Topics in the Ulster Cycle
Ulster characters	Amergin mac Eccit Amergin mac Eccit Amergin mac Eccit is a poet and warrior in the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He was the son of Eccet Salach, a smith, and grew to the age of fourteen without speaking or washing himself. One day Athirne, the Ulaid's chief poet, sent his servant to Eccet to...  Athirne Athirne Athirne or Athairne the Importunate was a poet and satirist of the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He was the foster-father of Amairgin mac Echit, who succeeded him as Ulster's chief poet....  Blaí Briugu Blaí Briugu Blaí Briugu is an Ulster warrior in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. He was wealthy and kept a hostel, and had a geis which required him to sleep with any woman who stayed there unaccompanied. When Brig Bretach, wife of Celtchar, stayed there on her own, he slept with her and for that...  Briccriu Briccriu Bricriu is a hospitaller , troublemaker and poet in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.-Fled Bricrenn:...  Cairbre Cuanach Cathbad Cathbad Cathbad or Cathbhadh is the chief druid in the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology.In his younger days he was a warrior, leading a landless band of twenty-seven men. Once he led a raid on the house where the Ulster princess Ness was brought up, killing all twelve...  Celtchar Celtchar Celtchar , son of Uthechar or Uthidir, is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. In Scéla Mucce Maic Dathó he is described as "a grey, tall, very terrible hero of Ulster". When he challenges Cet mac Mágach for the champion's portion, Cet counters that he once emasculated Celtchar...  Cethern mac Fintain Cethern mac Fintain In the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology, Cethern mac Fintain is an Ulster warrior who aids Cúchulainn in the Táin Bó Cuailnge ....  Conall Cernach Conall Cernach Conall Cernach is a hero of the Ulaidh in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is said to have always slept with the head of a Connachtman under his knee. His epithet is normally translated as "victorious" or "triumphant", although it is an obscure word, and some texts struggle to explain it...  Conchobar mac Nessa Conchobar mac Nessa Conchobar mac Nessa was the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He ruled from Emain Macha .-Birth:...  Condere mac Echach Cruinniuc Cruinniuc Cruinniuc is a wealthy cattle-owner of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. A widower, he is surprised when a beautiful woman turns up at his house, sleeps with him and takes care of his children, without revealing her name...  Cú Chulainn Cú Chulainn Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...  Culann Culann In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Culann was a smith whose house was protected by a ferocious watchdog.Once he invited Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster, and his retinue to a feast at his house. On the way Conchobar saw his young nephew Sétanta playing hurling, and was so impressed he...  Cúscraid Cúscraid Cúscraid, known by the epithet Mend Macha , is a son of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.When he first took arms he led a foray against Connacht...  Dáire mac Fiachna Dáire mac Fiachna In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Dáire mac Fiachna was an Ulster cattle-lord and owner of Donn Cuailnge, the Brown Bull of Cooley, over which the Táin Bó Cuailnge was fought....  Deichtine Deichtine In Irish mythology, Deichtine or Deichtire was the sister of Conchobar mac Nessa and the mother of Cú Chulainn. Her husband was Sualtam, but Cú Chulainn's real father may have been Lug of the Tuatha Dé Danann....  Deirdre Deirdre Deirdre or Derdriu is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish mythology and probably its best-known figure in modern times. She is often called "Deirdre of the Sorrows." Her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-known stories of pre-Christian Ireland.-Legendary Biography:Deirdre was the...  Éogan mac Durthacht Éogan mac Durthacht Éogan mac Durthacht is king of Fernmag in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.He was an enemy of Ulster and its king, Conchobar mac Nessa, but later made his peace with them. He murdered Deirdre's husband, Naoise, on Conchobar's orders....  Fedlimid mac Daill Fedlimid mac Daill Fedlimid mac Daill was a harper and the chief-storyteller in the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. He was the father of Deirdre....  Fergus mac Leti Fergus mac Léti Fergus mac Léti was, according to Irish legend and traditional history, a king of Ulster...  Findchóem Findchóem Findchóem is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. The sister of the Ulster king Conchobar mac Nessa, she is the wife of the poet Amergin, the mother of Conall Cernach and the wet-nurse of Cúchulainn....  Folloman mac Conchobair Furbaide Ferbend Furbaide Ferbend Furbaide Ferbend is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His father is Conchobar mac Nessa, king of the Ulaid. His mother is one of the daughters of Eochu Feidlech, the High King of Ireland: in the saga Cath Boinde and the Dindsenchas poem "Carn Furbaide" she is Eithne, in the...  Láeg Láeg Láeg, or Lóeg, son of Riangabar, is the charioteer and constant companion of the hero Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His horses are Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend....  Lóegaire Búadach Lóegaire Búadach In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Lóegaire Búadach is a hapless Ulster warrior who mainly functions as comic relief. When he, Cúchulainn and Conall Cernach contend for the champion's portion at Briccriu's feast, Lóegaire is always a distant third. He lived at Inber Seimne .His death-tale...  Mugain Mugain Mugain, daughter of Eochaid Feidlech, is the wife of Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster, in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Her epithet, Aitinchairchech, means "having gorse-like body hair"....  Naoise Naoise In Irish mythology, Noíse or Noisiu was the nephew of King Conchobar mac Nessa of Ulster, and a son of Usnech , in the Ulster Cycle....  Ness Ness (Irish mythology) Ness , also called Nessa, is a princess of the Ulaid and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Her father is Eochaid Sálbuide, king of the Ulaid....  Sencha mac Ailella Sencha mac Ailella Sencha mac Ailella is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He acts as an important judge and notable poet during the reign of Conchobar mac Nessa. He volunteered to foster Cúchulainn, but was only an educator. Sencha helped establish peace between the Ulstermen.Sencha's face broke...  Sualtam Sualtam Súaltam mac Róich is the mortal father of the hero Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His wife is Deichtine, sister of Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster. His brother is Fergus mac Róich.The precise nature of Cúchulainn's parentage is unclear and inconsistent...  Usnech
Connacht characters	Ailill mac Máta Ailill mac Máta Ailill mac Máta is the king of the Connachta and the husband of queen Medb in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Cruachan .-Family background, marriage and offspring:...  Bélchú Bélchú Bélchú of Breifne is a warrior of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology....  Cet mac Mágach Cet mac Mágach Cet mac Mágach is a Connacht warrior in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. He had a rivalry with the Ulster warrior Conall Cernach.In some myths, he is said to be the brother of Conall's mother, making him Conall's uncle....  Mac Cécht Mac Cécht (warrior) Mac Cécht is the patronymic or cognomen given to one or two warrior champions from Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature...  Ferdiad Ferdiad Ferdiad , son of Damán, son of Dáire, of the Fir Domnann, is a warrior of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. In the Táin Bó Cúailnge, Ferdiad finds himself on opposite sides to his best friend and foster-brother Cúchulainn, with whom he had trained in arms under the renowned warrior...  Findabair Findabair In Irish mythology, Findabair or Finnabair , whose name likely means "White Phantom" and is etymologically related to Gwenhwyfar, the Welsh original of Guinevere, was the daughter of Ailill and Medb of Connacht....  Fráech Fráech Fráech is a Connacht hero in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He was the nephew of Boann, goddess of the river Boyne, and was renowned for his handsomeness. He belongs to the Fir Domnann....  Maine Medb Medb Medb – Middle Irish: Meḋḃ, Meaḋḃ; early modern Irish: Meadhbh ; reformed modern Irish Méabh, Medbh; sometimes Anglicised Maeve, Maev or Maive – is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...  Nera Nera (mythology) Nera is a warrior of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.One Samhain night when the warriors of Cruachan were feasting, King Aillil offered a prize to any man who was brave enough to put a wicker band around the ankle of a corpse that had been hanged...
