North British Warrior

[Conal]

And Catholic Bishops go to conferences in Rome every year.
That's just evidence of a pan-national religious identity, not a national one.

It is still a statement of an overiding cultural same-ness amoungst followers in various countries ... catholic 1st Irish 2nd. John Moran emigrates to US ... he is still catholic 1st American 2nd.

If the Druids were as integral to European iron age society as is purported then you have a similar pan-european same-ness. What I am getting at is that I dont subscribe to the chief 1st, then tribe ... over a pan-tribal conferderate identity based on a wider cultural identity. The chief being pre-eminent is something commented on in a Germanic context. This may not be the Celtic model.

I can't find the reference at the moment but I belive there is some evidence that in pre-Roman times "Celtic" "chiefs" were more or less elected based on a support base and with a limited tenure, and without any ownership of the land, which belonged to the tribe. They would be expected to bow out at the end of their term. There may have been a residual of this from Irish & north of the wall Tribes as you still had these guys retiring to religeous studies in the time period we are looking at. It is obviously a crossover point as some Tryants were seen to devide their Kingdoms amoungst their sons.