Irish Bruideans

THE HOSPITALITY OF THE IRISH is legendary. It is one of their most defining characteristics, and goes back as far as their history, which is as ancient as the Bible which they hold so dear.

In Matthew 25:40&45, we read the words of Christ regarding the biblical practice of hospitality. “. . . Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me,” and “. . . Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”

The Irish took this seriously, and believed that “Christ is in the person of every guest” and “every stranger is Christ.” One of their ancient poems says: Oh King of stars! Whether my house be dark or bright, never shall it be closed against any one, lest Christ close His house against me.

In old Ireland, a man was reckoned rich not by what he had, but by what he gave away. Not everyone could afford to measure up to proper Irish hospitality, however, so there were community hospitality houses.

Seumas MacManus, in his book The Story of the Irish Race, writes: “In the early days, because in many districts people might be too poor, or travellers too many, for satisfactory private hospitality, there were, at various points throughout the land, public houses of hospitality called bruideans (pronounced breens). And the honoured officials who were entrusted with these houses were called brughaids (pronounced brewys). A bruidean was always set at the junction of several roads, frequently the junction of six. It had open doors facing every road—and a man stationed on each road to make sure that no one passed unentertained. It had a light burning on the lawn all night. A full cauldron was always boiling on the fire. It was stocked with provisions of all kinds in plenty . . . The esteem in which was held the virtue of hospitality is exemplified by the fact that the public brughaid was, by law, permitted the same number of attendants, and given the same protection, as the king of a territory. His hospice was endowed with land, and with other allowances. The brughaid had a magistrate’s jurisdiction for arbitration of agrarian cases. His house, too, was the house of assembly for election of officers of the territory.” (p.287-292)

The revered Irish historian Geoffrey Keating (1570-1646) estimated that there were over four hundred bruideans in old Ireland — ninety in Connaught, ninety in Ulster, ninety-three in Leinster, and a hundred and thirty in Munster. Each brughaid was required to have at least a hundred animals grazing in his fields and a hundred servants in his house. And he always had on hand three boiled fleshes, three red fleshes, and three living fleshes.

I quote MacManus again: “The three living fleshes must be at hand, fattened, and ready for immediate killing; the three red fleshes dressing in the kitchen; the three boiled fleshes in the boilers, ready for instant serving.”

“The good brughaid was expected to have in his house the three miachs (sacks) — a miach of malt to make refreshment for wayfarers, a miach of wheat to give them food, and a miach of salt, to improve the food’s taste. Also the three cheers, the cheer of the strainers straining ale, the cheer of the servitors over the cauldron, and the cheer of the young men over the chessboard, winning games from one another.”

Such hospitality! Such cheer! But the most interesting part of this whole history, and the purpose for our bringing your attention to the bruideans, is this — there were SIX chief bruideans in ancient Ireland which were set aside specifically as asylums of refuge for homicides, just like the Biblical cities of refuge. “And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither.” Numbers 35:6

How is it an ancient Israelite custom was also in practice in ancient Ireland? Could it be mere coincidence? Let us take it further . . . Notice that these cities were given to the Levites. While there is much evidence that the tribe of Dan migrated to Ireland, and that the Tuatha de Danaan were Israelites of the tribe of Dan, it should be understood that remnants of the tribes of Judah and Levi made their way to the Emerald Isle as well. This being so, it should be of great interest to the reader to note, as George Barnes writes in his A Lost People and a Vanished Sceptre, p. 58, that “facsimile models of the High Priest’s Breastplate have been dug up in Irish bogs.”

Amazing. Six cities of refuge. High priestly adornments. When considering these historical facts, the question naturally comes to mind, “Why?”

We believe these are all further evidences that the Irish, like their British and European kinsmen, are Israelites, all descended from Jacob, and that even though they were no longer in the land of their origin, they still retained the marks — the fingerprints, if you will — of Israel.