Fostering in Ireland

Many of you have asked me about the fostering system in medieval Ireland, so I’ll give you my notes on what I’ve read.

All children in Ireland were sent off to be fostered. Girls were fostered until the age of thirteen or fourteen, after which time they would marry. Boys were fostered until the age of seventeen, and likewise, they would be married. And incidentally, marriage laws in Ireland were much closer to our modern laws, with couples being able to go their separate ways at will. Women could take back exactly what they brought with them to the marriage, if they divorced. Couples could also handfast for a year and a day, in a temporary marriage that they could dissolve at the end of that time period with no recourse. It was as if the marriage never happened, if the couple chose to part.

Fostering was a way of bringing families together and uniting clans. It created alliances, and parents typically didn’t mind fostering so much, because they would often foster the children of another family in return. Often children were fostered by their maternal uncle or another tribe member. They could also visit their children and see them any time they wanted, as long as they were fostered nearby. It’s said that children were often closer to their foster parents than to their birth parents.

Children were also raised in the manner of their social class, and this was reinforced by the food they ate. A farmer’s son would be raised on plain porridge, while a chieftain’s son would have porridge with milk and butter. A king’s son would have porridge with cream and honey. Each child was sent to his/her fosterage with gifts such as cattle or other belongings that were given to provide for their care. I’ve seen different references on how old the child would be, everything from children being fostered once they were weaned, or at the age of seven. My guess is that it was a parent’s choice. Keep in mind that most people in the medieval era only lived to the age of thirty-five or so, and you can imagine that a teenager was really a mini-adult. That means that a seven-year-old was much more capable back then, than today.

Hopefully this give you an idea of the social structure. Any other questions you’d like me to answer?

A few more Irish things

In 23 days, my book will go on sale at eharlequin.com. It won’t be in stores yet, but I am absolutely stoked that it will be available online. Because, you know, I have zero patience.

Anyway, in honor of the countdown (and the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day), I thought I’d share some more of my Ireland research. I shared my tour, but I left out a lot of fun facts. So, just for anyone who’s interested, I’ll post some pictures and articles about ancient and medieval Ireland.

First of all, it was fascinating to see peat still burned the way it was long ago. I drove past peat bogs where they were cutting the bricks and I saw trucks hauling it everywhere. This is a peat fire at Bunratty castle. The smell of peat is loamy and sharp, but I found it rather pleasant. There was something archaic about it, almost as though you could imagine the inhabitants of the cottages.

I took a lot of architecture pictures of castles while I was there. This is also the outer wall of Bunratty castle. It surprised me to see how tall the wall really was (about 8-12 feet high and at least 12 inches thick). Although Bunratty is a 16th century castle, I could easily imagine wooden walls this high around the ring forts. Castles were rare in Ireland, and most were built in the early 13th century and later. Only a few were begun in the late 12th century. Even then, the early structures were made of wood. When the Normans invaded, several of the noblemen began constructing early stone castles.

Not all of the stone walls used mortar. There were many stackstone structures, using the weight of the stones to support it. The interior of the early castles used a mixture of powdered limestone to “whitewash” the walls. It was amazing to me, seeing whitewashed walls that still retained the limestone coating over eight hundred years later. (Okay, so they were green and moldy, but still!)

Here’s another photo of a stone ringfort wall. This shot was taken on the Aran Islands, and it’s a larger picture of the stone walls. What’s so amazing about a wall? Parts of the structure date from 1100 BC.

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Thirteen years ago, I kissed the Blarney stone for the first time. A little on the superstitious side, I didn’t want to negate the gift of the gab. Does kissing it twice mean you lose the gift? Not something I wanted to risk.

Blarney is a 15th century castle, a complete tourist trap, and it’s not in great repair. The staircases are in better shape, but of course there are no floors on any of the central levels (they were made of wood and rotted long ago). The bedchambers within the side turrets had stone floors, and aside from being a tripping hazard, those rooms were within fairly good shape. My husband leaned back and kissed the Blarney stone; then we both enjoyed the stunning views of the countryside.

Afterwards, we walked through the gardens. My favorite tree was the gnarled walnut. To me, it conjures up fairytales. Another favorite place for me was Blarney Manor. It was a Victorian mansion right in the middle of the lands, complete with horses. I swear, I can just picture this as a haunted house, can’t you?

But what made me roll my eyes was the desperate attempts to make tourist attractions out of random objects. A set of stairs to a lower garden became “Wishing Steps.” And my favorite? A large boulder that fell upon some smaller stones was called a Dolmen. Sorry, but a Dolmen has a very particular shape, almost like a pagan altar (see here). It does not look like a landslide. My husband and I joked around whenever we saw rocks after that. “Look, honey! It’s a Dolmen!” :woot:Now this is a real Dolmen.