Ulster exiles	Cormac Cond Longas Cormac Cond Longas Cormac Cond Longas was the eldest son of Conchobar mac Nessa by his own mother, Ness, in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...  Dubthach Dóeltenga Dubthach Dóeltenga In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Dubthach Dóeltenga was a cynical ally of Fergus mac Róich who rarely had a good word to say about anyone. He followed Fergus into exile in Connacht following the Deirdre affair, and fought beside him in the Táin Bó Cuailnge, although at one point Fergus...  Fergus mac Róich Fergus mac Róich Fergus mac Róich is a character of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...  Fiachu mac Fir Febhe
Other characters	Achall Achall Achall, daughter of Cairbre Nia Fer, king of Tara, and his wife Fedelm Noíchrothach, is a minor character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...  Áed Ruad Áed Ruad Áed Rúad, son of Badarn, Díthorba, son of Deman, and Cimbáeth, son of Fintan, three grandsons of Airgetmar, were, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, High Kings of Ireland who ruled in rotation, seven years at a time. They each ruled for three seven-year stints...  Aífe Aífe Aífe is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She appears in the sagas Tochmarc Emire and Aided Óenfhir Aífe . In Tochmarc Emire she lives east of a land called Alpi, usually understood to mean Alba , where she is at war with a rival warrior-woman, Scáthach...  Blathnát Blathnát Bláthnat , sometimes Bláthíne, is a character in early Irish literature, a king's daughter, wife of the warrior Cú Roí and the lover of his rival Cú Chulainn.-Love triangle:...  Cairbre Nia Fer Cairbre Nia Fer Cairbre Nia Fer , son of Rus Ruad, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a King of Tara from the Laigin....  Connla Connla Connla or Conlaoch is a character in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, the son of the Ulster champion Cú Chulainn and the Scottish warrior woman Aífe. He was raised alone by his mother in Scotland...  Cú Roí Cú Roí Cú Roí mac Dáire is a king of Munster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is usually portrayed as a warrior with superhuman abilities and a master of disguise possessed of magical powers. His name probably means "hound of the plain/field", or more specifically, "hound of the battlefield"...  Emer Emer Emer , in modern Irish Éimhear, or, erroneously, Eimhear or Éimear, daughter of Forgall Monach, is the wife of the hero Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.-Tochmarc Emire "The Wooing of Emer":...  Erc mac Cairpri Erc mac Cairpri Erc mac Cairpri is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His is the son of Cairpre Nia Fer, king of Tara, and his wife Fedelm Noíchrothach, daughter of Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster...  Fand Fedelm Noíchrothach Fedelm Noíchrothach Fedelm Noíchrothach , also known as Fedelm Noíchride , is a daughter of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology....  Flidais Flidais Flidais is a female mythological figure in early Irish literature, including the Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Metrical Dindsenchas and the Ulster Cycle...  Friuch Garb mac Stairn Goll mac Carbada Lugh Lugh Lug or Lugh is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. He is known by the epithets Lámhfhada , for his skill with a spear or sling, Ildánach , Samhildánach , Lonnbeimnech and Macnia , and by the...  Lugaid mac Con Roí Lugaid mac Con Roí In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Lugaid mac Con Roí was the son of Cú Roí mac Dáire. He was also known as Lugaid mac Trí Con ....  Lugaid Riab nDerg Lugaid Riab nDerg Lugaid Riab nDerg or Réoderg , son of the three findemna, triplet sons of Eochu Feidlech, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland.-Conception:...  Macha Macha Macha is the name of a goddess and several other characters in Irish mythology.Macha can also mean:*The LÉ Macha , a ship in the Irish Naval Service, named for the goddess*The Macha crater in Russia, less than 7000 years old...  Mesgegra Mesgegra In Irish mythology, Mesgegra was king of Leinster during the events of the Ulster Cycle.Conall Cernach killed Mesgegra in single combat following a battle provoked by the Ulster poet Athirne. Mesgegra had lost a hand in an earlier fight, so Conall fought him with one hand tucked into his belt...  Mórrígan Morrígan The Morrígan or Mórrígan , also written as Morrígu or in the plural as Morrígna, and spelt Morríghan or Mór-Ríoghain in Modern Irish, is a figure from Irish mythology who appears to have once been a goddess, although she is not explicitly referred to as such in the texts.The Morrigan is a goddess...  Nechtan Scéne Nechtan Scéne In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology Nechtan Scéne was the mother of three warriors named Fannell, Foill and Tuchell, who boasted they had killed more Ulstermen than there were Ulstermen still living. They were killed by Cúchulainn in The Boyhood Deeds of Cúchulainn with the spear Del Chliss of...  Scáthach Scáthach Scáthach is a figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She is a legendary Scottish warrior woman and martial arts teacher who trains the legendary Ulster hero Cú Chulainn in the arts of combat...  Uathach Uathach In Irish and Scottish mythology, Uathach was Scáthach's daughter. Cú Chulainn, who had recently arrived at Scáthach's fortress-home to be her pupil, accidentally broke one of Uathach's fingers, and Uathach's suitor, Cochar Croibhe, challenged him to single combat despite Uathach's protests. Cú...
Weapons	Caladbolg Caladbolg Caladbolg , sometimes written Caladcholg , is the sword of Fergus mac Róich from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...  Gae Bulg Gáe Bulg The Gáe Bulg , meaning "spear of mortal pain/death spear", "gapped/notched spear", or "belly spear", was the name of the spear of Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...
Places	Emain Macha Emain Macha ]Navan Fort – known in Old Irish as Eṁaın Ṁacha and in Modern Irish as Eamhain Mhacha – is an ancient monument in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to Irish legend, it was one of the major power centers of pre-Christian Ireland...  Cruachan Cruachan, Ireland Rathcroghan is a complex of archaeological sites near Tulsk in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is identified as the site of Cruachan, the traditional capital of the Connachta. While it is debatable whether this was a place of residence, it had huge importance as a cemetery and also hosted some of...  Newgrange Newgrange Newgrange is a prehistoric monument located in County Meath, on the eastern side of Ireland, about one kilometre north of the River Boyne. It was built around 3200 BC , during the Neolithic period...  Red Branch Red Branch The Red Branch is the name of two of the three royal houses of the king of Ulster, Conchobar mac Nessa, at his capital Emain Macha , in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...  Tara
Animals	Donn Cuailnge Donn Cuailnge In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology Donn Cúailnge, the Brown Bull of Cooley, was an extremely fertile stud bull over whom the Táin Bó Cúailnge was fought....  Finnbhennach Finnbhennach In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Finnbhennach was an extremely fertile stud bull owned by king Ailill of Connacht....
Texts	Fled Bricrenn Fled Bricrenn Fled Bricrenn is a story from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Bricriu, an inveterate troublemaker, invites the nobles of the Ulaid to a feast at his new house at Dún Rudraige , where he incites three heroes, Cúchulainn, Conall Cernach, and Lóegaire Búadach, to compete for the "champion's... Mesca Ulad Mesca Ulad Mesca Ulad is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle preserved in the 12th century manuscripts the Book of Leinster and in the Lebor na hUidre. The title Mesca Ulad occurs only in the Book of Leinster version.-Manuscript sources:*Book of Leinster : p 261b-268b . Second part missing... Serglige Con Culainn Táin Bó Cuailnge Táin Bó Cúailnge is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...

