Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-25

there In 1898. IRISH antiquarians reject
| the Scottish tradition which says that
| the Irish coronation stone, the Stone of
| Fate as 1t is called, was conveyed in
| the fifth century from Tara to Scone.
They will not admit that the stone
| brought from Scone to Westminster,
| and now placed In the coronation chair
| OF the English kings, is the Liza Fail.
! There is a chain of historical evidence
to bear out their contention that the
| stone at Tara Is the true Lila Fall. That
| stone is of granular limestone, and
| must have been brought from distant
| place, either Irish or foreign, to Tara,
| for no granular limestone is found in
| the locality.
GREAT BANQUETING HALL.
The greatest of tho many buildings
which the Irish monarchs erected on
Tara Was the Banqueting hall, an i'm
mense building in the shape of a ship.
Its length according to the mea sure
ments of It's foundations made by the
photographers for the ordnance survey
OF ireland, was $50 feet and It's breadth
80 feet. These must have been the d.
menslons of the hall and the chambers
attached to 1t. or the banqueting hall
itself, the Book of Glendalough says:
Three hundred feet is its measure
mentS, six times five cubitS its height,
habitation OF the king king over Erin,
so heroes with swords III each imdah
of these. Grand was the host thus sta
toned, the glitterfng of gold on their
weapons Seven cubits without any
sparingness was the measure of the
fireplace. Seven. also, fair chandeliers
of brass. Twice seven doors of doors
1t WAS the law of that king to drink be-
fore that host should drink. Great
very great that number. Three hundred
drinking in that drinking. Fifty noble
lawSivers, so also truly fine festive
companions with so chief distinguished
heroes. so heroes standing up to attend
on the warliSe king while he was feast
ing. that no mischief should befall him.
Three hundred cupbearers distributed
three times 80 choice gobletS. which
were of pure strong carbuncle (garneD
Of gold or of silver ALL"
At great length. in prose and verse
the chronicle enumerateS and describes
the retinue and the guests of the king,
and the entertainment provided for
them. A thousand chiefs were enter
tained in the banqueting hall. $500
soldiers, the body guards OF the chiefs.
were housed about the hall: Fifty |
above a thousand" was the number |
of the kings household.
ST, PATRICKS VICTORY.
Near the banquetIng hall was the
Rath of Laoghaire, the monarch who |
ruled at Tara when Saint Patrick |,
preached there and gained a great |
victory for Christianity over Druidism, |
on Easter Saturday 4S2 A. D. In the |
time of Laoghaire the whole hill was
covered with habitations. the palaces |
of the king. the chiefs and the Druids |
crowded the hill top and the sides of |
the hill were covered by the dwellings |
OF the artihcers, the traders, the hunts
men. and all the following of the court
Tara continued to be the richest city
and the most important spot In Ire
land until the year 563, when 1t was
abandoned. on the death of Dermld, a
monarch who had incurred the anger
of the church because of his violation
of the right of sanctuary, and in whose
lifetime Tara was cursed by Saint
Ruadh.
TARA'S TREASURES.
From the time OF Dermld until the
present day no attempt has been made |
to mearth the rich treasures which
lie on the hin of Tara How rich these
treasures are can be guessed not only
from the descriptions given in the
ancient records, but by the finds which
have been turned up by chance on the
hill. These include magnificent gold
ornaments. such as the torques found
IN 1910 on q mound near the church,
yard. where they must have lain for
|
Tho excavations of the Celtic Union.
which are to be carried out In q SCI
entl1ic manner, by sectional tunnellnC.
Will interfere In no way with tho |
ancient landmarks on the HILL or the
graves on its top. They Will bring
to light, it is believed many relies of
the earliest ages; spears, swords. |
shields, and domestic vessels such as
the pagans buried with their dead. as
well as arms and ornaments dating
from Christian times 1t is believed |
that much Will be unearthcd which will |
elucidate the early history of Celtic
civilization. much dating from the in
teresting period when paganism gave
place to Christianity. and much H.
Illustrative of the finest period of true
Celtic art
In the work on Tara the aid of
American and European scientists will
be given. The profit Will be Ireland's
first but all tho world will share t.
Il Union Celtique has for patrons the
Cardinal, Archblshops of Armagh and
Malines. The Earl of Dunraven, a great
Protestant noble. is its president, and
a descendant of O'Connell its honorary
secretary.
JOHN do COURCY MAC DONNELL. !