oireacht

The Oxford Companion to Irish History | 2007 | 700+ words | Copyright

oireacht (O.Ir. airecht), perhaps originally an assembly of every freeman (aire), signified a law court in Old Irish law tracts. In 11th‐ and 12th‐century annals it figures as a territorial council under the regional king, involved in treaties and depositions. In the 13th century oireacht (Anglo‐Irish ‘eraght’) is applied to the body of vassal nobles in receipt of a chief's tuarastal, or wages of submission, while the more abstract derivative oireachtas described the council meeting itself, a term that was to be revived in the 20th century both for the festive gatherings of the Gaelic League and for the Irish legislature. From the 14th century onwards aireachta (‘urraghts’) described the leading nobles of any district ruled by an Irish chief, while in the 15th and 16th centuries oireacht was also used of the chief's territory.

Katharine Simms

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"oireacht." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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