The Clann Lochlan
Pledge of Hospitality
Come friend or foe, stranger or kin
The door is open, a seat awaits
The fire's lit, there's warmth within
For no one is the hour too late
Here, with you, we gladly share
A hearty toast, a soothing drink,
Your fill of not fancy but filling fare,
Friends to chat and time to think.
Be king or kinless, knight or knave
Need succor, knowledge, rest or more,
From here you'll not be turned away.
All is yours within these doors
As long as there has been history, societies have placed a premium upon the exercise of hospitality. This is especially evident in the Irish traditions. As an Irish household, Clann Lochlan is proud to uphold the tradition of offering hospitality to any and all who come to our door. In this age where people live behind locked doors and mistrust even their neighbors, it is more important than ever for us to remember this. So where you might find a closed door in most places, both within the SCA and without, when you come to us, the door is open and the hearth inviting.
Some examples of the Irish attitude toward hospitality:
(At the beginning of The Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh, a traveling poet, Cairbre, visits the court of Bress, king of the gods, and is denied due hospitality. The next morning Cairbre rises and topples Bress from his throne with this poem. The tale is thus not only the primary myth of the duty of hospitality, but the basic myth of the power of poets.)
Without food quick on a platter
without fresh milk for a calf to grow on
without lodging for a man when night prevails
without sweetness for men of art - such is (the like) of Bress
No longer is prosperity Bress's.
Copyright © 1993 John Kellnhauser
A marginal note from the 13th Century Leabhar Breac (Speckled Book),
translated by Kuno Meyer
Oh King of stars!
Whether my house be dark or bright
Never shall it be closed against anyone,
Lest Christ close His house to me.
1000 Years of Irish Poetry, Kathleen Hoagland, ed.,
Welcome Rain Publishers, New York, 1947
bravenet.com