The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology

Irish mythology

The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...

, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid

Ulaid

The Ulaid or Ulaidh were a people of early Ireland who gave their name to the modern province of Ulster...

 in what is now eastern Ulster

Ulster

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

 and northern Leinster

Leinster

Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...

, particularly counties Armagh

County Armagh

-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...

, Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

 and Louth

County Louth

County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...

.

Ulster Cycle stories

The Ulster Cycle stories are set in and around the reign of King Conchobar mac Nessa

Conchobar mac Nessa

Conchobar mac Nessa was the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He ruled from Emain Macha .-Birth:...

, who rules the Ulaid from Emain Macha

Emain Macha

]Navan Fort – known in Old Irish as Eṁaın Ṁacha and in Modern Irish as Eamhain Mhacha – is an ancient monument in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. According to Irish legend, it was one of the major power centers of pre-Christian Ireland...

 (now Navan Fort near Armagh

Armagh

Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...

). The most prominent hero of the cycle is Conchobar's nephew, Cú Chulainn

Cú Chulainn

Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...

. The Ulaid are most often in conflict with the Connachta

Connachta

The Connachta are a group of medieval Irish dynasties who claimed descent from the legendary High King Conn Cétchathach...

, led by their queen, Medb

Medb

Medb – Middle Irish: Meḋḃ, Meaḋḃ; early modern Irish: Meadhbh ; reformed modern Irish Méabh, Medbh; sometimes Anglicised Maeve, Maev or Maive – is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...

, her husband, Ailill

Ailill mac Máta

Ailill mac Máta is the king of the Connachta and the husband of queen Medb in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He rules from Cruachan .-Family background, marriage and offspring:...

, and their ally Fergus mac Róich

Fergus mac Róich

Fergus mac Róich is a character of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...

, a former king of the Ulaid in exile. The longest and most important story of the cycle is the Táin Bó Cúailnge

Táin Bó Cúailnge

is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...

or "Cattle Raid of Cooley", in which Medb raises an enormous army to invade the Cooley peninsula

Cooley peninsula

The Cooley Peninsula is a hilly peninsula in County Louth, Ireland, which includes towns such as Omeath, Carlingford and Greenore.-Geography:...

 and steal the Ulaid's prize bull, Donn Cúailnge

Donn Cuailnge

In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology Donn Cúailnge, the Brown Bull of Cooley, was an extremely fertile stud bull over whom the Táin Bó Cúailnge was fought....

