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Authors: Cora Harrison
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as she saw Mara. ‘I must get back up there. I . . .’ She left her sentence unfinished, but Mara understood her concern. The future of her son was at stake. Garrett had failed to turn up to Poulnabrone and now what was to happen to young Peadar. Something I must consider, thought Mara as she cordially invited Rhona to take her pick from the stable and called Cumhal to attend to the pair from Scotland. No word of sorrow was expressed by Rhona and Mara liked her all the more for that and busied herself with practical offers of help when Rhona would have decided what she wanted to do. The woman seemed dazed by the sudden change in her son’s fortune and almost incapable of thinking until she returned to Carron and saw the position for herself. Mara waved a goodbye and then returned to her schoolhouse and her studious scholars.
The half hour had just finished when there was a commotion from outside. Several horses were rode straight onto the cobbled yard outside the schoolhouse, voices were raised. Turlough called to Brigid – something about being as hungry as a lion – his cousin, Teige O’Brien shouted out a joke to Cumhal, Mara’s stablemen exchanged words with men-at-arms – and then the door burst open and in came Turlough.
‘Mara,’ he shouted. ‘You’ll never guess what has happened. Garrett MacNamara is dead.’
‘We’re before you with that news,’ said Mara. ‘Ardal O’Lochlainn dropped in on his way home – he was the one who found the body. It sounds as if it were a terrible accident, but I’ll go up there tomorrow when you are off to Thomond.’ She smiled at her scholars. ‘You have worked well and silently,’ she said always happy to praise when they deserved it. ‘Now why don’t you have a short break?’
When they had gone out, Fachtnan following them, she said to Turlough. ‘Let’s put it from our minds now and enjoy the rest of the day. Come into the house; you can have a rest. I don’t suppose that you had much sleep last night. Brigid will bring the food across when the school is finished. Will you stay, Teige? We can give you a bed if you wish,’ she ended, rather insincerely. She and Turlough had little time together and she did not want that time to be occupied by raucous jokes and reminiscences of the cattle raid. Since her visitors had all left, Mara and Turlough, once school was over, could visit their little son and then have a peaceful meal together. The duck and the special sauces had not been served last night, so no doubt Brigid had reserved them in the underground storeroom until Turlough should be there to appreciate them.
‘No, I’m off home,’ said Teige. ‘They didn’t steal any of my cows – they came across from the west. O’Donnell had the nerve to drop off men secretly at the same time as he dropped off Garrett’s visitors. The plan was to pick up the cows in Galway Bay where he had more ships lying in wait, ready to bring all our good fat cattle back to his own sour land. Well, we foiled them – and they’ve had a few sore heads to take back to Donegal.’
Four
Críth Gablach
(Ranks in Society)
The riches of a man and his status in the kingdom depend on his cattle. For that reason it is illegal:
To drive another’s cattle in a way that causes them injury, even if they are on your land.
To drive another’s cattle into the sea or into a marsh.
To drive another’s cattle into a place frequented by wolves.
To drive another’s cattle into a disease-ridden cow house, unless they came originally from that place.
To drive another’s cattle in a way that would startle them with angry fierceness that would cause bones to be broken.
Anyone who drives another’s cattle without permission must also be liable for any damage that they cause, even after he has left them.
A n awkward fact is like a thorn embedded in your finger, thought Mara. Unless you dig it out, it goes on making its presence felt. Garrett’s broken body had been washed and
The half hour had just finished when there was a commotion from outside. Several horses were rode straight onto the cobbled yard outside the schoolhouse, voices were raised. Turlough called to Brigid – something about being as hungry as a lion – his cousin, Teige O’Brien shouted out a joke to Cumhal, Mara’s stablemen exchanged words with men-at-arms – and then the door burst open and in came Turlough.
‘Mara,’ he shouted. ‘You’ll never guess what has happened. Garrett MacNamara is dead.’
‘We’re before you with that news,’ said Mara. ‘Ardal O’Lochlainn dropped in on his way home – he was the one who found the body. It sounds as if it were a terrible accident, but I’ll go up there tomorrow when you are off to Thomond.’ She smiled at her scholars. ‘You have worked well and silently,’ she said always happy to praise when they deserved it. ‘Now why don’t you have a short break?’
When they had gone out, Fachtnan following them, she said to Turlough. ‘Let’s put it from our minds now and enjoy the rest of the day. Come into the house; you can have a rest. I don’t suppose that you had much sleep last night. Brigid will bring the food across when the school is finished. Will you stay, Teige? We can give you a bed if you wish,’ she ended, rather insincerely. She and Turlough had little time together and she did not want that time to be occupied by raucous jokes and reminiscences of the cattle raid. Since her visitors had all left, Mara and Turlough, once school was over, could visit their little son and then have a peaceful meal together. The duck and the special sauces had not been served last night, so no doubt Brigid had reserved them in the underground storeroom until Turlough should be there to appreciate them.
‘No, I’m off home,’ said Teige. ‘They didn’t steal any of my cows – they came across from the west. O’Donnell had the nerve to drop off men secretly at the same time as he dropped off Garrett’s visitors. The plan was to pick up the cows in Galway Bay where he had more ships lying in wait, ready to bring all our good fat cattle back to his own sour land. Well, we foiled them – and they’ve had a few sore heads to take back to Donegal.’
Four
Críth Gablach
(Ranks in Society)
The riches of a man and his status in the kingdom depend on his cattle. For that reason it is illegal:
To drive another’s cattle in a way that causes them injury, even if they are on your land.
To drive another’s cattle into the sea or into a marsh.
To drive another’s cattle into a place frequented by wolves.
To drive another’s cattle into a disease-ridden cow house, unless they came originally from that place.
To drive another’s cattle in a way that would startle them with angry fierceness that would cause bones to be broken.
Anyone who drives another’s cattle without permission must also be liable for any damage that they cause, even after he has left them.
A n awkward fact is like a thorn embedded in your finger, thought Mara. Unless you dig it out, it goes on making its presence felt. Garrett’s broken body had been washed and
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