Ceann”Chief”or Priomh-Droi “Arch-Druid”– Shall oversee the day-to-day operation and the general administration of the Order. The Ceann shall ensure that the Order follows the precepts of these by-laws. The Ceann shall preside over all meetings of the Order. The Ceann shall report to members, represent the Order to the media, public and other organizations. Shall act as the “High Priest/ess”and is the chief religious official of the Order. The Arch-Druid Acts as “spiritual” advisor and counselor to the Order fills priestly roles within the Order. Oversees other Priest/esses’ and Oversees the Ard-Droi of the Order. The Arch-Druid is responsible for teaching the tradition and the path. Acts as the Order’s “magicus officialis” or head magick worker. Presides at Order/Grove rituals. The Ceann has one vote. The Ceann oversees the Ard-Droi of the Order. The Ceann will have gold trim on a white mantle. The office Ceann is an elected position and serves for a period of three years.

The currently seated Chief is Kenneth R. White.

ODU provides online instruction and fellowship for Brothers and Sisters far removed from local Groves.

http://www.irishdruidry.org/members/

The Bard or Fili, as they were called in Ireland, were the poets, musicians, and keepers of tribal lore and genealogy. They were the keepers of the Word, which to the Celtic peoples was sacred and the source of all knowledge and magic. They believed it to be the very wellspring of life. It is because of this belief that the Druids never wrote any of their lore. Teaching other than by the spoken Word profaned the sacred knowledge. (more…)

The ancient Irish were very much in tune with the land and the changing of the seasons. They observed the changing of the seasons and the movement of the sun across the sky as the cycle of life of the Mother Earth and the Father Sun. Their existence depended on the continued warmth of the Sun and the ability of the Earth to provide them food. These observances told the people when to plow, plant, and harvest. The ancients held great festivals and fairs at the beginning and end of the agricultural cycle, with rituals held in honor of the land and the overall cycle of life. The beginning of each of the four seasons was marked as an especially important time in the lives of these agricultural people. The Solstices and Equinoxes were marked points in the “life” of the Sun as it traversed the heavens. (more…)

A Cosmological Map of the Irish - The ancient peoples known as the Indo-Europeans developed a system of belief that held that everything in existence is composed of three distinct, yet also interconnected parts. The later progeny of the Indo-Europeans, the Celts, maintained and further refined this threefold philosophy. The Celts saw everything in existence as being composed of three aspects or states. These three states were and are necessary for something to exist within the universe. Everything, from the brightest star to the smallest creature, was composed of the three vital states of being: mental, spiritual, and physical. (more…)

The word “Druid” comes to us from another time and place. The Druids are mysterious and shrouded in the mists of ages, a dream of times and place’s ancient and forgotten. There are as many dreams concerning the ancient Druids as there are dreamers. Many of these visions are wild and fanciful, even romantic. To some, the dreams are of wise old men, wearing white robes, worshiping beneath an oak tree, or parading around a stone circle at the Summer Solstice. Other dreams are a little more realistic. They were men and women of high intelligence, versed in all the arts and skills of their people. Priests and doctors. Teachers and warriors. The Druids carried all the knowledge and history of the Celtic people. They were advisors to kings and commoner. They were judges and poets. This is who the Druids of old were. (more…)

The Druids were the intellectual elite of the ancient Celtic people. They were the judges, teachers, and advisors to kings, doctors, religious officials, seers, and philosophers. We have almost no information about the Druids and what they believed. What we do know comes from the writings of the Roman historians, such as Caesar, Strabo, and Diodorus Siculus. Caesar probably wrote the most about the Celts and it must be considered that while he may have admired them, he considered them to be the enemy. We must also remember that at the time Caesar was in the process of conquering the continental Celtic tribes, and was looking for support from Rome, so some of these statements must be taken with a grain of salt. (more…)

The quest of a modern Druid is an internal one, to find the self and understand the connection we share with the rest of the universe. There are many spiritual and religious paths, and there are just as many techniques and methods for attaining what each perceives as the “ultimate goal.” There is no ultimate goal or prize for Druids, other than that we are constantly seeking to gain a greater understanding of our world and ourselves. We begin our quest by learning to understand the self and begin to glimpse how we fit into the web of life. We strive to understand our place in the world. (more…)

We consider our learning and practice of Druidry to be one of the most important aspects of our life. Through our Druidry we enhance the other vital aspects of life. Through serious devotion to Druidry we strengthen our relationships with our family, the land, Nature and the Gods. Our resolve to improve ourselves through spiritual and scholarly pursuits in an environment that is conductive to such pursuits. (more…)

This Path Requires Discipline and DesireThe Order aims to give its members mental and spiritual knowledge in the physical realm; it is the duty of the student to apply this knowledge in the realms within, for which it is intended. Without doing the work — partaking of the mental study and the discipline of the mind — communion with the Divine is difficult to achieve. (more…)