Tech trees

[Ranika]

Gaenaght and Daernaght are both spearmen (Gaenaght are eastern and Munster spearmen, Daernaght were spearmen from Connaght). Axemen would be Traghnaght or Trainaght, or any mileu of other variants. The plurals for this period would involve an 'a' on the end (so, multiple Traghnaght is Traghnaghta). Both spear and axe men would use targes, and both would have darts or throwing spears, and both would have padded coats or leather (padded coats were more popular in Ireland, leather more in Scotland), with a leather cap.

On Irish and Scottish 'nobility'; Gaels don't really have 'nobles' perse, in this period, they had elected officials from an aristocracy; the aristocracy are 'arras'. While the arras do control a kind of 'noble house', they're generally just wealthy traders or skilled militarists, which sustain them financially. Anyone rich enough could become an arras. I'd drop one of the 'noble' units, probably have Gaelic Arras, with sword, javelins, chain, helmet, full length cloak, and targe, for both the Scots and Irish; they would make an appropriate 'generals' unit. They have retainers called Ridire by the Saxons, under them. Ridire would be both Scottish/Irish heavy infantry or cavalry. A sword, axe, cudgel/mace/hammer, or spear is fine for them (probably say axe or cudgel/mace/hammer, to differentiate from the Arras), with javelins, targe, and at the least, leather scale armor or padded armor, at most, plated scale {leather scale with iron or bronze on it} or heavy iron ring chainmaille (that is, wide, heavy rings, instead of the more effective, smaller rings). The Ridire would also have a shoulder cloak (at least, a full length cloak though is not impossible), and iron helmet (round, conical, no nose guard though).

Light cavalry were 'Guirran'. They carried javelins, with a spear (fought with overhand), a cudgel, or an axe.

All would have essentially the same clothing and general appearance. A knee-length shirt (sleeve length can vary), boots over the ankle, a shoulder cloak (if they don't have a different cloak already), a mustache or clean-shaved, maybe the occassional bearded unit (more popular among the Gaels in Scotland, who started imitating the Pict's beards). Really, Gaels don't look like other armies from the region at all. They don't wear trousers, they wear awkward cloaks, some still paint themselves (in western Ireland particularly, and a few isolated eastern Irish tribes). They're an entirely seperate culture in pretty much every way from those around them. Any generic units used with them would look awkward, if you were going for an authentic appearance, but I'm aware of time constraints and other limitations that likely go into what you can do (such as model limits). However, I do recommend sharing units between Scots and Irish where you can, at least, so you can use less generic units for them, and more actual Gaelic units. I know everyone says 'Well, X culture is unique in appearance from Y culture because of 800 minor things'. However, Gaels are hugely different in appearance, and army composition. They still used a lot of skirmishers (almost all soldiers carried javelins, darts, or heavy throwing spears), they didn't use many archers (usually Welsh mercenaries, or levied hunters), their militias (while I do say they aren't particularly special) were fairly well trained (had to be, maruading vikings in this period demanded it), and they used a lot of weapons and tactics others didn't in the region. They were isolated, and hadn't homogenized as much as others, who, through Roman and then Germanic influences, had developed very similar armies and clothing and so on, and Christianity, which generally absorbed cultures and helped homogenize them, was instead absorbed by the Gaels (hence the creation an insular, Celtic rite of the church), which also slowed any changes in their culture. While they'd begun to modernize at this time, it was at their own pace and in their own string of development, and they didn't use much of other cultures anyway, aside from weapons and armor. On a related note, the Ostmen would be dressed the same way (bare-legged, longshirt, boots), as Norse-Irish were far more heavily Gaelicized than Gaelic-Irish were Nordicized. Gaels main adoptions from the Norse was a reintroduction of widespread use of chain armor, a few types of axes, and a few types of swords. Norse-Irish converted to the Celtic rite of Christianity (generally), began to dress like Gaels, spoke a modified, Norse-influenced version of Irish, began to wear their hair like Gaels (long and in many tight braids, almost looking like dreadlocks from a distance), fought in a Gaelic version of the shield wall (axe/swordsmen, backed by longspearmen, backed by pikemen, flanked by skirmishers), etc.