, opposed only by the seventeen-year-old Cú Chulainn. In the Mayo Táin, the Táin Bó Flidhais

Táin Bó Flidhais

Táin Bó Flidhais, also known as the Mayo Táin, is a tale from the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature. It is one of a group of works known as Táin Bó, or "cattle raid" stories, the best known of which is Táin Bó Cúailnge...

 it is a white cow known as the 'Maol' that is the object of desire, for she can give enough milk at one milking to feed an army. Perhaps the best known story is the tragedy of Deirdre

Deirdre

Deirdre or Derdriu is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish mythology and probably its best-known figure in modern times. She is often called "Deirdre of the Sorrows." Her story is part of the Ulster Cycle, the best-known stories of pre-Christian Ireland.-Legendary Biography:Deirdre was the...

, source of plays by W. B. Yeats and J. M. Synge. Other stories tell of the births, courtships and deaths of the characters and of the conflicts between them.

The stories are written in Old and Middle Irish, mostly in prose, interspersed with occasional verse passages. They are preserved in manuscripts of the 12th to 15th centuries, but in many cases are much older: the language of the earliest stories is dateable to the 8th century, and events and characters are referred to in poems dating to the 7th. The tone is terse, violent, sometimes comic, and mostly realistic, although supernatural elements intrude from time to time. Cú Chulainn in particular has superhuman fighting skills, the result of his semi-divine ancestry, and when particularly aroused his battle frenzy or ríastrad transforms him into an unrecognisable monster who knows neither friend nor foe. Evident deities

Deity

A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....

 like Lugh

Lugh

Lug or Lugh is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. He is known by the epithets Lámhfhada , for his skill with a spear or sling, Ildánach , Samhildánach , Lonnbeimnech and Macnia , and by the...

, the Morrígan

Morrígan

The Morrígan or Mórrígan , also written as Morrígu or in the plural as Morrígna, and spelt Morríghan or Mór-Ríoghain in Modern Irish, is a figure from Irish mythology who appears to have once been a goddess, although she is not explicitly referred to as such in the texts.The Morrigan is a goddess...

, Aengus

Aengus

In Irish mythology, Óengus , Áengus , or Aengus or Aonghus , is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration...

 and Midir

Midir

In the Mythological Cycle of early Irish literature, Midir or Midhir was a son of the Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann. After the Tuatha Dé were defeated by the Milesians, he lived in the sidh of Brí Léith...

 also make occasional appearances.

Unlike the majority of early Irish historical tradition, which presents ancient Ireland as largely united under a succession of High Kings

High King of Ireland

The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...

, the stories of the Ulster Cycle depict a country with no effective central authority, divided into local and provincial kingdoms often at war with each other. The civilisation depicted is a pagan, pastoral one ruled by a warrior aristocracy. Bonds between aristocratic families are cemented by fosterage of each other's children. Wealth is reckoned in cattle. Warfare mainly takes the form of cattle raids, or single combats between champions at fords. The characters' actions are sometimes restricted by religious taboos known as geasa.

The events of the cycle are traditionally supposed to take place around the time of Christ

Christ

Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...

. The stories of Conchobar's birth and death are synchronised with the birth and death of Christ, and the Lebor Gabála Érenn

Lebor Gabála Érenn

Lebor Gabála Érenn is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of poems and prose narratives recounting the mythical origins and history of the Irish from the creation of the world down to the Middle Ages...

dates the Táin Bó Cúailnge and the birth and death of Cú Chulainn to the reign of the High King Conaire Mor

Conaire Mor

Conaire Mór , son of Eterscél, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. His mother was Mess Búachalla, who was either the daughter of Eochu Feidlech and Étaín, or of Eochu Airem and his daughter by Étaín...

, who it says was a contemporary of the Roman emperor

Roman Emperor

The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...

 Augustus

Augustus

Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...

 (27 BC — AD 14). However, some stories, including the Táin, refer to Cairbre Nia Fer

Cairbre Nia Fer

Cairbre Nia Fer , son of Rus Ruad, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a King of Tara from the Laigin....

 as the king of Tara

Hill of Tara

The Hill of Tara , located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland...

, implying that no High King is in place at the time.

The presence of the Connachta as the Ulaid's enemies is an apparent anachronism: the Connachta were traditionally said to have been the descendants of Conn Cétchathach

Conn of the Hundred Battles

Conn Cétchathach , son of Fedlimid Rechtmar, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland, and the ancestor of the Connachta, and, through his descendant Niall Noígiallach, the Uí Néill dynasties, which dominated Ireland in the early middle ages, and...

, who is supposed to have lived several centuries later. Later stories use the name Cóiced Ol nEchmacht

Cóiced Ol nEchmacht

-Etymology and extent:Cóiced Ol nEchmacht may be translated as the portion/fifth/province of the Ol nEchmacht, also called the Fir Ol nEchmacht . They were divided up into three main tribes: the Fir Craibe, or Fir na Criabe; the Tuatha Taiden; the Gamanraige...

 as an earlier name for the province of Connacht to get around this problem. However, the chronology of early Irish historical tradition is an artificial attempt by Christian monks to synchronise native traditions with classical and biblical history, and it is possible that historical wars between the Ulaid and the Connachta have been chronologically misplaced.

Some scholars of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Eugene O'Curry

Eugene O'Curry

-Life:He was born at Doonaha, near Carrigaholt, County Clare, the son of Eoghan Ó Comhraí, a farmer, and his wife Cáit. Eoghan had spent some time as a travelling pedlar and had developed an interest in Irish folklore and music. Unusually for someone of his background, he appears to have been...

 and Kuno Meyer

Kuno Meyer

Kuno Meyer was a German scholar, distinguished in the field of Celtic philology and literature. His pro-German stance at the start of World War I while traveling in the United States was a source of controversy.-Biography:...

