Classes of Bo-Aires

Above: Cattle, The Fear Fotla is very rich and has a lot of cattle

• The aire coisring was the more influential of these. Know also as the aire fine, he was the spokesman of the tribe, aa explained to the king everything that concerned his people! Among his offices was the making of agreements betweeJ contending parties, and acting as surety when necessary! He got pledges from the king, the senate and the tribe to  loyal to each other and faithfully discharge their various obligations.    From   this   he   derived   the   further   title   of nascaire.

• The Fear Fotla was a wealthy bo-aire who, as a rule, pos-essed more cattle than his land could maintain. He generally let this surplus stock to people of subordinate rank, such as hostages, and got provisions in return. As chief of the bo-aires, one of his concerns was to divide his surplus stock evenly among those who sought it. An index to his wealth is found in the fact that he had more means than the brughaidh leathach.

• The Brughaidh Leathach required to have two hundred head of each kind of beast. He was a great entertainer, whose house was well equipped, and furnished with a hundred beds always ready for visitors. His doors were ever open, except the door exposed to the wind. Roads led to his house from all directions, and lights burned in the lawn through the night for the guidance of travellers. In the brughaidh’s house, bishops on visitation, kings, professors, nobles and others got free maintenance when travelling. Here, too, the people’s leaders were elected. The brughaidh was, himself, a magistrate, and his court a venerable institution. Beoir, the first brughaidh, is referred to as having come with Partolan. They were numerous in the time of Ollamh Fodla, and at one time, according to Keating, reached a total of more than four hundred : ninety in Connacht, ninety in Ulster, ninety-three in Leinster, and one hundred and thirty in Minister, all with open houses.

• The Brughaidh Ceadach was neither as wealthy nor as influential as the brughaidh leathach. A hundred head of each kind of beast sufficed for him. Yet was he hospitable m the extreme. Buicead Bocheadach furnishes an example. He kept a coire or boiler always on the fire in anticipation of visitors. Under him were seven aires, each with seven score cows and corresponding horses and other means. The nobles of Leinster and their retinues came to his brugh. Some took away a herd of his cows ; some, specimens of his stock ; some, scores of his horses, until in the end they left him destitute save for seven cows and a bull. Then, with his wife and their foster-daughter Eithne, he went in the night to a grove near Kells in Meath, where, at the time, Cormac mac Airt was wont to stay.

• Buicead erected a tent ; and Eithne waited on her foster-parents until observed one day by Cormac. The king was so struck with Eithne’s charms that he married her, and in return gave to Buicead and his wife the district of Odhrain fully stocked during their lives.

• The Bruighfhear is described in great detail in the Cnth Gabhla. He has the land of three times seven cumhals; is the bo-aire for giving judgment; a bo-aire who instructs the people by the correct arrangement of his household furniture: a boiler with spits and skewers ; a keeve to distribute broth; a serving pot with minor vessels, irons, kneading troughs, wooden mugs and ladles; a washing trough, bathing basin, tubs; candelabra, a candle on a candelabrum without fail; an ever living fire ; knives for reaping rushes ; a rope ; an adze, hatchet, auger, saw, a spear to kill cattle ; a bill-hook ; a shears to clip trees ; a grindstone ; implements for every quarter’s work; a perfect plough and all appertaining to it.