70-615: Táin Bó Cúailnge ( Modern Irish pronunciation: [ˈt̪ˠaːnʲ bˠoː ˈkuəlʲɲə] ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley "), commonly known as The Táin or less commonly as The Cattle Raid of Cooley , is an epic from Irish mythology . It is often called "the Irish Iliad ", although like most other early Irish literature , the Táin is written in prosimetrum , i.e. prose with periodic additions of verse composed by
140-544: A Bronze Age gallery grave , both near Ballymascanlan . The peninsula is primarily agricultural territory, but is also home to a number of hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, the first new distillery in Ireland in decades, the Cooley Distillery opened by John Teeling on the site of a former potato alcohol factory, several warehouse and logistics facilities, a garden centre, two cafes and other businesses. There
210-459: A complete text can be reconstructed by combining them. This recension is a compilation of two or more earlier versions, indicated by the number of duplicated episodes and references to "other versions" in the text. Many of the episodes are superb, written in the characteristic terse prose of the best Old Irish literature, but others are cryptic summaries, and the whole is rather disjointed. Parts of this recension can be dated from linguistic evidence to
280-573: A fit of jealous rage Dian Cecht slew his own son. Because of Nuada 's restoration as the leader, Bres complained to his family and his father, Elatha , who sent him to seek assistance from Balor , king of the Fomorians . The Tuatha Dé Danann then fought the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh against the Fomorians . Nuada was killed by the Fomorian king Balor 's poisonous eye, but Balor
350-491: A goddess called Danu , who may be an Indo-European parallel. However, this reconstruction is not universally accepted. It has also been suggested that Danann is a conflation of dán ("skill, craft") and the goddess name Anann . The name is also found as Donann and Domnann , which may point to the origin being proto-Celtic *don , meaning "earth" (compare the Old Irish word for earth, doman ). Tírechán described
420-608: A group of tales known as the Ulster Cycle . It survives in three written versions or " recensions " in manuscripts of the 12th century and later, the first a compilation largely written in Old Irish , the second a more consistent work in Middle Irish , and the third an Early Modern Irish version. The Táin has been influential on Irish literature and culture. It is often considered Ireland's national epic . The Táin
490-475: A more 'folkish' aspect, whereas in O'Grady's version (see Hull 1898 ) the protagonists more resembled chivalrous medieval knights. Several writers bowdlerized the source: for example the naked women sent to attempt to placate Cú Chulainn were omitted by most adapters of the Victorian period, or their nakedness reduced. Others interpreted the tale to their own ends - One of Peadar Ua Laoghaire's adaptations of
560-464: A mother goddess. They came from four cities to the north of Ireland—Falias, Gorias, Murias and Finias—where they taught their skills in the sciences, including architecture, the arts and magic. According to Lebor Gabála Érenn , they came to Ireland "in dark clouds" and "landed on the mountains of [the] Conmaicne Rein in Connachta ", otherwise Sliabh an Iarainn , "and they brought a darkness over
630-470: A mountain of Conmaicne of Connacht. Without distinction to discerning Ireland, Without ships, a ruthless course the truth was not known beneath the sky of stars, whether they were of heaven or of earth. According to Tuan: From them are the Tuatha Dé and Andé, whose origin the learned do not know, but that it seems likely to them that they came from heaven, on account of their intelligence and for
700-642: A number of prose works from the same period took the tale as basis or inspiration, including works by W. B. Yeats , Aubrey Thomas de Vere , Alice Milligan , George Sigerson , Samuel Ferguson , Charles Leonard Moore , Fiona Macleod , as well as ballad versions from Scotland. Peadar Ua Laoghaire adapted the work as a closet drama , serialized in the Cork Weekly Examiner (1900–1). In 1914 Joseph Dunn authored an English translation The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Táin Bó Cúalnge based primarily on
