In medieval Ireland, the election of a High King (or "Ard Rí") was not a straightforward process and typically involved a combination of hereditary succession, election by a group of nobles, and a reaffirmation of authority through rituals.

Here are the main points about how a High King was elected:

1. Hereditary Claims: The High Kingship was often claimed by members of the Uí Néill dynasty, which was one of the most prominent royal families in Ireland. However, it was not exclusively hereditary, as other families and clans could also contend for the title.

2. Assembly of the Kings: The election usually took place at an assembly known as a "Mór Fairsinge." The leading kings and chiefs of various kingdoms within Ireland would gather to discuss and decide who would be the High King. This assembly allowed for a consensus or majority decision.

3. Ritual and Sacred Sites: The election often involved rituals at significant sites, such as the Hill of Tara, which was historically associated with the High Kings and symbolized their authority. The new king would partake in a ceremonial act, such as being crowned or anointed, signifying his divine right and acceptance by the gods and the people.

4. Military Strength and Influence: A candidate's military strength and political alliances played a crucial role in their ability to be elected. Those with the capacity to wield power and maintain peace among rival factions were often favored.

5. Recognition of Authority: Following the election, the new king typically sought the recognition of other kings and clans across Ireland. This could involve forming alliances through marriages or other political arrangements.

6. Challenges and Usurpation: The role of High King was contested, and many claimed the title throughout history. Rival factions could lead to civil strife and conflict as various leaders sought to assert their dominance.

Overall, the election of a High King in medieval Ireland was a complex process influenced by tradition, power dynamics, and the political landscape of the time.
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A nation is not made wealthy by the childish accumulation of shiny metals, but it enriched by the economic prosperity of it's people.

~ Adam Smith

The progressive Brehon laws of stateless Ireland

Insight into the Brehon laws of Ireland

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit

Happy St. Patrick's Day 🍀

"The State is only a means to an end. Its end and its purpose are to preserve and promote a community of human beings who are physically as well as spiritually kindred... States which do not serve this purpose have no justification for their existence. They are monstrosities."

– Mein Kampf, 'The State'

"With a higher moral, nature will come a restriction on the multiplication of the inferior."

– Herbert Spencer

Adolf Hitler's financial miracle.

Why Geoists and Market Anarchists Can and Should Be Friends, by Gil Guillory and Fred Foldvary – anti-state.com
https://archive.ph/2013.12.03-184216/http://www.anti-state.com/geo/foldvary2.html

This was anarchy and it had very powerful kings

A Brief Intro to Anarcho-Distributism
By W. J. Whitman

Excerpt from intro;

As an anarchist, the anarcho-distributist is ultimately looking for the total abolition of the State. However, the anarcho-distributist is realistic about the role that the government plays in existing society and will continue to play in the immediate future. We see distributism as a steppingstone on the way to voluntaryism (voluntary government), which will open up the market to competition in every sphere—free banking, competing currencies, competing “police” services in the same area, competing defense forces, etc. This voluntaryist State, which allows voluntary agencies on the free market to compete with it in every way, will ultimately “wither away” as free competitors in defense, security, law, banking, etc. reduce it to a non-governmental status as just another competitive firm in the free market.

Around 800 CE, Ireland had many small kingdoms, tuatha, under a Gaelic system with no central state.

Over 100 existed, each led by a rí túaithe, varying from 80–150 due to shifting borders.

Above them, rí ruirech ruled clusters, with dynasties like Uí Néill (north) or Eóganachta (Munster) as rí cóicid.

The ard rí at Tara was symbolic, per texts like the Annals of Ulster. Uí Néill (split into Cenél Conaill and Cenél nEógain), Connachta (west), Laigin (east), and Munster’s Eóganachta were key, with Dál Riata linking to Scotland.

Kings used cattle wealth and Brehon Law, while monasteries like Armagh grew powerful.

Norse raids hit coasts by 800, but inland kingdoms held.

This kin-based system lasted until Viking and Norman shifts.