T he Bo o k of I ri sh W ri t e rs , Ch apt er 2
Cúc hul a inn an d t he T áin B ó Cu ai lng e
‘T he U ls te r C yc l e ’ c o n ta i ns m an y t a l es wh ic h re l at e t o an I ro n A g e s oc ie t y i n
Ire l an d i n t h e c en t ur i e s b ef or e Ch ris t.
O n e of t h es e t a les – t he ‘T ái n Bó C u ai l n ge ’ , or t h e ‘C a tt l e Ra i d of Co o le y’ is c e ntr a l l y im por ta n t as th e c l os es t t h at t h i s a nc ie n t l it er at ur e c o m es to a n
ep ic .
T he T á i n be g i ns wi t h a n ar gum en t b et we e n M ed b , th e Q u e en of C on na u gh t,
an d h er h us ba n d , A i l i l l , ab o ut wh ic h of t hem has m os t we a l th .
A i li l l wi ns th e ar g um en t bec a us e - t ho u gh t h e y a r e e qu a l i n t erm s of f am il y
h is t or y, g o o ds an d l i v e s toc k - h e pos s es s es a gr ea t wh i t e bu l l f or wh ic h
Me d b h as n o eq u i v al e nt .
S he d e ter m i nes t h at s he wi l l b e A i l i ll ’s e q u al a t wh a te v er c os t. T ha t c os t is
u lt im ate l y w ar - f or t h e o n l y m atc h M ed b c a n f in d to A il i l l ’s b u ll is th e br o wn
bu l l of Cu a i ln g e i n U ls ter . Des p it e g e ner o us of f ers t o t he bro wn bu l l ’s o wn er
- i nc l ud i n g her ‘f r i e nd l y t h i g hs ’ - h e ref us es t o l en d h er t he bu l l. So , s he
as s em b les an ar m y a n d s ets ou t f or U ls te r.
W e k no w, f r om a n ot he r s t or y wi t h in t h e U ls t e r C yc l e, t ha t t he f i gh t i ng m en of
Uls t er ar e pa r a l ys ed wit h l a bo ur p a i ns b y a c urs e f rom wh ic h o n l y t he
warr i or C úc h u l ai n n is ex em pt . He har ri es M e db ’s arm y f r om a n an o n ym o us
d is t anc e - b ut h e ’s r ec og n is ed a n d i d en t if i ed b y h is f os t er - f a t her , F erg us
Mac R ó ic h .
Fer gus , as a n U ls t er war r ior an d a c om m and er i n M ed b ’s C on n au g ht arm y,
has a f o ot in bo th c am ps . H e r ec ou n ts Cúc h u l ai n n ’s bo yh o o d f e ats t o M ed b
an d arr a ng es a s e r i es of s in g le c om bats b e t we e n he r warr i ors a n d
Cúc h ul a i nn – Cúc h ul a i nn wi ns t hem a l l .
In t h e m ea nt im e, t he b r o wn b u l l (s o c o v et e d b y M ed b) h as es c ap e d a n d is
a ls o a tt ac k i ng h er ar m y.
Cúc h ul a i nn is i n tur n c on d uc t i ng a pr i va t e ba tt l e wi t h th e s h ap e - s h i f ti ng
go d des s of war , t h e ‘ M ór r ig a n ’.
Res p it e c om es to t h e o ver s tr etc h ed C úc hu l a i nn wh en h e s l e e ps f or t hre e
da ys an d n i gh ts - gu ar de d b y h is o t her wo r ld l y f at h er, L u g Lám f ho ta , i n a
pas s a ge wh ic h ec ho es C hr is t ’s d e at h a nd re s urr ec t i on .
W hile C úc h u l a in n s l e e ps a tr oo p of bo y- wa rr i ors f r om Em ai n M ac h a – or
Na v a n F or t as we k no w it - a tt ac k th e C on n a ug h t arm y an d ar e m erc i les s l y
s l au g ht er ed . T h is s e n ds Cúc h u la i nn i nt o a m agic a l r ag e a n d h e k i l ls
hu n dr eds of C on n au g h t war r i ors .
A l l of t h es e e v e nts ar e pr e par a tor y t o t he c l i m ac tic c om ba t of t h e t a le : th e
f ig ht b e t wee n C úc h u l a i nn a n d F er d ia d , h is f o s ter - br ot h er a nd b es t f ri en d.