770-478: A paraphrased version of the tale. There were also several works based on the tale published in the very late 19th and early 20th century often with a focus on the hero Cú Chulainn , such as Cuchulain, the Hound of Ulster (E.Hull, 1911); Dun Dealgan, Cuchulain's Home Fort (H.G. Tempest, 1910); Cuchulain of Muirtheimhne (A.M. Skelly, 1908); The Coming of Cuculain (S. O'Grady, 1894); and several others; additionally
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#1732780115243840-524: A spectacular ríastrad or "distortion", in which his body twists in its skin and he becomes an unrecognisable monster who knows neither friend nor foe. Cú Chulainn launches a savage assault on the Connacht camp and avenges the youth corps sixfold. After this extraordinary incident, the sequence of single combats resumes, although on several occasions Medb breaks the agreement by sending several men against Cú Chulainn at once. When Fergus, his foster-father,
910-576: A true word; but wherefore dost thou cite it?" "It is true what they say, love," Ailill said, "it is well for the wife of a wealthy man." "True enough," the woman said. "What put that in your mind?" "It's true what they say, girl," said Ailill, "Well-off woman, wealthy man's wife." "True enough," said the woman. "What makes you say it?" The story of the Táin relies on a range of independently transmitted back-stories, known as remscéla ('fore-tales'). Some may in fact have been composed independently of
980-405: A tyrant. The physician Dian Cecht replaced Nuada's arm with a working silver one and he was reinstated as king. However, Dian Cecht 's son Miach was dissatisfied with the replacement so he recited the spell, " ault fri halt dí & féith fri féth " (joint to joint of it and sinew to sinew), which caused flesh to grow over the silver prosthesis over the course of nine days and nights. However, in
1050-585: Is a ferry service to County Down in Northern Ireland at Greenore. The local Gaelic football and ladies' Gaelic football club is Cooley Kickhams , based south of Carlingford . The Cooley Peninsula is the home of former Leinster and Irish rugby players, Rob Kearney and David Kearney . U.S. President Joe Biden has ancestors from the area. He shares a great-grandfather with the Kearney brothers. RTE sports commentator Jimmy Magee (1935–2017)
1120-550: Is affirmed by an encounter with an otherworldly woman. It has been argued that the inauguration of Irish kings originally represented his ritual marriage to the goddess of the land (see sovereignty goddess ). The Tuath Dé can also bring doom to unrightful kings. The medieval writers who wrote about the Tuath Dé were Christians. Sometimes they explained the Tuath Dé as fallen angels ; neutral angels who sided neither with God nor Lucifer and were punished by being forced to dwell on
1190-468: Is not wholly accurate to describe all of them as gods in the medieval literature itself. He argues that the literary Tuath Dé are sui generis , and suggests "immortals" might be a more neutral term. In euhemerized accounts, the Tuatha Dé Danann were descended from Nemed , leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. In non-euhemerized accounts they are descended from Danu / Anu ,
1260-440: Is preceded by a number of remscéla , or pre-tales, which provide background on the main characters and explain the presence of certain characters from Ulster in the Connacht camp, the curse that causes the temporary inability of the remaining Ulstermen to fight and the magic origins of the bulls Donn Cuailnge and Finnbhennach . The eight remscéla chosen by Thomas Kinsella for his 1969 translation are sometimes taken to be part of
1330-427: Is sent to fight him, Cú Chulainn agrees to yield to him on the condition that Fergus yields the next time they meet. Finally, Medb incites Cú Chulainn's foster-brother Ferdiad to enter the fray, with poets ready to mock him as a coward, and offering him the hand of her daughter Finnabair , and her own "friendly thighs" as well. Cú Chulainn does not wish to kill his foster-brother and pleads with Ferdiad to withdraw from
1400-416: Is the saying, lady, 'She is a well-off woman that is a rich man's wife' " "Aye, that she is," answered the wife; "but wherefore opin'st thou so ?" In their own rath and their own royal house; And while their heads were on their kingly pillow, There rose this talk betwixt them. Al-yill said : "'Tis a true word, O woman, it is good To be the wife of a strong man !" Maev said : "'Tis
