Cruithne (people)
Categories: Ireland-related stubs | United Kingdom history stubs | Ancient Ireland | Ancient peoples
The Cruithne or Cruthin were a historical people known to have lived in Ireland, particularly in Ulster, in early medieval times.
According to T. F. O'Rahilly's historical model, the Cruithne were descended from the Priteni, who O'Rahilly argues were the first Celtic group to inhabit the British Isles, and identifies with the Picts of Scotland. They settled in Britain and Ireland between 700 and 500 BCE. They used iron and spoke a P-Celtic language, calling themselves Priteni or Pritani, which is probably the origin of the name "Britain".
In Britain these Priteni were absorbed by later invaders and lost their cultural identity, except in the far north where they were known to the Romans as Picti, or “painted people,” on account of their practice of decorating their bodies with paint or tattoos (a practice which by then had died out among other Celtic tribes). In Ireland, too, the Priteni were largely absorbed by later settlers; but a few pockets of them managed to retain a measure of cultural, if not political, independence well into the Christian era. By then they were identified as Cruithne, a Q-Celtic linguistic descendant of Priteni.
Among the Cruthnian tribes that survived were the Loíges and Fothairt in Leinster. The name of the second of these tribes - modernized as Laois - has been revived and given to one of the counties of Leinster (formerly known as Queen's County).
For the asteroid sometimes (incorrectly) identified as Earth's second moon, see 3753 Cruithne.