Marriage Disputes:A Fragmentary Old Irish Law-Text

Description

Edited By Fergus Kelly

DIAS 2014

ISBN 9781855002272

Lth/Pgs 157

Although it survives only in fragmentary form, this text provides a great deal of information on early Irish marriage and on the resolution of legal disputes involving spouses. Such disputes may arise from a wide variety of causes, including dishonest or neglectful housekeeping, adultery, sexual neglect, violence by in-laws, and the onset of illness.

The text concentrates on the primary wife (cétmuinter), but there is also mention of the secondary wife (adaltrach), whose legal status is at a lower level. There are approximately thirty-six citations from the Old Irish text (c. 7th century), accompanied by extensive Middle Irish commentary (c. 12th century).