Above: Brehon Laws Document

The relations between Church and people were minutely set out in the Brehon Laws. " The social connection which exists between the Church and its tenants of ecclesiastical land," says the Seanchus Mor,1 is preaching and offering, while requiem for souls is due from the Church to the tenants of ecclesiastical lands,  and the receiving of every son forinstruction, and   of   every   tenant, manach,  to  right repentance. Tithes and first fruits and alms are due of them to her, full honour price when they are in strong health and one-third honour price at the time of death. ‘ And every first calf and every first lamb, and every first-born of children and every tenth child from that out.’ The Church, too, has the power of pronouncing judgment and proof and witness upon its tenants of ecclesiastical lands, both saor-stock and daor-stock tenants, and upon every other layman, even though he be a saor-stock tenant of ecclesiastical lands, unless there is another church of equal dignity claiming him."
It was the duty of the chiefs to levy from the laity for the Church. " Every king together with his people has a duty towards the Church and its members in their several orders; every order should be submissive to its superiors."
Further : " There are many things that come into the law of nature which do not come into the written lawr. Dubh-thach showed these to Patrick. What did not disagree with the word of God in the written law and with the consciences of the believers was retained in the Brehon code by the Church and the poets. All the law of nature was just except the faith and its obligations and the harmony of the Church and the people and the right of either party from the other and in the other ; for the people have a right in the Church, and the Church in the people. . . that is, baptism and communion and requiem of soul, and offering are due from every church to every person after his proper belief, with the recital of the word of God to all who listen to it and keep it."