The Houses of King
A kingly house had six iomdhaidhe, or couches, on the western side near the door for the janitors in arms, the saer-cheiles or household officers, the hostages, judges, rioghan and ri or king. On the south or left side next the king, six couches for other kings, if present, the rioghdomhna the king’s bodyguard, one of the special hostages, warders, poets, harpers, pipers, horn-players, jugglers: forfeited hostages were at the back, or extreme end. At Fleadh Bhricriu the men were at one side, the women at the other, At Cruachain the queen sat on the king’s left, her daughters next her, and the other women still to the left in order of rank. But women, as a rule, seem ordinarily to have occupied separate houses.
Each king should possess at least three chief residences or duns and each flaith a lios. The dun was surrounded by walls or mounds of earth and a ditch filled with water. The dun of the ri ruireach appears to have been surrounded by a second rampart, called the dreacht giallna or ditch of the hostages. The dun was built at the expense of the territory. Close to the dun the seincleithes, bothachs and other base dependents erected their
wicker houses and formed a village. The ceiles appear to have lived on isolated farms of the better or older land, thus forming a chain of residences.
Retinue : The bo-aire has a retinue of four, and is entitled to entertainment for four. Six the company in the territory of the aire desa and the aire eachta with entertainment for six. The aire ard—six his suite and six foleithe, apparently a special retinue when he held a judicial court. Aire tuise-~ eight his suite, six his foleithe, with maintenance for eight Aire forghaill—nine his company in the territory, seven H foleithe. Tanaise riogh—ten his company in the territory eight his foleithe. Ri beann—twelve his company, nine b15 foleithe. Ri buidhean—four score his company, twelve vfr& his foleithe. Ri bunaidh—thirty his company in seven hundred his foleithe when governing his territory.
Coinmhe or " Coyne and Livery " : The flaith and his retinue had the right to stay in the house of the ceile for a iaV or a month according to the ceile’s standing. But if a flaith did a ceile an injustice, demanded excessive biathadh, for example, the flaith was required to make adequate restitution. Until the flaith had made restitution, the ceile had the option of refusing to give him further biathadh.Coshering or visitation from the Kalends to Shrovetide, remaining but one night at each place—the aire desa and aire eachta ten couples each; the aire ard, twenty couples; and the aire tuise, thirty couples.
Folach may be interpreted as maintenance or " separation allowance." A king-king, a poet-king and a brughaidh are non-folach among the grades of the people. He is entitled to half the folach of every grade for his lawful son, for his wife; to one-fourth for every unlawful. The wives of mercenaries have folach in right of their sons or husbands. Stewards and couriers are sustained with half the folach of their ilaith. Every profession that performs the work of a flaith or of a church is sustained to half folach according to the grade whose work is performed. The folach of every grade in the church is the same as that of its co-grade in the laity-. Every mother goes with her son upon folach, the same as his father.
