Newbie looking for a Celtic expert

[markdublin]

Hello all,

I'm a newbie to the forum so hopefully I'm posting in the right place.

In my spare time I am a writer and have written books, plays, films, shorts, etc. Most recently I've been working on a film set in Ireland at the very end of the Celtic era. It is completely fictional but I have tried to stay as true to the historical sources as possible. I've come here hoping I might find one or two experts in the field (or even passionate amateurs like me) who'd be willing to read the screenplay and give me their feedback.

I'd like to know if I've included anything anachronistic or just plain stupid.

If you want more information or have any questions just let me know.

Thanks for reading,

Mark

[markdublin]

Maybe this isn't the right place for this type of request so if anyone knows of a forum maybe better suited please let me know. Thanks

[finnobreanan]

This probably is not the best thread to post this query on. Traditionally this is known as the pre-Christian era in Ireland and it would be better to post this question on the "Classical" thread.

[markdublin]

Ok - no problem. Thanks finnobreanan for letting me know. I have found one person who's kindly offered to read the script for me (time permitting) so if that doesn't work out for any reason I'll try the Classical thread.

[brendan]

A really good book is Barry Rafferty's Pagan Celtic Ireland.

While it is an archaeology reference it covers everything that has come out of the ground in that era. I would suggest start there for the material culture stuff.

Another very useful reference for Early Medieval Ireland is Fergus Kelly's Early Irish Law. While this is only datable to the 5th century when it was written by St Patrick (honest Guv) it is very much a non-Roman legal system that survived intact.

Another one that could be of use to you is Fergal Mc Grath, Education in Ancient and Medieval Ireland. Does what it says on the tin but if I remember right it covers stuff like the various ranks of Fileadh and Brethim etc as well as giving a fairly clear idea of what people of a given social rank were expected to do.

In general anything on Druids is conjecture so your invention is probably as good as anyone else's. If you want the mythological role/view of Druids then you are looking at the Tain and the book of Lismore (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mug_Ruith)

Read all of that and you have a good starting point in understanding the era.
The hard bit is getting it down to a screenplay. I have dabbled in a few screenplay courses so could help you there but I suppose it depends on where you are with things and what help you want.