Macaustkr — Temair Breg : Remains and Traditions of Tara. 245 



to suppose that the structure which most nearly occupies the middle of the 

 great enclosure is the Forrad, and that the earthworks to the side of it 

 represent the later Tech Cormaic. This is what Petrie has done. 



But when we examine the remains more critically we see that the judg- 

 ment must be reversed. The central building is the later of the two. Each 

 structure is surrounded by a group of circular ramparts. The ramparts of 

 the side structure are complete. Those of the central structure are inter- 

 rupted, butting against the ramparts of the side structure. (See the plan of 

 Temair, Plate VII.) This evidently shows that the side structure existed 

 first, and that the central structure was a later addition. The identifications 

 made by Petrie must, therefore, be interchanged : his Tech Cormaic becomes 

 the Forrad. and his Forrad becomes Tech Cormaic. This brings the remains 

 into accordance with the Dind-shenchas. As Mr. Westropp, with whom I 

 discussed this question on the spot, pointed out to me, the building here 

 identified with the Forrad, though not occupying the centre of Raith Eig, 

 is situated on the summit of the ridge, while the added building, here called 

 Tech Cormaic, is on the western slope. This is an additional argument in 

 favour of the identification. Further, it is more than probable that the great 

 ring of Raith Eig is really due to Cormae, built when he added his house to 

 the original structure. His gigantic Tech Midchuarta shows him to have 

 been a man with a bent for grandiose architectural conceptions; and he may 

 well have conceived the idea of the enormous fence drawn about his house. 

 The unprecedented magnificence of Comae's additions to the buildings of 

 Temair are extolled in the tract Coimpert Cormaic.^ If we assign the ram- 

 part of Raith Eig to him, the central position of his House becomes at mice 

 intelligible.' 



Some time after the above paragraph had been written, I chanced to 

 light upon a passage in Esnada Taigi Bucket which I had quite forgotten, 3 

 and which definitely ascribes the building of the great Raith to Cormae. 

 We are there told that when he was laying it out he encroached upon the 

 property of one Odran, and a curious story is related of Odran's very natural 

 protests, and the way in which he was compensated. I suspect that Odran 

 is borrowed, name and all, from Oman the Jebusite, 4 who had a somewhat 

 analogous encounter with king David, and in any case, he can hardly be 



1 Sttva Gadelica, i. 255; ii, 2S9. 



- It will be observed that the ring is laid out, not in the usual circular form, luir as an 

 oval. The intention of this appears to be to include the two burial-mounds, Duma na 

 nGiall, and, especially, Mux Tea, within the compass of the Raith. 



:i The passage will be found in the prose tcxr. /.' < , xw. 26, and in the verse, 



Zeitsch. celt. Phil., viii, 264. 



4 I Chronicles xxi. 