1470-527: The Otherworld but interact with humans and the human world. They are associated with the sídhe : prominent ancient burial mounds such as Brú na Bóinne , which are entrances to Otherworld realms. Their traditional rivals are the Fomorians (Fomoire), who might represent the destructive powers of nature, and whom the Tuath Dé defeat in the Battle of Mag Tuired . Prominent members of the Tuath Dé include
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#17327801152431540-501: The Táin and subsequently linked with it later in their transmission. As listed by Ruairí Ó hUiginn, they are: In 1973, the Irish Celtic rock band Horslips released a concept album , The Táin , which recounts the story from the points of view of Cú Chulainn, Queen Maeve of Connacht and Ferdia, among others. In 2004, indie rock band The Decemberists released a five-part single also named The Tain , which loosely recounts
1610-516: The Táin itself, but come from a variety of manuscripts of different dates. Several other tales exist which are described as remscéla to the Táin , some of which have only a tangential relation to it. The first recension begins with Ailill and Medb assembling their army in Cruachan ; the purpose of this military build-up is taken for granted. The second recension adds a prologue in which Ailill and Medb compare their respective wealths and find that
1680-415: The Táin with the following wonders: "that the cuilmen [apparently a name for Isidore of Seville 's Etymologiae ] came to Ireland in its stead; the dead relating it to the living, viz. Fergus mac Róich reciting it to Ninníne the poet at the time of Cormac mac Faeláin ; one year's protection to him to whom it is related." Various versions of the epic have been collected from the oral tradition over
1750-419: The sídh before the coming of Saint Patrick . Goibniu, Dian Cécht the physician, and Flidais the mistress of animals are invoked in incantations , further evidence that they were seen as supernatural powers. Several of the Tuath Dé are cognate with ancient Celtic deities: Lugh with Lugus , Brigit with Brigantia , Nuada with Nodons , and Ogma with Ogmios . Nevertheless, John Carey notes that it
1820-469: The sídh folk as dei terreni , "earthly gods". The name could be cognate with the mythical Fir Domnann and the British Dumnonii . The Tuatha Dé Danann are described as a supernatural race, much like idealized humans, who are immune from ageing and sickness, and who have powers of magic. The powers most often attributed to the Tuath Dé are control over the weather and the elements, and
1890-513: The trí dé dáno , "three gods of craft". In Sanas Cormaic ( Cormac 's Glossary), Anu is called "mother of the Irish gods", Nét a "god of war", and Brigit a "goddess of poets" whose father is the Dagda ; his own name meaning "the great god". Writing in the seventh century, Tírechán explained the sídh folk as "earthly gods" (Latin dei terreni ), while Fiacc's Hymn says the Irish adored
1960-588: The 8th century, and some of the verse passages may be even older. The second recension is found in the 12th-century manuscript known as the Book of Leinster . This appears to have been a syncretic exercise by a scribe who brought together the Lebor na hUidre materials and unknown sources for the Yellow Book of Lecan materials to create a coherent version of the epic. While the result is a satisfactory narrative whole,
2030-670: The Book of Leinster. Cecile O'Rahilly published academic editions/translations of both recensions, Táin Bó Cúalnge from the Book of Leinster (1967), and Táin Bó Cúailnge Recension 1 (1976), as well as an edition of the later Stowe Version, The Stowe version of Táin Bó Cuailnge (1961). As of 2022 two translations by Irish poets are available in mass-market editions: Thomas Kinsella 's The Táin (1969) and Ciarán Carson 's The Táin (2007). Both are based primarily on
2100-500: The Dagda ("the great god"); The Morrígan ("the great queen" or "phantom queen"); Lugh ; Nuada ; Aengus ; Brigid ; Manannán ; Dian Cecht the healer; and Goibniu the smith, one of the Trí Dé Dána ("three gods of craft"). Several of the Tuath Dé are cognate with ancient Celtic deities: Lugh with Lugus , Brigit with Brigantia , Nuada with Nodons , Ogma with Ogmios , and Goibniu with Gobannus . Medieval texts about
2170-566: The Earth; or humans who had become highly skilled in magic. However, several writers acknowledged that at least some of them had been gods. There is strong evidence that many of the Tuath Dé represent the gods of Irish paganism. The name itself means "tribe of gods", and the ninth-century Scél Tuain meic Cairill (Tale of Tuan mac Cairill ) speaks of the Tuath Dé ocus Andé , "tribe of gods and un-gods". Goibniu , Credne and Luchta are called
