I'ra (Heb, Ira', X'n"'", citizen, othertt-ise u-atchful; Sept 'Ipof, 'lpa,'Qpai, Ei'pa), the name of three of Da- vid's favorite officers,
1. Son of Ikkesh, a Tekoite, and one of David's thirty famous warriors (2 Sam. xxiii, 26; 1 Chron. xi, 28). He was afterwards placed in command of the sixth regi- ment of his troops (1 Chron. xxvii, 9). B.C. 1046-1014.
2. A Jethrite, another of David's thirty chief heroes (2 Sam. xxiii, 38; 1 Chron. xi, 40). B.C. 1046.
3. A Jaii-ite and priest ("ni:, A. Y. '• chief ruler"), i.
IRAD
641
IRELAND
I
e. royal chaplain (2 Sam. xx, 2G). B.C. cir. 1022. As he was not of the sacerdotal family, the Kabbins hold that he was only one of David's cabinet. See Jair.
I'rad (Heb. Irad', Tl"^^, perh. runner ; Sept. Tdi- SdS, apparently by erroneously reading "I'^^V : Joseph. 'lani()r]Q, Ant. i, 3, 4; Vulg. Irad), one of the antedilu- vian patriarchs, of the Cainite line, son of Enoch and father of Mehujael (Gen. iv, 18). B.C. considerably post 4045.
I'rani (Heb. Tram', !3T'>, citizen, otherwise watch- ful; Sept. 'Hpaju, but Za(t>ioiv in Gen. xxxvi, 43 ; Vulg. Jllrum), the last-named of the Edomite phylarchs in IMount Seir, apparently contemporary with the Horite kings (Gen. xxxvi, 43; 1 Chron. i, 54). B.C. perhaps cir. 1(518. See Idum.isa.
Ireland, the more western of the two principal isl- ands of which the kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is composed, between lat. 51° 25' and 55° 23' N., and long. C° 20' and 10° 20' W. Area, 32,513 sq. miles.
At the time when the island became known to the Greeks and the Romans its inhabitants were Celts. Of Celtic origin is the original name of Erin, which means "West Side," and was changed by the Greeks into lerne, and by the Romans, who made no endeavors to subjugate the island, into Hibernia. During the whole period of the rule of the Romans over Brittany the his- tory of Ireland is enveloped in profound obscurity. Ac- cording to later chronicles, Ireland is said to have had in the 3d century five states, Momonia, Connacia, La- genia, Ultonia, and Modia (Jleath). As the peojile were akin to the Celts of Scotland, Ireland was, until the 4th century, often called Great Scotland (Scotia major). Christianity appears to have been brought to Irelanil at an early time, perhaps as early as the 2d century. A reference to Ireland is, in particular, found in the words of Tertullian, who says that parts of the British Islands which had never been visited by the Romans were subject to Christ. In the 4th century a number of churches and schools are mentioned, and even before the 4th century missionaries went out from Ire- land. Coelestius, the friend and colaborer of Pelagius, was, according to Jerome, an Irishman, and the son of Christian parents. That the Irish had received their Christianit\^ not from Rome, but from the East, is shown by their aversion against the institutions of the Church of Rome. The first Roman missionary, who about 430 was sent to Ireland by pope Coelestius, was not well re- ceived, and had soon to return to Scotland. Two years later (432), the Scotch monk St, Patrick (q. v.) arrived in Ireland. He had spent his youth in Ireland as a slave, and had subsequently lived for some time in Gaul. With great zeal he preached Christianity throughout Ireland, converted several, and was, in particular, active for the establishment of convents, so that Ireland was called the island of the Saints. He settled finally as bishop of Armagh, which see thus received metropolitan power over all Ireland. According to some writers (Wiltsch, Kirchl. Statistik, ii, 48), Ireland was, however, without its own archbishop, being, until the 12th cen- tury, subject to the archbishop of Canterbury -, accord- ing to others, pope Eugene, as early as ()25, appointed four metropolitan sees at Armagh, Dublin, Cashel, and Tuam. Certain it is that the permanent division of Ireland into the four ecclesiastical provinces of Armagh, DubUn, Cashel, and Tuam took place about 1150 (ac- cording to iMoroni in 1152, at the Council of Mellefont; according to Wiltsch in 1155). From this time the primacy of Armagh over all the sees of Ireland was gen- erally recognised. The first bishops for a long time maintained their independence with regard to Rome. In the 7th century Rome endeavored to induce the Irish churches to conform themselves with regard to the cel- ebration of Easter to the practice of the Roman Church, instead of following, as heretofore, the rite of tlie East- ern churches. The Irish made a long resistance, until, in 717, the monks in lona (q. v.) were on tliis account either IV'.-S s
expelled or coerced into submission. Most of the Irish churches then submitted; yet, as late as the 12tli cen- tury, some monks were found who adhered to the East- ern practice of celebrating Easter. In the 9th century the Irish Church was considerably disturbed by the in- vasions of the Northmen, who destroyed many churches, and burned manuscripts and convents. These invasions were followed by a period of anarchy, during which the moral condition of the Irish clergy greatly degenerated. The complaints of Rome at this time referred chiefiy to the peculiar ecclesiastical practices of the Irish — the marriage of the clergy, the administration of baptism without chrisma, and the use of their own liturgy. The legates of the popes finally succeeded in obtaining the entire submission of the Irish Church to the Church of Rome about the middle of the 12th century, which until then is believed to have been without auricular confession, sacrifice of tlie mass, and indulgences, and to have celebrated the Lord's Supper in both kinds. In 1155 a bull of pope Hadrian IV allowed king Henry 11 of England to subject Ireland, the king, in his turn, promising the pope to protect the papal privileges. In 1172, a synod at Cashel regulated the ecclesiastical af- fairs in accordance with the wishes of Rome. During the time of the following kings of the house of Plantag- enet the clergy were in a deplorable condition: the bishops carried the sword, and lived with their clergy in open and secret sins. The monks, who were very differ- ent from what they had been in former times, traversed the country as troublesome beggars, molesting the priests as well as the laity.