, believed that the stories and characters of the Ulster Cycle were essentially historical; T. F. O'Rahilly

T. F. O'Rahilly

Thomas Francis O'Rahilly was an Irish scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly in the fields of Historical linguistics and Irish dialects. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy.-Biography:He was born in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland...

 was inclined to believe the stories were entirely mythical and the characters euhemerised gods; and Ernst Windisch

Ernst Windisch

Ernst Wilhelm Oskar Windisch was a German scholar and celticist.He is known as an Indo-Europeanist. He was also a friend of the young Friedrich Nietzsche.-Works:...

 thought that the cycle, while largely imaginary, contains little genuine myth. Elements of the tales are reminiscent of classical descriptions of Celtic societies in Gaul

Gaul

Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...

, Galatia

Galatia

Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia was named for the immigrant Gauls from Thrace , who settled here and became its ruling caste in the 3rd century BC, following the Gallic invasion of the Balkans in 279 BC. It has been called the "Gallia" of...

 and Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. Warriors fight with swords, spears and shields, and ride in two-horse chariots, driven by skilled charioteers drawn from the lower classes. They take and preserve the heads of slain enemies, and boast of their valour at feasts, with the bravest awarded the curadmír

Curadmír

The Curadmír or Champion's Portion was an ancient custom referred to in early Irish literature, whereby the warrior acknowledged as the bravest present at a feast was given precedence and awarded the choicest cut of meat. This was often disputed violently. The custom appears most often in the...

or "champion's portion", the choicest cut of meat. Kings are advised by druid

Druid

A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....

s (Old Irish druí, plural druíd), and poets have great power and privilege. These elements led scholars such as Kenneth H. Jackson

Kenneth H. Jackson

Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson was an English linguist and a translator who specialised in the Celtic languages. He demonstrated how the text of the Ulster Cycle of tales, written circa AD 1100, preserves an oral tradition originating some six centuries earlier and reflects Celtic Irish society of the...

 to conclude that the stories of the Ulster Cycle preserved authentic Celtic traditions from the pre-Christian Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

. Other scholars have challenged that conclusion, stressing similarities with early medieval Irish society and the influence of classical literature, but it is likely that the stories do contain genuinely ancient material.

It is probable the oldest strata of tales are those involving the complex relationship between the Ulaid and the Érainn, represented in the Ulster Cycle by Cú Roí

Cú Roí

Cú Roí mac Dáire is a king of Munster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He is usually portrayed as a warrior with superhuman abilities and a master of disguise possessed of magical powers. His name probably means "hound of the plain/field", or more specifically, "hound of the battlefield"...

 and the Clanna Dedad, and later by Conaire Mór

Conaire Mor

Conaire Mór , son of Eterscél, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. His mother was Mess Búachalla, who was either the daughter of Eochu Feidlech and Étaín, or of Eochu Airem and his daughter by Étaín...

. It was observed a century ago by Eoin MacNeill

Eoin MacNeill

Eoin MacNeill was an Irish scholar, nationalist, revolutionary and politician. MacNeill is regarded as the father of the modern study of early Irish medieval history. He was a co-founder of the Gaelic League, to preserve Irish language and culture, going on to establish the Irish Volunteers...

  and other scholars that the historical Ulaid, as represented by the Dál Fiatach

Dál Fiatach

The Dál Fiatach were a group of related dynasties located in eastern Ulster in the Early Christian and Early Medieval periods of the history of Ireland.-Description:...

, were apparently related to the Clanna Dedad. T. F. O'Rahilly

T. F. O'Rahilly

Thomas Francis O'Rahilly was an Irish scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly in the fields of Historical linguistics and Irish dialects. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy.-Biography:He was born in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland...

 later concluded that the Ulaid were in fact a branch of the Érainn. Perhaps most notably a number of the Érainn appear to have been powerful Kings of Tara

Kings of Tara

The term King of Tara was a title of authority in ancient Ireland. The position was considered an eminent authority in medieval Irish literature and mythology, though national kingship was never a historical reality in early Ireland....

, with a secondary base of power at the now lost Temair Luachra "Tara of the Rushes" in West Munster, where some action in the Ulster Cycle takes place and may even have been transplanted from the midland Tara. Additionally it may be noteworthy that the several small cycles of tales involving the early dominance of the Érainn in Ireland generally predate the majority of the Ulster Cycle tales in content, if not in their final forms, and are believed to be of a substantially more pre-Christian character. Several of these do not even mention the famous characters from the Ulster Cycle, and those that do may have been slightly reworked after its later expansion with the Táin and rise in popularity.

Texts

Earliest strata

• Conailla Medb míchuru "Medb
  Medb
  Medb – Middle Irish: Meḋḃ, Meaḋḃ; early modern Irish: Meadhbh ; reformed modern Irish Méabh, Medbh; sometimes Anglicised Maeve, Maev or Maive – is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...
  
   has entered evil contracts" (seventh-century poem attributed to Luccreth moccu Chiara
  Luccreth moccu Chiara
  Luccreth moccu Chíara was a poet from County Kerry, Ireland who wrote in archaic Old Irish. Moccu is an archaic form marking affiliation to an ancestral population group or gens, in this case the Cíarraige...
  
  )
• The lost manuscript Cín Dromma Snechtai
  Cín Dromma Snechtai
  Cín Dromma Snechtai or Lebor Dromma Snechtai is a now long-lost early Irish manuscript. Old Irish cín, derived from the Latin quinio "five", was a small book made of five folded vellum leaves; lebor, modern Irish leabhar, is the standard word for a book...
  
