246 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



historical. The story, however, testifies clearly to an early tradition ascribing 

 the building of Raith Rig to Cormac. 



We, there fine, here describe a- Tech Connaic the structure hitherto 

 called the Forrad. This groat llat-io]>jied lnmuul, which resembles the huge 

 mound of Cruachu, doubtless served the same purpose— that is to say, it was 

 a foundation on which the king's house was built. 



7. Forrad 



There is nothing of importance to add to Petrie's account of this struc- 

 ture, which lie calls the House of Cormac. It may, however, be worth 

 Doting that the site of ihe house itself is clearly marked in the centre of the 

 enclosure. It is about thirty feet square, which is roughly aboul the size 

 specified for the house of an Ard-rt in Qrith Gablach.' The size of the 

 [part, however, docs not accord with the seven score feet prescribed 

 such Btrucl ires by the same authority. In YD i .".7. Forad na rig, "seat 

 of the kings," is used as a name for the whole of Temair. 



8. Miir Tea 



The third of the wonders of Raith Rig was Mur Tea. We must Bhed off 



our not unnatural prejudices when we approach the question of what and 



where was Mur Tea. I"' Anglo-Israel is built on the 



myth ; and no one w: ["emair.and who has seen the wreckage 



Raith na - .u Buffer that folly gladly, or otherwise. And the pre- 



rivation, Temair - Mur Tea, s is enough to make us believe that 



I birely late etymological inventions. 



But it must not be i literary evidence for the existence 



. which (evidently for the sake of the derivation just quoted) 



our authoriti ! Mur Tea. is just as strong as thai for the other 



building I bant or lost. The site oJ "Tea'.- Wall" is 



ribed in the same d I as are the other sites, and in similar 



1 in ignoring the description in this i 

 while we accept it in the othei 8. 



We turn back il. I! - where we read: Min Tea Uleilh i 



I . . / Mm .:. /// cuocc becc lil eter na dd 



miir i >'■ d atd — literally " The I in the Bide 



• from;- imed Temair, tha Tea Miir; the little 



hill tha' •■!! the two ramparts in thi it is there it is." 



1 It is fa it this ia not much worse than Teadwnir, wliicli is given as the 



derivation of the name in a well-known modern work on Iri^li archaeology. 