Within walking distance of Blarney Castle is Blarney Woolen Mills, aka the Walmart of Irish sweaters. I had a marvelous time spending far too much money. And of course, when we arrived at our bed and breakfast, we discovered a coupon for 10% off. Doesn’t that just figure?

The Rock of Cashel

Our next stop after leaving Kilkenny was a visit to the Rock of Cashel. It’s the site where kings were crowned, notably the legendary High King Brian Boru. A 12th-13th century church was built on the remains of the former ring fort, complete with secret passageways for the abbot to spy on his priests or even escape in times of attack. One section of the tower was struck by a storm and blew over.

Here’s a view of the secret passageway. Inside the walls was the narrow area where the abbot could move around the church. While we were at Cashel, we saw many gravestones. I’m still bothered by the graves of infants and children. Another interesting item at the site was a cross of St. Patrick. It contained a hollowed-out section in the base to hide religious treasures, if needed. Also, the legend goes that if you hug the statue, you’ll never get a toothache. I can hear the ADA groaning now.

I was most interested in the frescoes and hidden paintings at Cashel. A few years ago, they were renovating a wall and came across a painting hidden beneath the whitewash. It makes you wonder who covered it up and why. There’s a story here . . . They also found more hidden paintings in a smaller chapel. Did they cover them up to protect them? Was it meant to hide certain images? Or maybe there’s a hidden religious treasure on the grounds, and the frescoes are the treasure map, and all we have to do is follow the clues! Sorry. Writer’s imagination got carried away there. But it is fun to imagine. I love stories like this.

By the way, I’m still trying to get the smilies fixed. If you have a preference for a particular one you’d like me to bring back, just let me know!

The Round Tower

You may remember from an earlier post how miffed I was at not being able to visit Devenish Island’s round tower. I have a pretty key scene in Her Irish Warrior where the characters take refuge in a round tower for the night. While I watched videos and read about round towers, there’s something about going inside one that really makes a difference.

Imagine how pleased I was to hear that Kilkenny had its very own 9th century round tower, right beside St. Canice’s Cathedral. When I learned that it was only open until 5:00 p.m., I asked my fearless archaeologist guide to drop me off back in Kilkenny. He did, and I made it with about half an hour to spare. Just me and my round tower. And there was great happiness throughout the land.

The iron ladder leads up around 12 feet high to the entrance. People in need of sanctuary could use either a wooden ladder or a rope ladder to ascend. Originally, round towers were used for many purposes. Monks kept the entrance high off the ground for protection from both humans trying to steal religious treasures and to avoid moisture damage. Another purpose of the round tower was much simpler. It was a show of strength and power. Anyone can see a round tower for miles around. To think that this round tower was over eleven hundred years old is just staggering. A third reason for the round tower was to sound the canonical hours. Bells might have been hung from the top to alert the common folk.

Inside the round tower were multiple levels. I think I counted around 8 floors total. The interior is narrow in diameter, about 10 feet wide with thick stone walls. Although wooden stair-ladders were presnt here, I’ve heard that rope ladders were also common to reach the 6 to 8 floors typical of a round tower. There are also almost no windows on the lower floors. Near the top, I counted 6 windows. The wind was really powerful up near the top, and the temperature was much cooler. This round tower was missing the top (I’ll show you a completed round tower at the Rock of Cashel in my next blog post) and so the locals made it into an observatory of sorts. You could see the entire city of Kilkenny from the very top.

That night, we tried to find a pub with traditional Irish music. One thing we learned was that most Irish music doesn’t start until 10:30 p.m. Due to the higher latitude of Ireland, it’s actually light outside until almost 10:00 p.m. It’s nice during the summer, being able to enjoy so much sunlight. After a full day of touring, we were usually dead on our feet, but this time we thought we’d try to stay up. (You know you’re getting old when 10:30 is considered way past your bedtime. It’s a hazard of parenting toddlers. You take sleep whenever you can get it!)

But this time, only one pub was playing music and the singer was pitch-challenged. Oh well. I finally made it inside my round tower, and that’s what counts, right?

By the way, there’s still time to enter my Halloween Contest on the For Readers page. Good luck!

Kilkenny Castle and becoming Indiana Jones

Kilkenny is a medieval city, the first capital of Ireland. It still holds that quaintness, the medieval flavor of narrow stone streets, a castle, and a cathedral and round tower. We toured Kilkenny Castle first, which was a great place with fun antiques and even secret servant entrances. It was first built in the 12th century and the Butler family lived there until the 1960’s when they sold it to the state for 50 pounds. Over and over the castle was added onto, refurbished, and expanded. It’s truly gorgeous with a rose garden and park.

