With a POD after 500 A.D make it possible for the druid religion to survive and thrive in Ireland and other parts of Europe. Is it possible?
500 AD? Druidic religion was dying even in Ireland by that point, and basically gone outside.With a POD after 500 A.D make it possible for the druid religion to survive and thrive in Ireland and other parts of Europe. Is it possible?
With that late POD, it's pretty much impossible.
Ignoring the OP, I think you'd basically need to have a POD before Christianity got a hold on Britain. In fact, what would really need to happen is for Roman culture and religion to never become dominant.
Here's my idea: Boudicca's revolt succeeds. Maybe the Romans troops sent to Wales end up with their version of the Teutoburg Forest, so the Briton advantage in numbers becomes overwhelming. Boudicca conquers every Roman settlement and is crowned Queen of the Britons. The Romans decide to give up on ever conquering the British Isles. They do trade with the Britons, and maybe even set up trading posts, but never again do they invade. As such, individual ideas and technologies do make the crossing, but the native culture is thoroughly British.
Here is where I think the best chance for the Druidic faith to endure lies. Boudicca herself would probably resist importing anything Roman, but her successors might think otherwise. Let's say that by 150, writing has spread to Britain. At this point, they might start writing down their legends and myths. And there would be an opportunity for a clever king, probably facing tension among his chiefs, to use religion to reassert central control. He codifies the Druidic religion, establishing a formalized hierarchy. A key element is that he deifies Boudicca, giving his dynasty divine power.
Now we have much of Britain under a single king who rules by divine right. And it's not even 200 CE. Based on this, there's a good chance for the Druidic religion to endure. A key element is a cultural divide between Britain and the rest of Europe.