266 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



be more likely that the bottom of the ancieut plan where the door is shownl 

 would represent the north end of the hall, which, owing to the fall of the 

 ground, is much lower than the smith end. Moreover, all or most of the 

 old roads appear to enter Teiuair from the north end. so that it is more 

 probable that the doorway of the hall would he {/laced in the north, so as to 

 be convenient t" visitors. Otherwise when entering the hall they would have 

 had to intrude unduly on the royal dwellings. 



This being assumed, it follows that the king held the fourth pew from the 

 south end, on the western side. We must make the further assumption, 

 which is quite reasonable, that tin- pews were of approximately the same size. 

 Tin- kini:'- pew must, i In-: between three-twelfths and four-twelfths 



of the whole length of the hall from the southern end. It was with no small 

 ion that 1 found, on determining the place by measurement, that the 

 thus indi sated si tly on the edge of a sudden tall in the ground, 



which makes the whole of the upper part "i the hall l<> the end of the first 

 four pews on each aidi A natural dais. From this part of the structure 



the king would l>e abli tmand the whole hall in a way impossible at any 



other .-pot. The photograph -■ 1. Bhows the ridge. A person 



sitting in the spot where the king's seat was 



We can onlj ire how the pewa were divided from one another; I 



Buppoee by dwai :i screens, piol.aU. La Tene ornament, 



and enriched with metal-work. 



osider the di . be super- 



structure. The • nd, which are modelled on the 



better-class timber-built houses of their time, enable ua to form a general 

 the mam Detraction of the latter buildings. We caii picture 



to o 1 i foui :. . oraer-p y the cornei 



• the chui - ibly a king-post tin-- 



each g .i or wall-plate running along 



the tops of the are tram to 



in the pi b ner-brackets such as are found in some 



of tl Qlendaloch aim • ["he principals of the 



end trusses cross at the top, { . to the winged finiala of the churcl 



ami in the Y-angle of t The vertical walls 



between the corner-p if wattles with baked earth. In a 



huil ptional length if !• M ut twice 



the length, and half the width, of St I'atri bedral, the largest church 



/ M'HuuUi-boicc, pp. 26 29, » analogies 



are worked ..ut in d. 



