Druids were the guardians of Celtic spirituality and morality. Known as the teachers of wisdom, their role was a combination of priest, prophet, teacher and political advisor. In addition to these duties, druids were the chief administrators of the Celtic legal system, called upon to negotiate treaties and agreements among tribes and to arbitrate all kinds of disputes. Each tribe had its own complement of druids; they were the most trusted of all men and women in the tribe and came second only to kings and queens in terms of power and prestige.

 Druids, (book illustrations), Stephen Reid, c.1910

As well as an individual title, the word ‘druid’ was also used to describe a class of people. Druids, bards (poets) and filidh (seers) together made up 'the druid class' and these three groups had overlapping responsibilities. Although the precise origins of the druid class is unknown, it is supposed that they pre-existed the Celts and were descended from the Neolithic tribal shaman priests recorded in ancient cave drawings. The derivation of the word ‘druid’ has several interpretations: the most likely derivation comes from the Gaelic word deru, meaning ‘firm’ or ‘solid’ and relating to concepts of steadfastness and truth, while weid means ‘to see’. A ‘druid’ denotes one who sees well or truly: a seer or prophet.

 A druid priestess

The ranks of druidry were not closed: anyone who managed to complete the required rigorous training - said to be twenty years - could become a druid. Druidic lore consisted of a large number of verses to be learned by heart and their disciplines included history, philosophy, science, history and law. With their vast store of knowledge and with written records forbidden, they were indispensable to Irish society. Thus they were granted special privileges: exemption from paying taxes and serving in the military and no territorial boundaries.

When Christianity came to Ireland, druids were among the first Celts to adopt the new beliefs. They combined them with their traditional beliefs to form 'the Celtic church'. Although they were no longer the accepted authorities over maters of religion, they remained influential throughout the centuries, providing a single code of law for Ireland and maintaining oral instruction and verse, until the early 17th century, when Gaelic culture fractured and they disappeared. Irish cultural traditions were carried on by the bardic poets, story tellers and filidh.