  , associated with Bangor, is thought to have included versions of these five texts:
  • Compert Con Culainn "The Birth of Cú Chulainn
    Cú Chulainn
    Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
    
    "
  • Compert Conchobuir "The Birth of Conchobor"
  • Fíl and grían Glinne Aí
  • Forfess fer Falchae "Night-watch against the men of Falgae"
  • Verba Scathaige "The words of Scáthach
    Scáthach
    Scáthach is a figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She is a legendary Scottish warrior woman and martial arts teacher who trains the legendary Ulster hero Cú Chulainn in the arts of combat...
    
    "
• Material related to Cú Roí, such as Amra Con Roí and Aided Con Roi
• References in Old Irish law, e.g. Cethairslicht Athgabálae.

Here follows a list of tales which are assigned to the Ulster Cycle, although it does not claim to be exhaustive. The classification according to 'genre' followed here is merely a convenient tool to bring clarity to a large body of texts, but it is not the only possible one nor does it necessarily reflect contemporary approaches of classifying texts.

Compert Birth

• Compert Con Culainn
  Compert Con Culainn
  Compert Con Culainn is an early medieval Irish narrative about the conception and birth of the hero Cú Chulainn. Part of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, it survives in two major versions.-Manuscripts:...
  
  "The Birth of Cú Chulainn
  Cú Chulainn
  Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
  
  "
• Compert Conchobuir "The Birth of Conchobor"

Wooings and elopements

• Aided Conrói maic Dáiri
• Aithed Emere (le Tuir nGlesta) "The Elopement of Emer (with Tuir Glesta)"
• Aislinge Óenguso "The Dream of Óengus"
• Longes mac n-Uislenn "The Exile of the sons of Uisliu"
• Oided mac n-Uisneg
• Tochmarc Emire
  Tochmarc Emire
  Tochmarc Emire is one of the stories in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology and one of the longest when it received its form in the second recension . It concerns the efforts of the hero Cú Chulainn to marry Emer, who appears as his wife in other stories of the cycle, and his training in arms...
  
  
• Tochmarc Étaíne
  Tochmarc Étaíne
  Tochmarc Étaíne , meaning "The Wooing of Étaín", is an early text of the Irish Mythological Cycle, and also features characters from the Ulster Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. It is partially preserved in the manuscript known as the Lebor na hUidre , and completely preserved in the Yellow Book...
  
  
• Tochmarc Ferbe (or Fís Conchobair)
• Tochmarc Luaine 7 aided Arthirne (second half 12th C)
• Tochmarc Treblainne

Feasts

• Da Gábail int sída "On the Taking of the (síd-)Mound"
• Echtra Neraí
• Scéla mucce maic Dathó
  The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig
  The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, written primarily in prose and heroic saga form and placed within the Ulster Cycle. The story's composition in its present form can probably be attributed to an unknown author of Leinster c...
  
  "The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig"
• Mesca Ulad
  Mesca Ulad
  Mesca Ulad is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle preserved in the 12th century manuscripts the Book of Leinster and in the Lebor na hUidre. The title Mesca Ulad occurs only in the Book of Leinster version.-Manuscript sources:*Book of Leinster : p 261b-268b . Second part missing...
  
  "The Intoxication of the Ulstermen"
• Fled Bricrenn
  Fled Bricrenn
  Fled Bricrenn is a story from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Bricriu, an inveterate troublemaker, invites the nobles of the Ulaid to a feast at his new house at Dún Rudraige , where he incites three heroes, Cúchulainn, Conall Cernach, and Lóegaire Búadach, to compete for the "champion's...
  
  "The Feast of Bricriu"
• Fled Bricrenn 7 Longes mac n-Duil Dermait
• Bruiden da Chocae "The Hostel of Da Choca"
• Togal Bruidne Da Derga "The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel"
  • De Shíl Chonairi Móir "On the Descendants of Conaire Mór"
  • De Maccaib Conaire "On the sons of Conaire (Mór)"

Cath 'Battle'

• Cath Airtig "The Battle of Airtech"
• Cath Aenaig Macha "The Battle of the Assembly of Macha"
• Cath Cumair "The Battle of Cumar" or Cath Atha Comair
• Cath Findchorad "The Battle of Findchorad"
• Cath Leitrich Ruide "The Battle of Leititr Ruide"
• Cath Ruis na Ríg "The Battle of Rosnaree
  Rosnaree
  Rossnaree is a small village in County Meath, Ireland, on the south bank of the River Boyne, near the Brú na Bóinne complex of neolithic monuments on the north bank. It commands a ford that was used by the Williamites at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690...
  
  "
• Cogadh Fheargusa agus Chonchobhair "The Battle of Fergus
  Fergus mac Róich
  Fergus mac Róich is a character of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...
  
   and Conchobor"
• Forfess fer Falchae "Night-watch against the men of Falgae"
• Comracc Con Chulainn re Senbecc "The Combat of Cú Chulainn with Senbecc"
• Cathcharpat Serda "The Scythed Battle-Chariot"

Táin Bó

Táin Bó

The Táin Bó, or cattle raid , is one of the genres of early Irish literature. The medieval Irish literati organised their work into genres such as the Cattle Raid , the Voyage , the Feast , the Wooing , the Conception and the Death , rather than the familiar but...

'Cattle-raid'

• Táin Bó Cúailnge
  Táin Bó Cúailnge
  is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...
  
  I
• Táin Bó Cúailnge
  Táin Bó Cúailnge
  is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...
  
  II
• Táin Bó Cúailnge
  Táin Bó Cúailnge
  is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...
  
  III
• De Faillsigud Tána Bó Cuailnge "On the finding of the Táin Bó Cúailnge"
• Táin Bó Dartada "The Cattle Raid of Dartaid"
• Táin Bó Flidhais
  Táin Bó Flidhais
  Táin Bó Flidhais, also known as the Mayo Táin, is a tale from the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature. It is one of a group of works known as Táin Bó, or "cattle raid" stories, the best known of which is Táin Bó Cúailnge...
  
