84 Irish Archaeology. 



large quadrangular enclosure with towers at the angles ; this 

 enclosure was intended to protect the cattle. The people were 

 extremely hospitable in all grades of society. The chiefs kept 

 an open house, the banqueting place of the clan, or, as the bards 

 delighted to style it, "An open-doored festal gift-bestowing, white 

 wattled lime-washed pile, in which mead and metheglin flowed 

 without stint" In return the kings and chiefs when making 

 a tour through their territory lived on the members of the clan* 

 This was known as coshery, and originated in the righ, or king, 

 collecting his cess or rent. The Norman barons continued this 

 Irish custom, and the coshering visitations made by Ormond> 

 Kildare, and Desmond so late as the middle of the i6th century 

 is described in a state report of the time as follows: — ''These 

 earls, with their wives, children, and servants, do use, after the 

 custom of Irishmen, to resort with a great multitude of people, 

 to monasteries and gentlemen's houses, continuing there two 

 days and nights, living at their pleasure, and their horses and 

 grooms are maintained by the neighbouring farmers ; so as 

 they be found in this manner in other men's houses more than 

 half the year, and spare their own. Gerald, eleventh earl of 

 Kildare, on such occasions travelled with a train of 500 horse- 

 men, who were quartered on the farmers of the district. As an 

 example ot the prices of food, the following is copied from an 

 old tract written in 1589 : — A barrel of wheat, or a barrel of bay 

 salt containing three and a half bushels Winchester measure, is 

 sold in Ireland for four shillings ; malt, peas, or beans, for two 

 and fourpence ; oats for one and eightpence ; a fresh salmon, 

 worth in London ten shillings, for sixpence ; twenty four 

 herrings, or six mackerel, six sea bream, a fat hen, thirty eggs, 

 a fat pig, one pound of butter, or two gallons new milk, for one 

 penny ; a red deer without the skin, for two and sixpence ; a 

 fat cow, thirteen and twopence ; a fat sheep, one and sixpence. 

 There be great store of wild swans, cranes, pheasants, partridges, 

 heathcocks, plovers, green and gray curlews, woodcocks, rails, 

 and quails, and all other fowls more plentiful than in England. 

 You may buy a dozen quails for threepence, a dozen woodcocks 



