O'Rahilly's historical model is a theory of Irish prehistory put forward by Celtic scholar T. F. O'Rahilly in 1946. It was based on his study of the influences on the Irish language and a critical analysis of Irish mythology.
He distinguished four separate waves of Celtic invaders:
- The Cruithne or Priteni (c. 700 – 500 BC)
- The Builg or Érainn (c. 500 BC)
- The Laigin, the Domnainn and the Gálioin (c. 300 BC)
- The Goidels or Gael (c. 100 BC)
O'Rahilly's work was and remains influential but much of his linguistic work has since been refuted by noted authors such as Kenneth Jackson and John T. Koch and is not generally the accepted model.
Nevertheless, and independent of his linguistic arguments, O'Rahilly's categorizations of most Irish kin groups generally remain accepted, although with important exceptions, e.g. those he believed were the true Gaels cannot actually be demonstrated to be. In any case it is this historical aspect of his work which is most frequently cited in current scholarship.
Read more about O'Rahilly's Historical Model: The Pretanic Colonisation, The Bolgic or Ernean Invasion, The Laginian Invasion, The Goidelic Invasion
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