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The Three Specialities Of Ancient Druidism

The Bards

were the keepers of tradition, of the memory of the tribe-they were the custodians of the sacredness of the Word. In Ireland, they trained for 12 years learning grammer, hundreds of stories, poems, philosophy and the Ogham tree-alphabet.

The Ovates

worked with the processes of death and regeneration. They were the native healers of the Celts. They specialized in divination, conversing with the ancestors and prophesizing the future.

The Druids and Druidesses

formed the professional class in Celtic society. They performed the functions of modern day priests, teachers, ambassadors, astronomers, genealogists, philosophers, musicians, theologians, scientists, poets and judges. They underwent lengthy training: some sources say 20 years. Druids led all public rituals, which were normally held within fenced groves of sacred trees. Most leaders mentioned in the surviving records were male. It is not known whether female Druids were considered equal to their male counterparts or whether they were restricted to special responsiblitites. References to women exercising religious power might have been deleted from the record by Christian monks during the Celtic Christian ear.
P. Carr-Gomm, The Druid Tradition, 1991