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2240-512: The Tuath Dé are occasionally called the clann Eladan , "children of art". Danann is generally believed to be the genitive of a female name, for which the nominative case is not attested. It has been reconstructed as * Danu , of which Anu (genitive Anann ) may be an alternative form. Anu is called " mother of the Irish gods " by Cormac mac Cuilennáin . This may be linked to the Welsh mythical figure Dôn . Hindu mythology also has
2310-424: The Tuath Dé were written by Christians. Sometimes they explained the Tuath Dé as fallen angels who were neither wholly good nor evil, or ancient people who became highly skilled in magic, but several writers acknowledged that at least some of them had been gods. Some of them have multiple names, but in the tales they often appear to be different characters. Originally, these probably represented different aspects of
2380-456: The Tuatha Dé Danann created a magical storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet Amergin calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed and defeated the Tuatha Dé Danann at Tailtiu . When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha Dé Danann and his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians and the portion underground to
2450-773: The Tuatha Dé Danann. The Tuatha Dé Danann were led underground into the Sidhe mounds by Manannán mac Lir and Tír na nÓg onto a flowery plain/plain of honey attested to in the Voyage of Bran. The Tuatha Dé Danann brought four magical treasures with them to Ireland, one apiece from their Four Cities: The following is a chronology from the Annals of the Four Masters ; based on reign-lengths given in Geoffrey Keating 's Forus Feasa ar Erinn . Nuada 's original reign lacks
2520-448: The ability to shapeshift themselves and other things. They are also said to control the fertility of the land; the tale De Gabáil in t-Sída says the first Gaels had to establish friendship with the Tuath Dé before they could raise crops and herds. They live in the Otherworld , which is described as either a parallel world or a heavenly land beyond the sea or under the earth's surface. Many of them are associated with specific places in
2590-676: The advancing army, then halts it by invoking the right of single combat at fords, defeating champion after champion in a stand-off lasting months. However, he is unable to prevent Medb from capturing the bull. Cú Chulainn is both helped and hindered by supernatural figures from the Tuatha Dé Danann . Before one combat the Morrígan , the goddess of war, visits him in the form of a beautiful young woman and offers him her love, but Cú Chulainn spurns her. She then reveals herself and threatens to interfere in his next fight. She does so, first in
2660-483: The animal for a year. However, her messengers, while drunk, reveal that Medb intends to take the bull by force if she is not allowed to borrow him. The deal breaks down, and Medb raises an army, including Ulster exiles led by Fergus mac Róich and other allies, and sets out to capture Donn Cuailnge. The men of Ulster are disabled by an apparent illness, the ces noínden (literally "debility of nine (days)", although it lasts several months). A separate tale explains this as
2730-546: The blessings heal her wounds. Cú Chulainn tells the Morrígan that had he known her real identity, he would not have spurned her. After a particularly arduous combat Cú Chulain is visited by another supernatural figure, Lug , who reveals himself to be Cú Chulainn's father. Lug puts Cú Chulainn to sleep for three days while he works his healing arts on him. While Cú Chulainn sleeps the youth corps of Ulster come to his aid but are all slaughtered. When Cú Chulainn awakes he undergoes
2800-457: The bull fights Finnbhennach, kills him, but is mortally wounded, and wanders around Ireland dropping pieces of Finnbhennach off his horns and thus creating placenames before finally returning home to die of exhaustion. The Táin is believed to have its origin in oral storytelling and to have only been written down during the Middle Ages . Although Romanas Bulatovas believes that the Táin