Fer d ia d h as b ee n tr ic k ed in t o th e c om ba t - a nd c aj o l ed ( an ot h er of f er of
Me d b ’s f r ie n dl y t h i ghs as we l l as of m arr i ag e t o h er da u g ht er) . H a v i ng be e n
tra i ne d t o ge th er i n c h i l dh o od , Fer d i ad a n d C úc h u l ai n n ar e e qu a l l y m atc he d
an d t he ir c om bat l as ts s e v er al da ys .
Cúc h ul a i nn is s er io us l y wo u n de d b y F erd i a d, b ut us es h is m ag ic a l s pe ar , th e
G a e B ol g a, t o k i l l h is f os t er - br o t her . Af t er wa rds Cúc h u la i n n is pr os tra te wi th
wo u nds a n d gr i ef .
At t h is p o in t th e m en o f Uls t er fi n a l ly j oi n t he b at t le . B ot h arm i es ar e i nc it ed
b y th e M ór r i ga n ( t he g od d es s of war) , a nd , t ho u gh t h e U ls t erm en a re
tri um ph a nt , a b al a nc e is m a in ta i n ed : i n s e pa rat e s t or ies F erg us M a c R ó ic h –
as o ne of M ed b ’s C on na u gh t arm y c om m and ers - s par es C onc h ob a r, th e
Uls t er k i ng , a nd C úc h u la i nn s im il ar l y s p ares M e db .
In a f i n al ba tt l e b et we en t h e wh i te bu l l of Co nn a ug h t an d t he bro w n b ul l of
Uls t er th e br o wn b u l l wi ns - bu t d i es o n r et u rn in g t o U ls t er.
Cúc h ul a i nn is a p u z zl e : he is br a ve , b ut h e c an be b ar b aro us , as w he n h e
k il ls h is f os te r br o t her Fer d ia d. Bu t, e ve n wh en he ’s br e ak in g t he r u les t h at
we m ig ht t h ink he s h o u ld f o l lo w h e is a ls o s ubj ec t t o t ab o os a nd o b li g at i ons
( ge is ) wh ic h we f i n d s t r an g e.
O v er t he p as t c en t u r y or s o C úc h u l ai n n - an d t he t a l es as s oc i at e d wi t h h im ha v e of t e n be e n r e to l d . H e h a d dr op p ed f rom v i e w un t i l n in et e e nt h - c en t ur y
s c ho l ar s b e ga n t o s tu d y o l d Ir is h a n d m ad e h im a va i l a bl e f or l at er wri t ers
an d ar t is ts . T h ey th e n ad a pt e d ea rl y t a l es , h ero e s a n d ot h er c h ara c ters t o
s u it t he ir o wn p ur p os e s . F or t he la t e n in et e e nt h c e nt ur y Ir is h an t iq uar i a n ,
St a nd is h O ’ G r a d y, Cú c hu l a in n ’s l e ad ers h ip an d br a v er y m ad e h im a m ode l
f or h o w Pr ot es t a nt As c en d anc y l a n d lor ds s h o u ld b e ha v e . Ye t Pa tr ic k Pe ars e
wo u ld in v ok e h im as a s ym b ol of m il it a nt n a t i on a l is m - wh ic h was p rep ar e d
to e n dur e a ny th i ng in t he c aus e of Iris h f re ed om . A t th e s am e t im e, W .B.
Ye a ts us ed C úc hu l a in n as a n arc he t yp e of t he her o dr i v en b y d es t i n y bu t
d i vi d ed ag a i ns t h im s el f .
B y t he la te t we n t ie t h c en t ur y, t he ba n d Hors l i ps wo u ld m ak e a c o nc ep t
a lb um b as e d o n th e T á in , or r a th er t h e po e t T hom as K i ns e ll a ’s 1 96 9
tra ns la t i on - th e Be lf a s t po e t Ci ar a n Cars o n m ade a n e w tr a ns la t io n i n 2 00 7.
A nd of c o ur s e Cúc h ul a i nn , th e h er o of U ls ter , l o ok s d o wn f r om lo ya l is t wa l l
m urals t o th is d a y.