Editing Bard (section)

===Ireland===
{{See also|Bardic poetry}}
In medieval Ireland, bards were one of two distinct groups of poets, the other being the ''[[fili]]''. According to the [[Early Irish law]] text on status, ''[[Uraicecht Becc]]'', bards were a lesser class of poets, not eligible for higher poetic roles as described above. However, it has also been argued that the distinction between ''filid'' (pl. of ''fili'') and bards was a creation of Christian Ireland, and that the ''filid'' were more associated with the church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/articles/onbards.html|title=On Bards, And Bardic Circles|website=pbm.com|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref><ref name="Breatnach">Breatnach, Liam. ''[[Uraicecht na Ríar]]'', ca. p. 98</ref> <!-- this should have some publication data or a URḶ if at all possible --> By the Early Modern Period, these names came to be used interchangeably.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bergin|first1=Osborn|title=Irish Bardic Poetry|publisher=Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies|location=Dublin|pages=3–5|url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/bardic.html|access-date=8 December 2015}}</ref>

Irish bards formed a professional hereditary [[caste]] of highly trained, learned poets. The bards were steeped in the history and traditions of [[clan]] and country, as well as in the technical requirements of a verse technique that was [[Syllabic verse|syllabic]] and used [[assonance]], [[half rhyme]] and [[alliteration]], among other conventions. As officials of the court of king or chieftain, they performed a number of official roles. They were [[chronicle]]rs and [[Satire|satirists]] whose job it was to praise their employers and damn those who crossed them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://irishempire.org/news/travel-roots/druids-filid-bards-custodians-of-celtic-tradition/25|title=Druids, Filid & Bards: Custodians of Celtic Tradition|last=Butler|first=Craig|website=Irish Empire|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref> It was believed that a well-aimed bardic satire, {{lang|ga|glam dicenn}}, could raise boils on the face of its target.

[[{{Not a typo|File:Beowulf - Beardna.jpg}}<!-- Do not change the spelling of the file! -->|thumb|left|230px|'Beardna', a loanword of Celtic origin]]The bardic system lasted until the mid-17th century in Ireland and the early 18th century in Scotland. In Ireland, their fortunes had always been linked to the Gaelic aristocracy, which declined along with them during the [[Tudor conquest of Ireland|Tudor Reconquest]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.historyireland.com/early-modern-history-1500-1700/divided-gaels-gaelic-cultural-identities-in-scotland-and-ireland-c-1200-c-1650/|title=Divided Gaels: Gaelic cultural identities in Scotland and Ireland c. 1200–c. 1650|date=2013-02-22|work=History Ireland|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref>

The early history of the bards can be known only indirectly through mythological stories. The first mention of the bardic profession in Ireland is found in the [[Lebor Gabála Érenn|Book of Invasions]], in a story about the Irish colony of [[Tuatha Dé Danann]] (Tribe of Goddess Danu), also called Danonians. They became the ''[[aos sí]]'' (folk of the mound), comparable to Norse ''[[alfr]]'' and British [[fairy]]. During the tenth year of the reign of the last Belgic monarch, the people of the colony of Tuatha Dé Danann, as the Irish called it, invaded and settled in Ireland. They were divided into three tribes—the tribe of Tuatha who were the nobility, the tribe of De who were the priests (those devoted to serving God or De) and the tribe of Danann, who were the bards. This account of the Tuatha Dé Danann must be considered legendary; however the story was an integral part of the oral history of Irish bards themselves. One of the most notable bards in Irish mythology was [[Amergin Glúingel]], a bard, druid and judge for the [[Milesians (Irish)|Milesians]].{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}