The Royal Mail admitted this morning they have lost my authors copies, and so I haven't! 
It was all very dispiriting -- to be fair to the post office staff they spent over an hour pulling the depot apart searching for them, before saying "we don't think we will find them, so we will mark them lost". However I know Tellus and Gremlim have got them so I'm interested now!
cj x
I've received my copies and read parts of it, focusing on the Hermetic culture chapter. I really like what we did with the Cathach (trophy) and the MacgnĂmartha (beardless ones). I also like how the various magical factions of the island join the tribunal council. I wish I had the time to run a saga here.
Matt Ryan
First, I'm sorry to hear about your copies disappearing. Hopefully they'll turn up again soon...
I read over most of the book last night, omitting only the gazetteer chapters for the time being. Funnily, I'd failed to notice the Covenant Sigils in any of the previous Tribunal books :humiliated:. Perhaps they're bigger in this volume?
Anyway, I'm pretty happy with what I've read thus far, but I'll be interested to see how the forum as a whole reacts to Hibernia's, shall we say, idiosyncratic interpretation of the Code of Hermes - while fun and unique, it's also something of an acquired taste, I think.
Finally, I'm not quite sure what the plot twist you referred to in the other Hibernia thread was, but was it related to [spoiler]Diedne?[/spoiler]
Hiya, yes in particular the events of 793 to 810? I don't think it's a major spoiler -- just in playtest we had a character with Diedne Lineage who planned to approach the CCC seeking shelter as a "fellow Diedne". Feel free to discuss it, I just thought it was more surprising clearly than you did!
cj x
I got mine and I'm going through it all now. There's a gem on just about every page, isn't there? Has to be the ballsiest Tribunal out there.
Oh no, it's quite a good twist, I can just think of a few others that struck me as equally surprising - mostly related to the Coill TrĂ and some of the features that led to Ireland's unorthodox peripheral code.
Incidentally though, I had thought the Coill TrĂ was formed in response to Diedne pogroms and would thus be hostile to those claiming affiliation with that particular House.
Exactly! 
I picked up my copy tonight, my local game store told me they'd had it for a week and failed to call me. 
When I read here that Amazon had begun to ship them, I logged in and bought a copy, expecting it today.
I checked on it today, and they're apparently out of stock, because my 2-day shipping won't happen till two weeks from now.
Amazon's ordering algorithms consistently fail to get the right quantity of books when it first ships. I usually see that every copy we send them is mark as sold as soon as it arrives at their warehouse. After a few weeks of weekly orders they usually figure it out.
Presumably the copies they buy initially are mostly for people who placed advance orders.
Having finished rereading the book last night, I have a question that I don't think is addressed:
Is Hibernia actually richer in terms of auras and Vis than other Tribunals or is that just the impression that outsiders get due to the severe limitations on declaring Vis sources or establishing covenants in Hibernia?
Edit: Also, the Hibernian attitude toward harvesting Vis and the large number of Merinita magi who, presumably, would be just as happy to stake out a nice faerie aura for their laboratories?
The intention is indeed that Hibernia is rich in these resources. However, we don't really say how rich because each saga needs room for their own levels.
Not sure what the seond question is, but I can well see Magi building laboratories or (as I think is mentioned) ritual casting spaces out in the field surrounded by the vis that they need.
I had a question, since the authors are here. (And can I say again how awesome it is that the authors are here?)
Houses of Hermes: Societas mentions a tradition of Beast Mages from Hibernia who use the Summon Animals Supernatural Ability. (They are a legacy from the 4th edition sourcebook Sanctuary of Ice.) These mages do not appear in the Hibernia book. One of the PCs in my current Saga is an apprentice to one of these Hibernian Beast-mages, and when he goes back to Ireland he's going to want to make contact with that group.
I was wondering if the authors could comment on these Beast Mages at all. Why were they not included? I am considering basing them in Lombaird, keeping all the magi and descriptions of that covenant exactly as presented, except replacing the word Flambeau with "Ex Miscellanea." Considering the pre-occupation with hunting, riding, and hawking in that covenant, it seems a good fit. I hate to make changes to the book already, but I was disappointed when I found no trace of this "Hibernian tradition" which one my PCs is already interacting with.
The 'second question' was, in fact, just additional justification for the first...
I didn't know there was a canonical tradition of Beast Masters (I think that is what you are referring to) in Mythic Ireland. Skimming HOH:S, I only find a mention of that tradition on page 108, and I don't see any mention of the Hibernian Tribunal in their description. Does it mention in elsewhere in the book?
If so, it's not a purposeful exclusion. I don't remember it ever coming up in the playtest comments. Speaking for myself, it's not unrealistic that I simply made a mistake. When writing up the Thebes tribunal's covenants, I forgot to include Ingasia, the domus magna of House Verditius. Thank goodness CJ noticed it. One day David will let me live that down. 
Matt Ryan
I was just about to say the same thing. I've just had a look through HoH:S and noticed that I don't think we included the Daughters of Echo, either. Or The Single Ocean, led by Edward the White. To be honest, I don't think I had those references in mind while we were working on Hibernia. Happily, I don't think there's anything that contradicts those. I couldn't see an explicit reference to those beast magi in that book. It sounds interesting though. Given what we know about a certain stricken House, it sounds like an interesting little Ex Misc cult or lineage.
As to any changes you want to make, it's your saga, your Tribunal, your magi. Do with them as you will. The published book is a starting point, a common point of reference against which we can compare and contrast our own takes, so feel free to change what you want. Consider also that we've presented what is essentially a handful of covenants. There are others and I think it would be a great idea to come up with your own and work out where they fit into the tapestry, which factions they favour, who they have feuds with, and what causes they might support.
Thanks for writing back, guys. I'm deeply appreciative and I totally understand where you are coming from.
As to the Hibernian Beast Magi, I did confuse things a little, but if you can follow me for a minute, you'll see what I'm talking about.
HoH:S mentions the Beast Mages. You're right: it does not say they are Hibernian.
But, as far as I can tell, the whole idea of Ex Misc Beast Mages comes from Sanctuary of Ice, the Greater Alps Tribunal book, which describes Kentigern Ex Miscellanea, "a member of a beast mage tradition from Hibernia." So you guys are off the hook canon-wise, no 5e book says the Beast Mages are Hibernian, that comes from a 4e product, which in turn inspired the 5e mention, but the "Hibernian" tag was dropped for 5e.
My problem is that Kentigern Ex Miscellanea is the NPC dominus of a PC apprentice in my Saga. So I was hoping for Beast Magi. It's cool. I think I'll put them in Lombaird, keeping all the same NPC magi there, just changing their House.
4 am books waiting at my front door
After reading these sections I must agree. i also commented to others that It will take a much different type of magus to make it in Hiberina than the Continent.
You could always make them a non-Hermetic tradition, living in Connaught under the auspices of the Coill Tri. Kentigern could have been the first Hermetic member, or else maybe they dedicate one member per generation to the Order. Your PC is going to be the next leader when his master dies...
This would be a great way to thrust your players into the thick of some of Hibernia's unique features.
Mark