I will agree with you that Druidism today that arose from the "Celtic Renaissance" of the 18th-Century differs greatly from what the ancient Celts practiced. I am under the impression that it was more of a way of life for the entire society. The druids were the pathway to the gods and the gods were the ones who determined their fate. If the gods called for a sacrifice for an excellent harvest then the druids would relate that back to the community and a sacrifice would be made.

I feel that the rituals of the ancient Celts were simply superstitious practices to ensure good luck. If we look at the rituals in the Irish Catholic church and compare them with rituals of a French Catholic church, while there would be many similarities, there would also be very many differences as well. They are both a product of their past and of the people who have populated their past.

The same could be said about the regional sects of druidism in the Celtic world. A tribe living near the ocean would worship a seperate group of divinities than a tribe living more inland. There would also be the differences in the nature of the deities also. Would one tribe worship gods and goddesses that another tribe would see as being evil deities and vice-versa? For instance the deity Cerrunnos was worshipped widely across the mainland, but either non-existent or as an evil deity in insular Celts.

The Neo-druids are definately different from the ancient druids due to the fact that the religion of the ancient Celts was deeply engrained in their minds that there was no other way where the neo-druids have that choice. Perhaps the methodology is the same, perhaps it isn't. Who is to say what the druids really believed?

I feel the closest representation of ancient druidism would be found in the early Irish Catholic church and how women were treated at that time. I am thinking of St. Brigid and how it was said that she opened 49 churches across Ireland. Of course, the nature of the Catholic church has changed drastically since its beginnings, just as I feel druidism would have changed had it survived as well.