The Cattle-Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúalnge)

from "The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Táin Bó Cúalnge" (1914) by Joseph Dunn, London: David Nutt.

The Cattle-Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúalnge) is the central epic of the Ulster cycle. Queen Medb of Connaught gathers an army in order to gain possession of the most famous bull in Ireland, which is the property of Daire, a chieftain of Ulster. Because the men of Ulster are afflicted by a debilitating curse, the seventeen-year-old Cuchulain must defend Ulster single-handedly.

The Tain is perhaps Ireland's greatest legendary epic, which tells the story of a great cattle-raid, the invasion of Ulster by the armies of Medb and Ailill and their allies, seeking to carry off the great Brown Bull of Cuailnge (Cooley).

Táin Bó Cúalnge, translated by Joseph Dunn

1. Here Beginneth The Cualnge Cattle-raid 5,152 bytes
2. The Occaision of the Táin 8,500 bytes
3. The Rising-Out of the Men of Connacht at Cruachan Ai 3,802 bytes
4. The Foretelling 7,906 bytes
5. This is the Route of the Táin 2,597 bytes
6. The March Of The Host 37,902 bytes
7. The Youthful Exploits Of Cuchulain 7,995 bytes
7a. The Slaying Of The Smith's Hound By Cuchulain, And The Reason He Is Called Cuchulain 8,736 bytes
7b. (The Taking Of Arms By Cuchulain And) The Slaying Of The Three Sons Of Necht Scenè Is Now Told Here 27,455 bytes
8. The Slaying Of Orlam 2,767 bytes
8a. The Slaying Of The Three Macarach 1,290 bytes
8b. The Combat Of Lethan And Cuchulain 1,565 bytes
8c. The Killing of The Squirrel And of The Tame Bird 5,672 bytes
8d. The Slaying Of Lochè 948 bytes
8e. The Killing Of Uala 3,682 bytes
8f. The Harrying Of Cualnge Followeth Here Below 6,962 bytes
9. The Proposals 14,585 bytes
10. The Violent Death Of Etarcumul 11,822 bytes
11. The Slaying Of Nathcrantail 5,151 bytes
12. The Finding of The Bull 4,030 bytes
12a. The Death Of Forgemen 863 bytes
12b. Here Is Narrated The Slaying of Redg The Satirist 3,038 bytes
12c. Here Is Told The Meeting of Cuchulain And Finnabair 3,233 bytes
12d. Here The Combat of Munremar and Curoi 2,007 bytes
12e. The Slaughter of The Boy-Troop 2,358 bytes
12f. The Slaughter of The King's Bodyguard 998 bytes
13. The Combat Of Cûr With Cuchulain 4,427 bytes
14. The Slaying Of Ferbaeth ('The Witless') 4,425 bytes
14a. The Combat Of Larinè MacNois 5,299 bytes
15. The Slaying of Loch Son of Mofemis 8,770 bytes
16. The Violation of the Agreement 1,139 bytes
16a. The Healing Of The Morrigan 2,203 bytes
17. The Great Rout on The Plain of Murthemne 4,360 bytes
17a. The Slaughter of The Youths of Ulster 4,320 bytes
17b. The Scythed Chariot 11,839 bytes
17c. The Account Of The Appearance Of Cuchulain 3,468 bytes
17d. Dubthach's Jealousy 3,515 bytes
18. The Slaying Of Oengus Son Of Oenlam 1,145 bytes
18a. The Misthrow At Belach Eoin. 1,488 bytes
18b. The Disguising Of Tamon 1,312 bytes
19. The Battle Of Fergus And Cuchulain 3,489 bytes
19a. Here Now Cometh The Head-Place Of Ferchu 2,223 bytes
19b. Mann's Fight 1,959 bytes
19c. The Combat of Calatin's Children 6,342 bytes
20. The Combat of Ferdiad and Cuchulain 66,795 bytes
21. Cuchulain and the Rivers 1,362 bytes
22. Cethern's Strait Fight 5,018 bytes
22a. Cethern's Bloody Wounds 14,402 bytes
23. Here Followeth the Tooth-Fight of Fintan 2,371 bytes
23a. The Red-Shame of Menn Followeth Here 1,955 bytes
23b. Here Followeth the Accoutrement of the Charioteers 812 bytes
23c. The White-Fight of Rochad Now Followeth 2,996 bytes
23d. Here Followeth Iliach's Clump-Fight 3,868 bytes
23e. Here Now The Deer-Stalking of Amargin in Taltiu 3,764 bytes
24. The Repeated Warning of Sualtaim 6,512 bytes
24a. The Order of the Men of Ulster 6,186 bytes
24b. The Agitation of Celtchar 2,792 bytes
25. Here Followeth The Array of The Host 55,377 bytes
26. The Decision of the Battle 3,719 bytes
27. Now of The Battle of Garech 4,887 bytes
27a. Here Followeth The Muster of The Men of Erin 14,308 bytes
28. The Battle of The Bulls 3,797 bytes
29. The Account of The Brown Bull of Cualnge 3,328 bytes

Other stories relating to the Táin:

The two pig-keepers – The story of the two pig-keepers and how the bulls were begotten.

The Boyhood Deeds of Cuchulainn – Among the most striking of the many narratives dealing with Cu Chulainn.

The Sons of Mil – Their landing at Inbher Colptha, their conquest of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and the rhapsody of Amergin.

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