needed when the Connacht queen and king and army
invaded Ulster to capture the famed Black-Brown Bull
(Donn Cuailgne). All grown males are subject to a
mysterious and periodically recurring affl iction because
of a curse by the pregnant Macha, whom Conchobar
had forced to race against the king’s horses. Macha,
about to give birth, appealed to the crowd to no avail,
so she cursed them as she ran, then victoriously deliv-
ered twins at the fi nish line. At this point, she pro-
claimed that all Ulstermen would endure the same
painful labor debility in times of greatest challenge. Cú
Chulainn is immune because he is too young or too
much of an outsider or latecomer to be overcome. The
deeper meaning of the story, fi rst written down in the
mid-12th century, is much disputed.
Evil, trouble, and internecine strife caused by a
woman, Deirdriu, lies at the heart of Longas Macc n-
Uisnig (Exile of the Sons of Uisliu, ca. eighth–ninth
centuries), another poetic explanatory narrative lead-
ing up to Táin Bó Cúailgne. This compelling and very
modern love story combines coercion, obsession, defi -
ance, revenge, betrayal, murder, and suicide. Deirdriu
begins as a concubine for King Conchobar and ends
her own life after a year-long fasting vigil while mourn-
ing the demise of her lover, Noísiu. When Deirdriu
falls ominously in love with the boy, he and his broth-
ers are forced to fl ee Ulster with her to escape the wrath
of Conchobar. The king treacherously arranges their
return, has the exiled band slain, and takes Deirdriu
back for himself. In retaliation, the three protectors of
the company—Fergus, Dubthach, and Cormac (Con-
chobar’s son), along with 3,000 others—abandon
Ulster and join forces with rivals in Connacht, King
Ailill and his notorious spouse, Medb. This explains
their presence in the opposite camp during the action
of Táin Bó Cúailgne.
Heroic boasting, chariot fi ghting, and cattle raiding
form the backdrop to Ireland’s great medieval master-
piece of fantastic storytelling, the Táin Bó Cúailgne
(Cattle Raid of Cooley), which dates from the seventh
to ninth century. While societal traits present include
the practice of fosterage and, as noted in the Deirdriu
story, the taking of sureties or warrantors, logical plot
unity and continuity is missing. Given an unusual epic
style that ranges from brisk to fl orid, some critics
would say that the Táin’s obscureties and imperfections
merely call attention to other fl aws, such as incidents
of violent mutilation and direct references to bodily
matters.
Yet the attractive adventure grips the reader, as it
must have enchanted medieval listeners. Once the
mustered Connacht armies arrive in Ulster to steal the
bull, it falls to the youthful but fi erce Cú Chulainn to
hold them back single-handedly. The hero is even
forced to meet kin in combat—both his foster father
and his beloved foster brother, Fer Diad. Though he
ultimately fails in his attempt to forestall the aims of
Ailill, Medb, and their cohorts, Cú Chulainn’s illustri-
ous and relentless performance, patience, and persis-
tence irresistibly overshadow the poem’s anticlimax.
The legendary rivalry of the White Bull of Medb and
the Black-Brown Bull of Cooley results in their cosmic
battle—and a victory for the Bull of Cooley.
See also BEHEADING GAME, OGHAM.
FURTHER READING
Bitel, Lisa M. Land of Women: Tales of Sex and Gender from
Early Ireland. Ithaca, N.Y., and London: Cornell Univer-
sity Press, 1996.
Caerwyn-Williams, J. E., and Patrick K. Ford. The Irish Lit-
erary Tradition. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1992.
Dillon, Myles, and Nora K. Chadwick. The Celtic Realms.
London: Weidenfeld/Nicolson, 1967. Reprint, London:
Phoenix Press, 2000.
McCone, Kim. Pagan Past and Christian Present in Early Irish
Literature. Maynooth, Ireland: An Sagart, 1991.
The Táin. Translated by Thomas Kinsella. Oxford and New
York: Oxford University Press, 1969.
Raymond J. CormierEARLY IRISH VERSE In Early Irish society,
the fi li (poet) was often the best-educated and infl uen-
tial member of the tribe. Filis served as minstrels and
entertainers but were also apprenticed and trained in
verse forms and oral history. In this respect, fi lis were
also closely connected with the religious and legal
aspects of society. Their use of praise and SATIRE helped
determine the ruler’s status. Other duties included sto-
ryteller, counselor, eulogizer, and seer. In these
respects, fi lis were much like SCOPs, skalds (ancient
Scandinavian poets), and bards.EARLY IRISH VERSE 155