Did the Romans make it to Ireland after all?
That question is one of the reasons why I have been a little quiet on the blog today. Natalie and I are still working on the script for the third programme in the Blueprint natural history series. A dayfull of meetings yesterday sent us back to the drawing board on the pre-titles sequence and we're currently (yes, I know it's late) working on a new draft for review at tomorrow's meetings. At the moment we're looking at "primitive Irish" inscriptions on 4th/5th century Ogham stones to see if this early medieval script bares a hidden Roman influence. Clearly, the Romans never invaded Ireland -- not, at least, if "invade" implies a military campaign and a period of occupation. But some historians argue that the Romans invaded "Hibernia" in more subtle ways: they left their mark linguistically and culturally. At this late hour, please feel free to list any examples of that influence in case we've missed some. You know you want to.
Comments
Because Rome never occupied Ireland, Roman influence was limited to the contact that Ireland had with Roman Britain and other Roman states. St. Patrick, author of the first document known to have been written in Ireland, was a native of Roman Britain who was captured by Celtic raiders from Ireland . He spent six years as a slave for an Irish king , during which became close to God. After his escape he returned to Britain and later received ecclesiastical training, probably in Gaul. He then returned to Ireland in 432 or 456 ( the exact dates are not known for certain) and began missionary work. Patrick alone is said to have baptized thousands and ordained clerks everywhere, and most churches in Ireland later claimed him as their founder. Patrick introduced into Ireland the Episcopal system of church government of Roman Britain and Gaul, as well as the monastic life that became the most honored position within the church after the saint’s death in either 461 or 490. Prior to St. Patrick, trade with Gaul and Roman Britain had brought Christians to Ireland. By 431 there were enough Christians in Ireland to justify the appointment of a bishop for them by Rome . The presence of Christians prior to St. Patrick most likely affected the acceptance of Christianity in Ireland . The Christians who took refuge in Ireland tended to be scholars and helped to establish Ireland’s monastic life.
Contact with Roman Britain may have also influenced Ireland’s early road systems and construction. The early roads were wide and paved and were of importance for military reasons. The roads were wide and well enough constructed to support the movement of soldiers about the country. The road system was also partly responsible for the later, comparatively efficient, Norman invasion.
Its hard to believe there would not have been a significant cultural impact on this island.
This place being the way it is though I am just waititng for someone to suggest they must have been here because there are so many Catholics!
Enjoy your broadcasting will. Keep up the good work.
All-
I had an email from Michael Hull asking if I was having similar problems to him in posting to this blog, including the message:
You are not allowed to post comments.
I am, actually, and when attempting to comment I get this message more frequently than not. Usually this forces me to wait and try again later, though it's no guarantee. Unfortunately Michael hasn't been able to post comments at all for the past few days, though this is a problem that's been around for a long time (I'm not sure it's ever been right).
One can only hope the IT guys will notice, and fix these lingering issues soon.
John:
I contacted the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and got 2 emails back to say they were looking at the problem so looks like it is fixed now (at least for me)
Regards,
Michael
Michael- Cool.
John & Michael,you should pay your licence fee for using the services of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ £135.50
Christian Hippy- I know you love your licence fee. I realise it was a joke, but it's a joke at the expense of the ´óÏó´«Ã½. What licence fee do I pay for commenting on any other blogs, or for setting up my own? What licence fee do I pay for using Google or for watching commercial network television? What licence fee do I pay for listening to the radio or consuming any other media? I pay for things as I use them, and it's a disgrace that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is funded by any other means.
(Getting back to topic) Good luck with gathering information on Romans in Ireland. I ran across your blog doing the same thing - researching Romans in Ireland, that is. What a mess! Confusion, contention, hyperbole, and flat-out fabrication infused the results of my initial searches. Richard Warner's contribution ("Yes, the Romans did invade Ireland" in British Archaeology , no. 14, 1996) sums up the argument for Romans in Ireland, in some form, quite nicely. One point I keep pondering is the lack of technology transfer regarding Roman construction techniques - if Romans were in Ireland, why is there apparently no evidence of lime mortar construction until the famous Round Towers, beginning in the 10th century? I'm still digging through academic journals and the like, though, searching for answers which may not yet exist. Looking forward to hearing what you find!