  I "The Cattle Raid of Flidais
  Flidais
  Flidais is a female mythological figure in early Irish literature, including the Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Metrical Dindsenchas and the Ulster Cycle...
  
  " I
• Táin Bó Flidhais
  Táin Bó Flidhais
  Táin Bó Flidhais, also known as the Mayo Táin, is a tale from the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature. It is one of a group of works known as Táin Bó, or "cattle raid" stories, the best known of which is Táin Bó Cúailnge...
  
  II "The Cattle Raid of Flidais
  Flidais
  Flidais is a female mythological figure in early Irish literature, including the Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Metrical Dindsenchas and the Ulster Cycle...
  
  " II
• Tain Bó Fraích "The Raid of Fróech's Cattle"
• Tain Bó Regamain "The Cattle Raid of Regamon"
• Tain Bó Regamna "The Cattle Raid of Regamain"

Remscéla (Fore-tales) to the Táin Bó Cúailnge

• Ces Noínden, In Ceas Naigen
• De Chophur in Dá Mucado
• Echtra Nerai
• see further: Táin Bó Cúailnge
  Táin Bó Cúailnge
  is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...
  
  

Aided "Violent death"

• Aided Chonchobuir "The Death of Conchobor"
• Aided Áenfir Aífe "The Death of Aífe
  Aífe
  Aífe is a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She appears in the sagas Tochmarc Emire and Aided Óenfhir Aífe . In Tochmarc Emire she lives east of a land called Alpi, usually understood to mean Alba , where she is at war with a rival warrior-woman, Scáthach...
  
  's Only Son"
• Cuchulinn 7 Conlaech "Cú Chulainn and Conla"
• Aided Con Culainn or Brislech Mór Maige Muirthemne
• Aided Ceit maic Mágach "The Death of Cét mac Mágach"
• Aided Cheltchair mac Uthechair "The Death of Celtchar mac Uthechair"
• Aided Derbforgaill "The Death of Derbforgaill"
• Aided Fergusa maic Roig "The Death of Fergus mac Róig"
• Imthechta Tuaithe Luachra 7 Aided Fergusa "The Proceedings of the People of Luchra and the Death of Fergus (mac Léti)"
• Aided Guill meic Garbada ocus Aided Gairb Glinne Ríge
• Aided Laegairi Buadaig "The Death of Loegaire Buadach"
• Goire Conaill Chernaig 7 Aided Aillela 7 Conall Chernaig "The Cherishing of Conall Cernach and the Deaths of Ailill and Conall Cernach"
• Aided Meidbe "The Death of Medb
  Medb
  Medb – Middle Irish: Meḋḃ, Meaḋḃ; early modern Irish: Meadhbh ; reformed modern Irish Méabh, Medbh; sometimes Anglicised Maeve, Maev or Maive – is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology...
  
  "
• Ferchuitred Medba, Cath Boinne

Miscellaneous

• Verba Scathaige "The words of Scáthach
  Scáthach
  Scáthach is a figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She is a legendary Scottish warrior woman and martial arts teacher who trains the legendary Ulster hero Cú Chulainn in the arts of combat...
  
  "
• Scéla Conchobair maic Nessa "The Story of Conchobor mac Nessa"
• Siaburcharpat Con Culaind "Cú Chulainn's Phantom Chariot"
• Foglaim Con Culainn "Cú Chulainn's Training"
• Serglige Con Culainn
  Serglige Con Culainn
  Serglige Con Culainn , also known as Oenét Emire is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It originated in the 10th and 11th centuries, and survives in the Book of the Dun Cow, which combines two earlier versions. It tells of a curse of illness inflicted upon the hero Cú Chulainn...
  
  "The Wasting Sickness of Cú Chulainn"
• Immacaldam in dá thuarad "The Colloquy of the Two Sages"
• Talland Étair "The Siege of Howth
  Howth
  Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
  
  "
• Cath Étair "The Battle of Howth
  Howth
  Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only...
  
  "
• Tromdámh Guaire (or Imthecht na Tromdáime)
• Lánellach Tigi Rích 7 Ruirech "The Full Complement of the House of a King and an Overlord"
• Fochonn Loingse Fergusa meic Róig "The cause of the exile of Fergus mac Róig"
• Nede 7 Caier "Néde and Caier"
• Echtra Fergusa maic Léti"The Adventures of Fergus mac Léti"

Texts in translation

Most of the important Ulster Cycle tales can be found in the following publications:

• Thomas Kinsella
  Thomas Kinsella
  Thomas Kinsella is an Irish poet, translator, editor, and publisher.-Early life and work:Kinsella was born in Lucan, County Dublin. He spent much of his childhood with relatives in rural Ireland. He was educated in the Irish language at the Model School, Inchicore and the O'Connell Christian...
  
  , The Táin, Oxford University Press, 1969
• Stephen Dunford, Táin Bó Flidhais
  Táin Bó Flidhais
  Táin Bó Flidhais, also known as the Mayo Táin, is a tale from the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature. It is one of a group of works known as Táin Bó, or "cattle raid" stories, the best known of which is Táin Bó Cúailnge...
  
   or The Mayo Táin, Enniscrone, 2008
• Jeffrey Gantz, Early Irish Myths and Sagas, Penguin, 1981
• Tom Peete Cross & Clark Harris Slover, Ancient Irish Tales, Henry Holt & Company, 1936 (reprinted by Barnes & Noble, 1996)
• John T Koch & John Carey, The Celtic Heroic Age, Celtic Studies Publications, 2000
• Kuno Meyer
  Kuno Meyer
  Kuno Meyer was a German scholar, distinguished in the field of Celtic philology and literature. His pro-German stance at the start of World War I while traveling in the United States was a source of controversy.-Biography:...
  
