In the following account of the Social and Church life of Christian Ireland, I have, as far as possible, let the old records tell their own story, refraining from unnecessary comment. My object is not to discuss the position and religious beliefs of the Irish Church, but to show the practical effect of its influence on the daily life of the people. There will always be questions connected with the discipline and doctrines of the Irish Church which will be answered differently according to the stand-point from which we set out to examine them. So much attention has been concentrated upon these questions, that it would sometimes seem as though the whole history of this most interesting period of the nations life were supposed to be dependant on the solution that is given to them. Meanwhile, the clear and fascinating picture of the social life of the time, given in the lives of the early saints, and the remarkable developments in the national character and conditions consequent on their teaching and system of things, have been lost sight of. From a purely historical point of view, a clear grasp of these changes and conditions is essential, and it is on these that we have fixed our attention.