Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-09-16
The Great Feis and Its Object
COrmac Mac Arts Mighty
Banquet Hall.
Quarrel Responsible for Cessa-
ton OF the National AS
semblies.
TRADITION CONCERNING ST. PATRICK

The recent excavations carried on at
Tara, fruitless though they were, for
reasons which shall be touched on later,
have awakened popular interest in the
traditions which attach to that stored
spot. Most of us have no further know
ledge of what Tara was than can be
CLEANED from Moores exquisite lament
over its departed glories. For the benefit
of the readers of the Visitor we have
tried to gather into connected story the
many references concerning the navel
of Ireland, contained in Douglas Hydes
recently published History of Irish Lit
erature.
1t was Cormac Mac Art, the most strik-
ing figure among the pagan kings of Ire
land who built the palaces on Tara Hill.
This hill was. till St. Ruadhan of Lothera
solemnly cursed it, the scene of the great
Feis, or assembly of the men of all Ire
land. Every three years during the
reigns of one hundred and thirty-six
pagan and six Christian kings the chiefs,
princes and bards of Erin met together on
this most august spot in the whole land
to promulgate laws universally binding
upon the country, to test, purge and
sanction the annals of the kingdom in
the presence of all men, so that nothing
untrue might creep in, and finally to
register the same in the great national
record, styled in later days the Saltair of
Tara. The Feis began on the third day
before Samhain - November day - and
ended on the third after it. To accom-
modate the dignitaries who came to the
great assembly Cormac Mac Art reared
his mighty hall. The accounts we have
of this building and of all the other
buildings at Tara were written nine hum
bred years ago when the spot had been
abandoned for four centuries. The great
hall was used at once for house of as
sembly, banqueting room and a sleep
ing place. The descriptions given of it
by the ancient authorities have been veri-
fed in every particular by the officers of
the Ordnance Survey The length of
Cormacs Hall was seven hundred and
sixty feet and its breadth was nearly
ninety There was double row of
benches on each side running the entire
length of the interior, which would give
four rows of men, if we remember that
the guests were all seated ON the same
side of the tables, and which, if we allow
three feet to each sitter, would accommo-
date just thousand men. In the middle
of the hall, running down all the way be-
tween the benches, was a row of fires,
and just above each fire a spit, on which
joints of beef were roasted, was gus
pended from the roof The High King
sat at the southern end of the room.
Each of the assembled worthless was at
tended by his own proper shield-bearer.
Along the side walls there was placed a
beam in which we're fixed numerous hooks
destined to support the shields, so that at
the banquet all the lords and captains
safe. each beneath his own shield.
The banqueting hall and all the other
great buildings at Tara were of wood.
Nor is the absence of stone building in
itself proof of low civilization, since
in country like Ireland, Astounding in
timber, wood could be made to answer
every purpose, as in point of fact it does
at this day over the great part of the
United States and in all northern coun
tries where forests are numerous. Dowr
to the Danish invasion nearly all Irish
buildings were constructed of wood, or o.
wood and clay combined, or of clay ant
unmortared stones, and the stronghold
were of wooden palisades, planted upor
clay earthworks. This is the reason why
so few remains of prehistoric Irish build
ings have survived, but it is no reason TO
: believing that, as in Cormac's banque
hall, rude palatial effects were not reall,
produced. 1t seems to have been con
structed OF the timbers of lofty tree
planted side by side. probably carved il
fantastic designs on the outside, Will,
the inside walls were covered with
plaster spread over a network of slende
rods. The plaster, when even and dry
was painted in bright colors, chiefly red
: yellow and blue. The roof was formed
of smooth joists and cross-beams, and wa
probably matched with rods and rushe
much in the same manner as the cottage
of the presently are today. The floor
were of earth, beaten and hardened anc
: then covered with coat of some kind o
hard and shiny mortar. There were a
/ many as seven raths, or forts, aroun,
the royal hill of Tara. each containin,
: many houses. The rath was in mos
cases protected by wall of stakes PLANTED
: around its summit. The finest house o
: all, painted in the gayest colors ant
, planted in the sunniest spot, was reserves
: for the ladies. 1t is interesting to not
! that the ladies were never admitted t
4 the banquet halls. They had reflector
of their own, in which they were sepa1