  , The Death-Tales of the Ulster Heroes, Todd Lecture Series, 1906
• A H Leahy, Heroic Romances of Ireland, 2 vols, 1905-1906 (Online at Sacred Texts)

Online translations

• The Martial Career of Conghal Cláiringhnech
• The Birth of Conchobar
• Tidings of Conchobar son of Ness
• The War of Fergus and Conchobar
• Medb's Men, or the Battle of the Boyne
• The Conception of Conall Cernach
• The Birth of Cú Chulainn
• The Wooing of Emer
• The Death of Aífe's Only Son
• The Story of Mac Dathó's Pig
• Bricriu's Feast
• The Exile of the Sons of Usnech
• The Dream of Óengus
• The Cattle Raid of Fráech
• The Raid for the Cattle of Regamon
• The Raid for Dartaid's Cattle
• The Driving of Flidais's Cattle
• The Courtship of Ferb Book of Leinster version; Egerton version
• The Adventures of Nera
• The Cattle Raid of Regamna
• The Debility of the Ulstermen
• The Cattle Raid of Cooley Recension 1; Recension 2
• The Battle of Ross na Ríg
• The Death of Cú Roí
• The Sick-Bed of Cuchulain
• The Pursuit of Gruaidh Ghriansholus
• The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel
• The Death of Celtchar mac Uthechair
• The Affliction of the Ulstermen
• The Colloquy of the Two Sages
• The Death of Cú Chulainn
• The Death of Cet mac Mágach
• The Death of Lóegaire Búadach
• The Death of Conchobar
• The Battle of Airtech
• The Death of Fergus mac Róich
• The Violent Death of Medb
• The Phantom Chariot of Cú Chulainn
• The Revealing of the Táin Bó Cúailnge

Adaptations

The Ulster Cycle provided material for Irish writers of the Gaelic revival

Gaelic Revival

The Gaelic revival was the late-nineteenth-century national revival of interest in the Irish language and Irish Gaelic culture...

 around the turn of the twentieth century. Augusta, Lady Gregory

Augusta, Lady Gregory

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory , born Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish dramatist and folklorist. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced a number of...

's Cuchulain of Muirthemne (1902) retold most of the important stories of the cycle, as did Eleanor Hull

Eleanor Hull

Eleanor Henrietta Hull was born in England, of a County Down family. She was educated at Alexandra College, Dublin and was a student of Irish Studies. She was a journalist and scholar of Old Irish and in 1899 was co-founder of the Irish Texts Society for the publication of early manuscripts...

 for younger readers in The Boys' Cuchulain (1904). William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...

 wrote a series of plays - On Baile's Strand (1904), Deirdre (1907), The Green Helmet (1910), At the Hawk's Well

At the Hawk's Well

At the Hawk's Well is a one act play by William Butler Yeats, first performed in 1916 and published in 1917. It is one of five plays by Yeats which are loosely based on the stories of Cuchulain the mythological hero of ancient Ulster...

(1917), The Only Jealousy of Emer (1919) and The Death of Cuchulain (1939) - and a poem, Cuchulain's Fight with the Sea (1892), based on the legends, and completed the late John Millington Synge

John Millington Synge

Edmund John Millington Synge was an Irish playwright, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival and was one of the cofounders of the Abbey Theatre...

's unfinished play Deirdre of the Sorrows

Deirdre of the Sorrows

Deirdre of the Sorrows is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, first performed at the Abbey Theatre by the Irish National Theatre Society in 1910. The play is based on Irish Mythology, in particular the myths concerning Deirdre and Conchobar...

(1910), in collaboration with Synge's widow Molly Allgood.

More recent literary adaptations include Rosemary Sutcliff

Rosemary Sutcliff

Rosemary Sutcliff CBE was a British novelist, and writer for children, best known as a writer of historical fiction and children's literature. Although she was primarily a children's author, the quality and depth of her writing also appeals to adults; Sutcliff herself once commented that she wrote...

's children's novel The Hound of Ulster (1963), Patricia Finney

Patricia Finney

Patricia Finney is an English author and journalist. She is a graduate of Oxford University with a degree in History. She has written under the pen names "P. F...

's novel A Shadow of Gulls (1977), and Vincent Woods

Vincent Woods

Vincent Woods is an Irish poet and playwright. He currently hosts The Arts Show on RTÉ Radio 1.-His life:Woods was born in County Leitrim. Woods lived in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia and worked as a journalist with Raidió Teilifís Éireann until 1989. Woods' radio play, The...

' play A Cry from Heaven

A Cry from Heaven

A Cry from Heaven is a play by Irish playwright Vincent Woods. It retells the story of the beautiful Deirdre and the Sons of Usna which is one of the great tragedies of Irish myth. The birth of a girl heralded by omens of a vulture-shrouded sky begins the drama of King Conchobar mac Nessa and his...

(2005). Cartoonist Patrick Brown is adapting the cycle as a webcomic

Webcomic

Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....

, beginning with the story of Conchobar's mother Ness

Ness (Irish mythology)

Ness , also called Nessa, is a princess of the Ulaid and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Her father is Eochaid Sálbuide, king of the Ulaid....

, now complete, and continuing with "The Cattle Raid of Cooley", adapting Táin Bó Cúailnge. Oghme Comics also are in the process of adapting the story of Cúchulainn

Cúchulainn

Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...

in graphic novel format, as a series of webcomics, as well as Illustrations of Characters from the Ulster cycle.

The dramatic musical program "Celtic Hero" in the Radio Tales

Radio Tales

Radio Tales is an American series of radio dramas produced by Generations Productions. This series adapted classic works of American and world literature such as The War of the Worlds, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Beowulf, Gulliver's Travels, and the One Thousand and One Nights...

series for National Public Radio, was based on the Ulster Cycle story Tochmarc Emire

Tochmarc Emire

Tochmarc Emire is one of the stories in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology and one of the longest when it received its form in the second recension . It concerns the efforts of the hero Cú Chulainn to marry Emer, who appears as his wife in other stories of the cycle, and his training in arms...

.