Ulster Cycle

Stories tagged Ulster Cycle:

• Bricriu's Feast Aug 13, 2025

  

  In the days when the Red Branch Knights were the glory of Ulster, there lived a man named Bricriu of the Poisonous Tongue. Bricriu was wealthy and cunning, but above all, he delighted in stirring up trouble among the warriors. His tongue was sharper than any sword, and his words could turn friend against friend with devastating skill.

  “I shall build the greatest hall in all of Ireland,” Bricriu announced one day, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “And I shall host a feast so magnificent that it will be remembered for a thousand years!”

• The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn Aug 13, 2025

  

  Long ago in the emerald hills of Ireland, there lived a boy whose name would echo through the ages. But this is not the tale of his great deeds as a warrior—this is the story of how young Sétanta became Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster.

  The Miraculous Birth

  In the land of Ulster, there lived a maiden named Deichtine, sister to King Conchobar mac Nessa. She was renowned for her beauty and wisdom, with hair like spun gold and eyes that sparkled like the morning dew. One day, as she attended her brother’s court at Emain Macha, a strange thing occurred.

• The Wooing of Emer Aug 13, 2025

  

  In the days when heroes walked the green hills of Ireland, there lived a young warrior whose fame had spread to every corner of the land. Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster, was already renowned for his incredible strength and courage, but his heart remained untouched by love. That was soon to change when he first beheld Emer, the most beautiful maiden in all of Ireland.

  The Meeting at Forgall’s Dún

  Emer was the daughter of Forgall the Wily, a chieftain known throughout the land for his cunning and his fierce protection of his family. She lived in a great dún on the plains of Brega, surrounded by her foster-sisters and attendants. But Emer was no ordinary maiden—she possessed the six gifts that made a woman perfect: beauty, voice, sweet speech, wisdom, needlework, and chastity.

• The Wasting Sickness of Cú Chulainn Aug 13, 2025

  

  In the autumn of his greatest glory, when Cú Chulainn’s name was known and feared throughout all of Ireland, a strange malady befell the mightiest warrior of Ulster. This is the tale of how even the Hound of Ulster could be brought low, not by sword or spear, but by the mysterious powers of the otherworld.

  The Festival of Samhain

  It was the time of Samhain, when the veil between the mortal world and the realm of the Sídhe grows thin as morning mist. All of Ulster had gathered at Emain Macha for the great festival, and the nobles competed in games of skill while bards recited the ancient tales by firelight.

• The Death of Cú Chulainn Aug 13, 2025

  

  In the chronicles of ancient Ireland, no tale stirs the heart more than the death of Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster. Though his end was foretold from his youth, and though he knew his fate awaited him, the great hero chose honor over life, fulfilling his destiny with courage that would inspire warriors for a thousand generations.

  The Gathering Storm

  The seeds of Cú Chulainn’s doom were sown in the hatred of Queen Medb of Connacht, who had never forgiven the hero for his defense of Ulster during the great Cattle Raid of Cooley. For years, she had plotted her revenge, gathering allies from across Ireland and beyond.

• The Death of Aífe's Only Son Aug 13, 2025

  

  Among the most sorrowful tales in all the chronicles of Ireland is the story of Connla, son of Aífe, and how he met his death at the hands of his own father. It is a tale that shows how even the greatest heroes can be brought low by fate, and how the bonds of sacred obligation can lead to the most terrible of tragedies.

  The Warrior Woman of Alba

  During his training with Scáthach on the Isle of Skye, young Cú Chulainn had encountered Aífe, the warrior woman of Alba. She was Scáthach’s sister and rival, nearly equal to her in skill and surpassing her in fierce pride. Their rivalry was ancient and bitter, fought out through generations of students and champions.

• The Tale of Mac Dathó's Pig Aug 13, 2025

  

  In the ancient days of Ireland, when kings ruled from mighty fortresses and warriors competed for honor and glory, there lived a clever chieftain named Mac Dathó who possessed two of the most remarkable treasures in all the land. This is the tale of how his cunning and hospitality led to one of the most memorable feasts—and fights—in Irish history.

  The King of Leinster

  Mac Dathó ruled over a portion of Leinster from his great fortress, which was renowned throughout Ireland for two extraordinary creatures. The first was a massive pig, so large that seven years of feeding had made it the size of a small ox. Its meat was said to be the most delicious in all the world, tender and sweet beyond compare.

• The Intoxication of the Ulstermen Aug 13, 2025

  

  Among the many tales of the Red Branch Knights of Ulster, few are as amusing as the story of their great intoxication. It is a tale that shows how even the mightiest heroes can be brought low by too much hospitality and too little wisdom, and how friendship can survive even the most embarrassing of circumstances.

  The Generous Host

  There lived in Ulster a wealthy chieftain named Cú Ruí mac Dáire, who was famous throughout the land for two things: his supernatural wisdom and his extraordinarily generous hospitality. His great hall was built on a hill overlooking the sea, and it was said that no guest had ever left his table hungry or his hearth cold.

• The Cattle Raid of Fráech Aug 13, 2025

  

  In the heroic age of Ireland, when beauty and courage walked hand in hand, there lived a warrior whose name became synonymous with both qualities. This is the tale of Fráech mac Idath, the most beautiful man in all of Ireland, and his quest for love that would end in glory and sorrow.

  The Most Beautiful Man in Ireland

  Fráech mac Idath was born to a noble family of Connacht, but his mother was Bé Find, a woman of the Tuatha Dé Danann—the divine people who ruled Ireland before mortal men. This otherworldly heritage blessed Fráech with beauty beyond mortal measure and skills that bordered on the supernatural.

• The Cattle Raid of Flidais Aug 13, 2025

  

  In the ancient days when the boundaries between the mortal world and the realm of the Tuatha Dé Danann were thin as morning mist, there lived a woman whose power over the wild creatures of Ireland was absolute. This is the tale of Flidais, whose beauty was matched only by her supernatural abilities, and how her magical cattle became the prize in a raid that would shake the very foundations of Ulster.

• Táin Bó Regamna Aug 13, 2025

  

  In the chronicles of ancient Ireland, there are tales that serve as harbingers of greater stories to come. Táin Bó Regamna—the Cattle Raid of Regamna—is one such tale, a prophetic prelude to the greatest cattle raid in Irish legend. It tells of omens, visions, and the first stirrings of the conflict that would shake the very foundations of the heroic age.

  The Vision at Cruachan

  Queen Medb of Connacht was not a woman given to doubt or hesitation. Her will was iron, her ambition boundless, and her desire for supremacy over all Ireland burned like an unquenchable fire. But on this particular autumn night, as she lay in her royal bed at Cruachan, she was troubled by dreams that seemed more real than waking life.

• The Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge) Aug 10, 2025

  

  In the days when Ireland was divided into five kingdoms, there arose a quarrel between Queen Medb of Connacht and her husband, King Ailill, that would lead to the greatest war ever fought on Irish soil.

  It began one evening as they lay in their royal bed, debating whose possessions were more valuable. Each claimed to be wealthier than the other, and to settle the matter, they decided to have all their treasures counted and compared.