After that, I had an appointment to meet with an Irish archaelogist., Patrick O’Neary. I owe him a great deal of thanks for helping me to learn about the differences between a medieval ring fort and a Norman ringworks. What better way than to plan Indiana Jones for the afternoon? So, I abandoned my husband and father-in-law, and went off on an adventure. We drove out into the countryside with his fearless daughter and braved the dangers of blackberry bushes, wire fences, steep ditches, electric cattle fences, and killer Basset Hounds.

The first thing I learned was that ring works were 1000-year-old fortresses built by the Normans. All ring works were built near a church and a water source. The Norman leaders typically supported the local clergy and vice-versa. To identify an old fortress site, we were looking for an unnatural hillside with a ditch. A ring work could be small or large, and usually the houses or structures would be made of wood. The first ring works site we visited was near an industrial park and it was a bit odd to see a parking lot beside an ancient church like this one.

Ring forts, or raths, in contrast were made by the Irish and did not necessarily have a church nearby. The ring fort we visisted had a huge ditch (around 9-12 feet deep) and the distance from one side of the ditch to the other was about 15 feet, maybe more. We were hunted down by a farmer’s killer Basset Hound (who wanted to lick us to death), while we climbed to the top of the ring fort. Trees were everywhere, except in the clearing where the homes would have been. Blackberry bushes covered that area instead. If you could imagine a 2-3 meter high wooden palisade fence encircling it, you can understand that this was a very strong, highly defendable site. Unless a great deal of planning took place, this size of ring fort would have been safe from invaders. At a distance, this looks mostly like a grove of trees, but when you come closer, the ditch and high hill are evident. Most of my characters in my books dwell within ring forts, of different sizes.

I’ll admit, it was fun playing archaeologist for the afternoon. I’ve always wanted to go on a real dig, to search for artifacts and wonder about where they came from. If you could go on a dig, which time period would you want to investigate?

Finishing the night off at a pub

After the archaelogical museum closed at 5:00 p.m., we had plans to meet a friend of mine, Daisy Cummings (who writes for Presents as Abby Green). A native Dubliner, she lives in a unique part of the city called the Liberties. When we drove past that area, it reminded me of an open marketplace. It was like Sam’s Club (a discount warehouse) outside. People are allowed to sell whatever they like there, and it had a young, hip feel to it.

Daisy booked a reservation for us at Gallagher’s Boxty for dinner. It’s a good thing she did! You’ll never find a table in Dublin if you just show up. You’ll be waiting hours. That surprised me, because in the U.S., you’d never book a reservation at a casual restaurant. But here, it was a necessity.

I decided to try a boxty for my meal. It’s a pancake made from potatoes, and it’s as thin as a crepe. Rolled up inside the pancake was the most amazing chicken and sauce I’ve ever had. Heaven on a plate, I tell you. Toward the end of our meal, the hostess reminded us that we needed to hurry up and finish because the table was booked for another party. This was polar opposite to most meals we had in Ireland. If you’re finished with your meal and want to pay, you have to practically hunt your waiter down and trip him in order to get the bill. Usually once you’re there, the table is yours for the night. In fact, when we had dinner in Clifden a week earlier, I learned that they actually turn people away at the door, saying the restaurant is full. There’s no waiting period, because they assume that once people are there for the meal, they’ll be there for the remainder of the time. Interesting.

After we were kicked out our meal was over, we said our goodbyes and took a taxi back to the DART station. I really did like Dublin. It’s a city with energy, lots to do, and very friendly people. I can’t wait to return!

What’s your favorite city to visit?

The Dublin Archaelogical Museum

If I could go back to Dublin and spend one entire day in a place, it would be at the Dublin Archaelogical Museum. This was a prime research spot for my books because I could go and see the swords used in the 12th century. I could see the cups and bowls they used, inspect the jewelry worn by the women, and see the mummified remains of a Viking. It was truly amazing.

In the book I just finished, Her Irish Lover, my hero’s hands were crushed by the enemy and the heroine helps him heal until he can wield a sword again. One critical bit of information I needed to know was how large the swords were and whether they were one-handed swords or two-handed swords, like a Scottish claymore. I think it’s pretty evident from the examples here, that most were one-handed swords. The hilts were inlaid with ivory and wood. They were designed for cutting with the edge, not stabbing with the point.

Shields were also used in battle, and here shown below, on the right side of the photograph, is an example of the type of metalworking you might see upon a wooden shield.

Another item I found interesting was the drinking vessels. Here, on the left are glazed wine jugs.

In this photograph(to the right side next to the metal bowls are wooden drinking vessels, made from alder and yew woods. These were designed for groups, and would be passed around the table to the guests. In the same photograph on the top left, you’ll see glass beakers. Yes, glass. Pretty amazing, I think.

