Hospitality in general was a legal obligation and responsibility in medieval Ireland. In particular the Críth Gablach highlights the role of Briugu, or Hospitallers. Though they were not Lords or Kings in title, the Briugu were a powerful class in Ireland. They were permitted wealth and holdings far above their professional status as essentially farmers, and were permitted to expand their holdings until their status was nearly that of a lesser king.^^1 The Hospitaller's status was conditional, they were required to feed and shelter anyone who wished it, regardless of how many times their guest demanded hospitality.^^2

Hospitality assured travelers food, shleter from wind and rain, and protection, but also obligated them to entertain wayfarers who knocked on their own doors. The system functioned to protect all against the hostilities of the wilderness through which they passed. At the same time, the exchange of food, shelter, and plain good company reinforced existing social ties and created new alliances.^^3

Bruigu and their feast-halls feature prominently in the Ulster Cycle narrative Togail Bruidne Dá Derga. For far greater detail on nature of this complex social custom one might consult Catherine Marie O'Sullivan's Hospitality in Medieval Ireland, 900-1500.

---

^^1 ^(John Koch and Antone Minard. The Celts: History, Life and Culture. s.v. "Bruiden". Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2012.)

^^2 ^(Fergus Kelly. A Guide to Early Irish Law. Dublin, Ireland: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1988. pp. 36-38.)

^^3 ^(Lisa Bitel. Isle of the Saints: Monastic Settlement and Christian Community in Early Ireland. Ithaca, United States: Cornell University Press, 1994. p. 197.)