2870-562: The centuries since the earliest accounts were written down. A version of the Táin was taken down in Scottish Gaelic by folklore collector Calum Maclean from the dictation of Angus Beag MacLellan , a tenant farmer and seanchaidh from South Uist , in the Outer Hebrides . A transcription was published in 1959. Despite the date of the surviving manuscripts, a version of the Táin may have been put to writing already in
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2940-403: The characters. The Táin tells of a war against Ulster by Queen Medb of Connacht and her husband King Ailill , who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge . Due to a curse upon the king and warriors of Ulster, the invaders are opposed only by the young demigod , Cú Chulainn . The Táin is traditionally set in the 1st century in a pagan heroic age , and is the central text of
3010-409: The curse of the goddess Macha , who imposed it after being forced by the king of Ulster to race against a chariot while heavily pregnant. The only person fit to defend Ulster is seventeen-year-old Cú Chulainn , and he lets the army take Ulster by surprise because he is off on a tryst when he should be watching the border. Cú Chulainn, assisted by his charioteer Láeg , wages a guerrilla campaign against
3080-542: The delectation of foolish men. An incomplete third recension is known from twelfth-century fragments. 19th century translations of the work include Bryan O'Looney's translation made in the 1870s, as Tain Bo Cualnge , based on the Book of Leinster in Trinity College Library, Dublin. John O'Daly's also translated the work in 1857, but it is considered a poor translation. No published translation of
3150-515: The derived Giolla na Tána ( Strachan & O'Nolan 1914 ) were more accurate. The version by ( Kinsella 1969 ) is considered to be the first (English) translation that accurately included both grotesque and sexual aspects of the tale; however the German translation by ( Windisch 1905 ) is considered to be complete, and lacks alterations and omissions due to conflicts of interests in the mind of contemporary Irish scholars. Quoth Ailill : "True
3220-563: The eighth century. Táin Bó Cúailnge has survived in three recensions . The first consists of a partial text in Lebor na hUidre (the "Book of the Dun Cow"), a late 11th-/early 12th-century manuscript compiled in the monastery at Clonmacnoise , and another partial text of the same version in the 14th-century manuscript called the Yellow Book of Lecan . These two sources overlap, and
3290-473: The excellence of their knowledge. Led by king Nuada , they fought the First Battle of Magh Tuireadh on the west coast, in which they defeated and displaced the native Fir Bolg , who then inhabited Ireland. In the battle, Nuada lost an arm to their champion, Sreng . Since Nuada was no longer "unblemished", he could not continue as king and was replaced by the half- Fomorian Bres , who turned out to be
3360-472: The fight. There follows a physically and emotionally gruelling three-day duel between the hero and his foster-brother. Cú Chulainn wins, killing Ferdiad with the legendary spear, the Gáe Bolga . Wounded too sorely to continue fighting, Cú Chulainn is carried away by the healers of his clan. The debilitated Ulstermen start to rouse, one by one at first, then en masse . King Conchobar mac Nessa vows, that as
3430-442: The first recension with passages added from the second, although they differ slightly in their selection and arrangement of material. Kinsella's translation is illustrated by Louis le Brocquy (see Louis le Brocquy Táin illustrations ) and also contains translations of a selection of remscéla . Victorian era adapters omitted some aspects of the tale, either for political reasons relating to Irish Nationalism , or to avoid offending
3500-448: The form of an eel who trips him in the ford, then as a wolf who stampedes cattle across the ford, and finally as a heifer at the head of the stampede, but in each form, Cú Chulainn wounds her. After he defeats his opponent, the Morrígan appears to him in the form of an old woman milking a cow, with wounds corresponding to the ones Cú Chulainn gave her in her animal forms. She offers him three drinks of milk. With each drink he blesses her, and
3570-492: The fray and confronts Fergus, whom he forces to make good on his promise and yield before him. Fergus withdraws, pulling all his forces off the battlefield. Connacht's other allies panic and Medb is forced to retreat. Cú Chulainn comes upon Medb having her period ( Is and drecgais a fúal fola for Meidb "Then it was that the issue of blood came upon Medb" ). She pleads for her life and he not only spares her, but guards her retreat. Medb brings Donn Cuailnge back to Connacht, where
