A relative is claiming that the women could own land, become the monarch and were basically treated as equals. How much truth is there to this?
Thank you for any efforts to reply!
Your relative is probably talking about the Irish Brehon Laws which were the laws of Ireland that were handed down orally from ancient times to the 7th century when they were first written down, until the 17th century when they were eventually supplanted by English common law.
The Brehons were the successors of the Celtic Druids who created and passed judgement on the law. The parts concerning women is fascinating and is a huge part of academic study here in Ireland.
It is true that women were equal to men in the eyes of the Brehon law concerning property rights and education, indeed many of the Brehon practitioners were women themselves, one famous example being Brigid Brethra, or Brigid of the Judgments, who lived about the time of Christ and was responcible for the change in law allowing women to inherit property. Women were also allowed to divorce their husbands and could take the majority of the property when leaving the marriage.
And here http://www.irish-society.org/home/hedgemaster-archives-2/history-events/the-brehon-laws