Johnny now stood up in his place; heads turned toward him. “Welcome, all.” My cousin did not raise his voice, but the crowd hushed; some men have a natural authority, and Johnny had more than most. “A particular greeting to our contingent from Connacht; you’ve made a long journey to be here. That bout was just a taste of what’s to come. Today we have on show some of our skills, some of our weapons, some of the men who’ll be working with you during your stay. Your chieftain has explained to me what he needs you to learn, and from tomorrow you’ll be divided into groups and allocated one of our men as tutor. You’re here because you’re the best of the best. Our job is to make you even better. Work hard, observe our rules, and you’ll return to Connacht sharpened to precision.

“The rules are simple on Inis Eala. Your tutors will explain them again later, but here’s the gist of it. If you break the codes of behavior we observe here, you’ll not only be sent home straightaway, but so will the rest of your group. We don’t ask any more of you than we ask of our own men and women. The first rule is respect. That goes for all of us, all the time: put it into practice in word and deed, every moment of every day. The second rule is that nobody leaves the island without my permission. Our boats go across to the mainland every few days, and there may be reason for one or two of you to go with them on occasion. Don’t even think of expeditions of your own.

“The third rule is honesty. If you make an error, face up to it, come out with it. The last rule is this: we don’t let the sun set on our anger. Likely there’ll be disputes as we go along. We’re none of us beyond annoyance, jealousy, the feelings that arise when we’re working hard and getting tired and bruised, and something happens to cause offense. Settle your grievances quickly, and if you can’t, bring them to me after supper on the same day and I’ll help you sort things out. If you feel a need to use your fists to resolve a problem, do it properly, out in the open with a third man as arbiter, and once the bout’s done, let that be an end of it.” Johnny looked around as if to include each of the Connacht men in his speech. “You’ll have questions. We’ll make time for them when today’s bouts are over. We’re going to show you some new swords fashioned by our expert smith here. Stand up, Sam, so everyone can see you.”

Sam rose to his full, imposing height, his buttercup hair bright in the sunlight. He gave a genial grin.