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#17327801152433640-416: The island be named after them; Ériu is the origin of the modern name Éire , and Banba and Fodla are still sometimes used as poetic names for Ireland. Their three husbands, Mac Cuill , Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine , were kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann at that time, and asked for a truce of three days, during which the Milesians would lie at anchor nine waves' distance from the shore. The Milesians complied, but
3710-462: The landscape, especially the sídh mounds; the ancient burial mounds and passage tombs which are entrances to Otherworld realms. The Tuath Dé can hide themselves with a féth fíada ('magic mist') and appear to humans only when they wish to. In some tales, such as Baile in Scáil , a king receives affirmation of his legitimacy from one of the Tuath Dé. In other tales, a king's right to rule
3780-542: The language has been modernised into a much more florid style, with all of the spareness of expression of the earlier recension lost in the process. The Book of Leinster version ends with a colophon in Latin which says: But I who have written this story, or rather this fable, give no credence to the various incidents related in it. For some things in it are the deceptions of demons, other poetic figments; some are probable, others improbable; while still others are intended for
3850-581: The mythical race are referred to as the Tuath Dé , "tribe of gods", or Tuatha Dé , "tribes of gods". In the Lebor Bretnach their name is translated into Latin as plebes deorum , "god-folk". However, Irish monks also began using the term Tuath Dé to refer to the Israelites , with the meaning "People of God". Apparently to avoid confusion with the Israelites, writers began to refer to
3920-548: The mythical race as the Tuath(a) Dé Danann or Tuath(a) Dé Donann ( Old Irish pronunciation: [ˈt̪uaθa d̪ʲeː ˈd̪anan̪] ). This is generally translated "folk of the goddess Danu". It may also have been a way of humanizing them: instead of 'god-folk' they were now the folk of a particular goddess. Early Christian writers also referred to them as the fir dé (god-men) and cenéla dé (god-kindreds), again possibly to avoid calling them simply 'gods'. Some of
3990-678: The northwest and southwest, 340-million-year-old limestones in the east, and 60-million-year-old volcanic rocks forming the Cooley Mountains. In Irish mythology , Cooley ( Old Irish Cúalnge ) was the home of the bull Donn Cuailnge , and the site of the Táin Bó Cúailnge , "Cattle Raid of Cooley". Ancient monuments in Cooley include the Proleek Dolmen , whose capstone weighs an estimated 35 tons (31.75 tonnes), and
4060-414: The only thing that distinguishes them is Ailill's possession of the phenomenally fertile bull Finnbhennach , who had been born into Medb's herd but scorned being owned by a woman so decided to transfer himself to Ailill's. Medb determines to get the equally potent Donn Cuailnge from Cooley to equal her wealth with her husband. She successfully negotiates with the bull's owner, Dáire mac Fiachna , to rent
4130-411: The same deity, while others were regional names. The Tuath Dé eventually became the aes sídhe , the sídhe -folk or "fairies" of later folklore. The Old Irish word tuath (plural tuatha ) means "tribe, folk, people"; dé is the genitive case of día and, depending on context, can mean "god, gods, goddess" or more broadly "supernatural being, object of worship". In the earliest writings,
4200-556: The sensibilities of their readers with bodily functions or sex. ( Tymoczko 1999 ), focusing on translations and adaptation of "The Táin", analysed how 19th- and 20th-century writers used the original texts in creating Irish myths as part of the process of decolonization (from the United Kingdom ), and so redacted elements that did not show Cuchulain in a suitably heroic light. Not only was sex, and bodily functions removed, but also humor. The version by Lady Gregory (1903) took on
4270-460: The sky is above and the Earth is beneath, he will return every cow back to its stall and every abducted woman back to her home. The climactic battle begins. At first, Cú Chulainn sits it out, recovering from his wounds. Fergus has Conchobar at his mercy, but is prevented from killing him by Cormac Cond Longas , Conchobar's son and Fergus' foster-son, and in his rage cuts the tops off three hills with his sword. Cú Chulainn shrugs off his wounds, enters
