The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Táin Bó Cúalnge

The Cattle-Raid of Cooley

Anonymous, Joseph Dunn

• Publisher: Aeneas Press
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Literature
• eBook ISBN:
  9785501820258
• Subtopic: Classics
• Index: Literature

The central epic of Ireland: the queen of Connacht raises the province to steal a bull, and a boy of seventeen holds the ford alone all winter while the men of Ulster lie under a curse. Joseph Dunn's 1914 translation was the first full English version of the Táin from the manuscripts. Cú Chulainn's fight with his foster-brother Ferdiad is the passage everything else in the tale is arranged around. Fifty-nine plates of Irish landscape and rural life, from Thomas Roberts to Nathaniel Hone the Younger, give the cattle-raid its own countryside.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Preface
• I. The Prologue
• II. The Embassage to Darè and the Occasion of the Táin
• III. The Gathering of Medb’s Forces
• IV. The Youthful Exploits of Cuchulain
• V. The Single Combats of Cuchulain
• VI. The Gathering of the Ulstermen and the Final Battle of the Táin
• VII. The End of the Two Bulls
• Works on the Táin Bó Cúalnge
• Here Beginneth Táin Bó Cúalnge the Cualnge Cattle-Raid. I. The Pillow-Talk
• II. The Occasion of the Táin
• III. The Rising-Out of the Men of Connacht at Cruachan Ai
• IV. The Foretellinga
• V. This Is the Route of the Táin
• VI. The March of the Host
• VII. The Youthful Exploits of Cuchulain
• VIIa. The Slaying of the Smith’s Hound by Cuchulain, and the Reason He Is Called Cuchulain
• VIIb. The Taking of Arms by Cuchulain and the Slaying of the Three Sons of Necht Scene Is Now Told Here
• VIIc. Below Is a Separate Version as Far as the Slaying of Orlam
• VIII. The Slaying of Orlam
• VIIIa. The Slaying of the Three Macarach
• VIIIb. The Combat of Lethan and Cuchulain
• VIIIc. The Killing of the Squirrel and of the Tame Bird
• VIIId. The Slaying of Loche
• VIIIe. The Killing of Uala
• VIIIf. The Harrying of Cualnge Followeth Here Below
• IX. The Proposals
• X. The Violent Death of Etarcumul
• XI. The Slaying of Nathcrantail
• XII. The Finding of the Bull
• XIIa. The Death of Forgemen
• XIIb. Here Is Narrated the Slaying of Redg the Lampoonist
• XIIc. Here Is Told the Meeting of Cuchulain and Finnabair
• XIId. Here the Combat of Munremar and Curoi
• XIIe. The Slaughter of the Boy-Troop
• XIIf. The Slaughter of the King’s Bodyguard
• XIII. The Combat of Cûr with Cuchulain
• XIV. The Slaying of Ferbaeth (‘The Witless’)
• XIVa. The Combat of Larine Macnois
• XIVb. The Colloquy of the Morrigan and Cuchulain
• XV. Here Followeth the Combat of Loch and Cuchulain on the Táin, and the Slaying of Loch Son of Mofemis
• XVI. The Violation of the Agreement
• XVIa. The Healing of the Morrigan
• XVII. The Great Rout on the Plain of Murthemne Followeth Here Below
• XVIIa. The Slaughter of the Youths of Ulstera
• XVIIb. The Scythed Chariot
• XVIIc. The Account of the Appearance of Cuchulain
• XVIId. Dubthach’s Jealousya
• XVIII. The Slaying of Oengus Son of Oenlam
• XVIIIa. Here Now Is Told the Misthrow at Belach Eoin
• XVIIIb. Here Now Followeth the Disguising of Tamon
• XIX. The Battle of Fergus and Cuchulain
• XIXa. Here Now Cometh the Head-Place of Ferchu
• XIXb. Mann’s Fight
• XIXc. The Combat of Calatin’s Children
• XX. The Combat of Ferdiad and Cuchulain
• XXI. Cuchulain and the Rivers
• XXII. Cethern’s Strait-Fight
• XXIIa. Cethern’s Bloody Wounds
• XXIII. Here Followeth the Tooth-Fight of Fintan
• XXIIIa. The Red-Shame of Menn Followeth Here
• XXIIIb. Here Followeth the Accoutrement of the Charioteers
• XXIIIc. The White-Fight of Rochad Now Followeth
• XXIIId. Here Followeth Iliach’s Clump-Fight
• XXIIIe. Here Now the Deer-Stalking of Amargin in Taltiu
• XXIIIf. The Adventures of Curoi Son of Darè Follow Now
• XXIV. The Repeated Warning of Sualtaim
• XXIVa. The Agitation of Celtchar
• XXV. Here Followeth the Array of the Host
• XXVI. The Decision of the Battle
• XXVII. Now of the Battle of Garech
• XXVIIa. Here Followeth the Muster of the Men of Erin
• XXVIII. The Battle of the Bulls
• XXIX. Account of the Brown Bull of Cualnge
• Index and Pronunciation of the More Frequently Occurring Place and Personal-Names
• Notes
• About the Author