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Sinsearacht - Ancestry

On the afternoon of the dinner, Cathleen had made sure the tables were laid and the food was ready. Normally the food was prepared in the kitchen, but for such a large dinner it was cooked in the courtyard. Banks of peat were stacked and the butts of ale and leather wine jugs stood ready in the buttery. A great fire was lit in the centre of the hall and the smoke escaped through a louvre in the roof far above. The horns of giant Irish deer and the red and silver standards of the clan MacNamara were fixed on the stone walls. Fine needlework tapestries from Flanders hung over the places where in times of old, when alliances were doubtful, visiting warriors were obliged to hang their swords during banquets. The long oak tables shone with pewter plate and horn drinking vessels. Bogwood torches threw flickering light on the colourful scene. It was a picture to gladden the heart, but the thought came to her that all things were transient. For how long could she sustain her world? This melancholy mood passed when she heard the clatter of a horse's hooves on cobbles. She looked out and saw Connor ride into the courtyard and she ran out to meet him.
     'Cathleen!' he shouted, 'God be with you on your birthday!'

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