Women's Rights Under Brehon Law

Brehon Law is the ancient code of law used in Ireland until around 1554, when the British Crown began making a concentrated effort to enforce English Common Law in Ireland.  Originally an oral tradition, we are unsure of when this law code first developed, although it had a long history by the time the first Christian missionaries arrived on the island roughly c.500 CE.  Certain scholars believe the law may have originated c.1000 BCE due to linguistic similarities between legal phrases in surviving ancient Scottish Law, giving Brehon Law an estimated lifetime of 2000 years.  Despite predating Christianity in Ireland, much of the written law-code which survived to the present day is attributed to Saint Patrick and a few legendary Irish Kings/Judge/Lawmakers, although the different sources were likely written by various groups which could explain why certain texts favor religious origins and others remained nativist.  All 'case-law' in the law codes however exist only as commentaries involving legendary figures whose own origins are lost to time.  The placement of women in these stories and law codes is truly remarkable however.  Many of the basic principles in the laws are attributed to two legendary/mythical women, and the code envisions itself as an equalizer between the fundamental inferiority of women against men's natural superiority.  Most of women's rights in Brehon Law were written in a protectionist manner with guaranteed advantages, such as extra time in a lawsuit, over men's rights.