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#17327801152434340-405: The story of Táin Bó Cúailnge. Cooley Peninsula 54°2′4″N 6°13′36″W / 54.03444°N 6.22667°W / 54.03444; -6.22667 The Cooley Peninsula (from Irish Cuaille , older Cúalṅge ) is a hilly peninsula in the north of County Louth on the east coast of Ireland; the peninsula includes the small town of Carlingford , the port of Greenore and
4410-551: The story: in Verba Scáthaige ("Words of Scáthach"), the warrior-woman Scáthach prophesies Cú Chulainn 's combats at the ford; and Ro-mbáe laithi rordu rind ("We had a great day of plying spear-points"), attributed to Cú Chulainn himself, refers to an incident in the Boyhood Deeds section of the Táin . The high regard in which the written account was held is suggested by a ninth-century triad , that associated
4480-564: The sun for three days and three nights". They immediately burnt the ships "so that they should not think of retreating to them, and the smoke and the mist that came from the vessels filled the neighbouring land and air. Therefore it was conceived that they had arrived in clouds of mist". A poem in the Lebor Gabála Érenn says of their arrival: It is God who suffered them, though He restrained them they landed with horror, with lofty deed, in their cloud of mighty combat of spectres, upon
4550-624: The village of Omeath . The peninsula contains the Cooley Mountains , the highest of which, Slieve Foy , is also the highest peak in County Louth at 589 metres (1,932 ft). To the north is Carlingford Lough and the border with Northern Ireland ; to the south is Dundalk Bay . The peninsula is ringed by the R173 regional road . The peninsula is geologically diverse, with 440-million-year-old Silurian greywacke sandstones in
4620-677: The work was made until the early 20th century – the first English translation was provided L. Winifred Faraday in 1904, based on the Lebor na hUidre and the Yellow Book of Lecan ; a German translation by Ernst Windisch was published at around the same time based on the Book of Leinster . Translated sections of the text had been published in the late 19th century, including one from on the Book of Leinster by Standish Hayes O'Grady in The Cuchullin Saga (ed. Eleanor Hull , 1898), as well as extracts, and introductory text. Lady Gregory 's Cuchulain of Muirthemne (1903) also contains
4690-414: The work, the play "Méibh" , included a temperance message, blaming the conflict over the bull on the drunkenness of the Connacht messengers. In Ua Laoghaire's serialization Medb retains her role as a powerful woman, but her sexuality, exploitation of her daughter Fionnabhair , and references to menstruation are heavily euphemized . Slightly later works such as Stories from the Táin ( Strachan 1908 ) and
4760-627: Was killed by Lugh , champion of the Tuatha Dé, who then took over as king. A third battle was fought against a subsequent wave of invaders, the Milesians , from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Galicia and Northern Portugal ), descendants of Míl Espáine (who are thought to represent the Goidelic Celts). The Milesians encountered three Tuatha Dé Danann goddesses, Ériu , Banba and Fodla , who asked that
4830-501: Was originally composed at Bangor Abbey between 630 and 670 AD, there is evidence that it had a far older oral history long before anything was written down. For example, the poem Conailla Medb michuru ("Medb enjoined illegal contracts") by Luccreth moccu Chiara , dated to c. 600 , tells the story of Fergus mac Róich 's exile with Ailill and Medb, which the poet describes as having come from sen-eolas ("old knowledge"). Two further 7th-century poems also allude to elements of
4900-790: Was raised on the Cooley Peninsula. This article related to the geography of County Louth , Ireland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tuatha D%C3%A9 Danann The Tuatha Dé Danann ( Irish: [ˈt̪ˠuə(hə) dʲeː ˈd̪ˠan̪ˠən̪ˠ] , meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu "), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology . Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland . The Tuath Dé Danann are often depicted as kings, queens, druids, bards, warriors, heroes, healers and craftsmen who have supernatural powers. They dwell in
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