The last photograph I want to share today is of the lamps used inside the homes. These small lamps were made of stone filled with oil and had wicks. They could be burned at night to illuminate the huts. The metal “lamps” were used to hold more expensive candles. They carved the lamps in different shapes such as a lion or a woman. In the same photograph at the bottom are examples of iron knives. They were frequently used at meals, spoons being used less often. Forks did not come into being until the end of the medieval period.

If you could see any artifact from the medieval period, which would you enjoy seeing most?

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Last night I e-mailed my new book to my agent. Yay! It’s such a nice feeling. My son wanted to know what I wanted Santa Claus to bring me this year. I told him another book contract would be nice. We shall see.

After we left the Guinness Storehouse, we rode the Hop On, Hop Off tour a little longer until we came to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Interestingly enough, Jonathan Swift worked there (author of Gulliver’s Travels) as the dean. He went to Mass every day and made sure that Mass was celebrated every Sunday. His tomb is there also, along with some gory artifacts (his death mask). On the left here is the ambo where readings are done. I love the woodworking.

Jonathan also worked as the choirmaster. Here’s a quote about one of the choir members, which I found funny: “Mr. Fox— An infamous sot, who is daily losing his voice by intemperance and will become in a year or two more a burden to the church. Very negligent in his attendance, scandalous in his behaviour and conversation—if he will not endeavour to make himself serviceable and as useful as he might have been upon his admittance, he shall meet with the severity he deserves and be expelled.” Here is a full view of the church. It’s really large with some other fascinating artifacts. I saw two stones with symbols proving the existence of Christianity in ancient Ireland during the 7th and 10th centuries. Both had Greek crosses carved into the stone.

There’s another interesting artifact: a wooden door. Apparently there was a feud in 1492 between the Earl of Kildare and the Earl of Ormond. They fought in the cathedral, and one of the Earl of Ormond’s men, nicknamed Black James, was retreating in the chapter house. The Earl of Kildare did something pretty risky to try and end the feud. He cut a hole in the door and put his hand through. Black James opened the door (instead of cutting off the earl’s hand) and they ended the fight inside the cathedral. That’s where the expression “to chance your arm” came from.

Before you can enter St. Patrick’s, you have to pay an admission fee. It struck me as odd, paying admission to enter a church. Though I certainly believe they should take up donations to keep the church restored and in good condition, there’s something about the admission that feels wrong. I’m still glad I visited, because there were some fascinating stories.

Tonight I may take a short break before I dive into my next book proposal and watch the season premiere of Lost. Anyone here watch it? I wonder if Michael and his son really did escape (somehow I doubt it…).

Dublin: Next Stop, Guinness

If I can convince you to do anything at all, it’s this. BUY YOUR TICKETS TO THE GUINNESS STOREHOUSE ONLINE BEFORE YOU GET THERE. I’m telling you, the line had several HUNDRED people there. It would have taken us over two hours to get inside. However, since yours truly actually had the foresight to buy the tickets in advance, we simply bypassed the entire line, went to customer service where we waited 2 minutes, and went inside. Let me tell you, there were some dirty looks thrown our way. And yes, we gloated. I’m not ashamed to admit it.

My husband is the Guinness afficionado. Personally, I think it tastes like you’re drinking watered hay. But to each, his own. They give you a plastic disk with a droplet of Guinness frozen inside, as your ticket. You also get a plastic ring token to exchange for a free drink (either Guinness or soft drink) of your choice.

The Guinness tour is self-guided. The bottom floor begins with a huge flat of barley kernels which have been partially roasted. You can taste the roasted kernels if you wish. Further on is a waterfall, to show the purity of water and a display of hop vines. They look realistic but are made of silk. Like most brews, the kernels are crushed and mixed with water to form a mash. Yeast is added, and the fermentation begins.

You go through multiple levels of the building during tour, including escalators and elevators. It’s more of a museum and not a building where they actually make the Guinness (for health and sanitary reasons). There’s an area where you can taste a small sample of Guinness after you go through each of the levels. I’d recommend it to see if you like Guinness (I didn’t). There’s an area where you can pour your own Guinness. There’s an art to it, apparently, where you pour it halfway and let it settle. Then you pour it the remainder of the way and you’re supposed to wait again for the foam to be just right. You can actually watch the bubbles rising and settling while you wait. At the top floor, there’s a bar where you can see the entire cityview. It’s really pretty. I went ahead and got my free pint of Guinness, which I tasted and then handed the rest to my husband. Poor man, he had to suffer.

The entire tour took about two hours. As we walked out, I’m sure some of the poor folks who had to wait in line were just getting inside. Overall, it’s a fun way to spend the afternoon. Did I mention you should BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE??

So, have you ever tasted Guinness? Did you like it?
Better question–have you tasted Bulmer’s (also known as Magner’s Cider)? Now THAT is a drink that’s tasty.