Society General Calendar

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Era

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It seems hardly appropiate for a pagan organisation such as the Society of ancient Irish Religion to organise its history around the birth of Jesus Christ, a significantly non-pagan figure. As such a new system of era has been decided to be used instead. This can provide its own challenges however.

 For instance, from where should the Society date? There are no significant figures that could be considered important enough to define a calendar era around, we lack prophet and instead rely upon historical evidence and Gaelic writings which are often Anonymous.

 Thankfully however there is a common enough system. A regnal system whereby the era is defined by a new king taking the throne or perhaps another official taking office, given the importance of the monarch in the religious worldview of the celts and the Society's own heavily monarchist views this has been elected as the better system.

 However one may call up an issue, that being the last High Kings were Christian and dating from them could present the same issues as the one with ad. However this can also be answered quickly, we need not focus on the death of the king but his taking of office, one of the most important parts of Gaelic royal ideology was his inauguration, that being the ban-feis. Instead of looking towards the last High King, instead let us look to the last inauguration.

 This occurred under king Diarmait mac Cerbail. Who was inaugurated in the year 560. This king was not well liked by later writers and there are many stories of his conflict with Saints perhaps stemming in part from his sacral role. This matters little but is an interesting note.

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 Any instance, the year dated from is 560ad. Marking the year we are writing this (2023) as 1463 in the Gregorian or 1462 D.F (Since Diarmait's Feis) in the Celtic Calendar, as the new year is Beltane in May by the Society's reckoning.

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The Current Year:

1463 D.F.