inn."
A description in
The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig (c. AD 800) describes one ''bruiden'': "There were seven doors in each hall, seven roads through it, and seven fireplaces therein. There were seven cauldrons, with an ox and a salted pig in each. The person who came that way would thrust the fleshfork into the cauldron, and whatever he obtained with the first thrust he ate, and if he did not obtain anything with the first thrust he ate nothing."
The host (''brugaid'') was required to show "welcome to all" and "refusal to none."
List
According to
The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig, there were five or six major ''bruidne'' in
Ireland:
*Bruiden Dá Derga (Berga), located in the kingdom of
Cualu; usually placed on the
River Dodder or at Stackallen, County Meath. Featured in the famous poem ''
Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' (The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel)
*Bruiden Forgaill Manaich, located at Rathmooney, near to
Lusk, Dublin
Lusk () is a small town in
Fingal, Ireland. The town is located about north of Dublin city centre.
Toponymy
The name "Lusk" is said to date back to Saint MacCullin, who founded a church there c. 450. Oral tradition suggests MacCullin may ha ...
.
*Bruiden Dá Réo (Bruiden Mic Cecht Da Réo, Dareo, Bruiden dá Ger), located in
West Bréifne (County Leitrim)
*Bruiden Dá Choca (Coga), at Breenmore Hill (Bryanmore), near Athlone ("in a district which belongs to Meave and Ailill");
featured in the story of ''Togail Bruidne Da Chocae'' (The Destruction of Da Choca's Hostel)
*Bruiden Dá Thó, in
Laigin, believed to lie in the south of
County Carlow
County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...
(possibly Ballyknockcrumpin)
However,
Fled Bricrenn (8th century) mentions the ''briuga'' Bricriu Nemthenga ("Poison-tongue").
Bruiden Blai Brugad or Bruiden Brúadaig is another, located in
Ulaid, hosted by Blai. Bruiden of Moda Minadhmadadh is another.
The idea of having six ''bruidne'' may have been chosen to mirror the six "
cities of refuge" in the
Hebrew Bible.
Sean's Bar
Sean's Bar is a pub in Athlone, Ireland, notable for its reputed establishment in AD 900, and claim to being the oldest extant bar in both Ireland and Europe. Other architectural and archaeological records, including the Record of Monuments and ...
in
Athlone
Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...
is located in a building parts of which have been dated to c. AD 900, with wattle and wicker walls. Located near a crossing-point on the
River Shannon
The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland.
The Shan ...
, it claims to be Ireland's oldest pub and may be the site of an ancient ''bruiden''.
See also
*
Hall
In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...
*
Irish pub
*
Termonn
References
{{reflist
Ancient Ireland