When people talk of the long, venerable tradition of Irish hospitality, the image that pops into my head is that of Gaelic noblewoman Margaret O’Carroll, dressed in gold, welcoming thousands of guests to a feast so lavish it would be remembered for centuries.
The annals tell us that she stood on the battlements of the great church at Killeigh, Co Offaly, on March 26, 1433 — we have the precise date — as her husband circled on horseback below, directing the crush of guests to the tables laid with food and drink.
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