we find them spoken of as the "Four Pillars of Tara"—and always there appears to have been a great number of Fians at Fionn's dim on the Hill of Allen.
For many, many years, through the reign of Art the Lonely, his son Cormac and grandson Cairbre, the Fianna Eireann continued their glad and powerful career, light-hearted and joyful alike in time of peace or in war. But Fionn was now very old, and trouble began to brood between the southern king and the high king—the weak and easily-led Cairbre. The king of Munster prepared to make war on Cairbre, and the Clan Morna, their old enmity and jealousy against the Clan Basna reawakening, chose this period to desert from the Fianna Eireann, and by one means and another gained the favour of King Cairbre for themselves.
Now the remainder of the Fianna Eireann entered into the service of the Munster king, and with him marched to the plain of Gabhra, which lies near Tara, and opened battle on Cairbre and his army. But the star of power for the Fianna Eireann had set, and though
