Did they teach you in history class at school, or have you forgotten, that slavery was once widespread in early Ireland? That indeed, there was a thriving slave-market in Dublin where the Irish kings traded in slaves and Dublin became part of an Irish Sea slave market. Anyway, now you can read about it in the latest edition of Riocht na Midhe, journal of the Meath Archaeological and Historical Society. Roisin Barton has written a short, fascinating article, arising out of the finding of a possible slave-chain from Knowth. She acknowledges and thanks Prof George Eogan for allowing her to write about this object prior to his own full publication. Yes, from the vast treasure of objects found in excavations at Knowth, there emerges an iron object with a diameter in the loop in the chain of 90 mm, while the average diameter of the male ankle is 80 mm. An ankle-fetter for a male slave. Could it have been for an animal? But it is thought not, because so much skill went into the making. Slavery, in early Ireland, is usually associated with the coming of the Vikings, but evidence exists to show that it was here before they came.
Such slaves tended to be prisoners of war or victims of a debt-bondage. They had no rights and no legal protection against abuse. The coming of Christianity led to some improvements in the position of the slave. The writer notes that the sixth-century Penitential of [Finnian, attempts to legislate against the use of slave-women for sexual purposes, for example. Frequent references to slaves in the law tracts after this show that slavery was economically important in Irish society. Male slaves did the farm work, while the females carried out domestic duties. Slavery was part of Viking warfare from the 9th to the 11th centuries but "was broken almost a century later with the coming of the Normans in 1169 and legislation that they introduced." You should read it all.
Riocht na Midhe is £10. Splendid value, and the society's opening meeting for the year was held on Wednesday night, in august company, with a magisterial address by Prof George Eogan, "Archaeology in Meath - Past, Present and Future." And no one knows better or has done more for it. This was a commemorative lecture in honour of the late Elizabeth Hickey, a founder member of the Society.