Books
Phase
Ulster Cycle
Legendary Iron Age setting; medieval literary tradition
The Ulster Cycle contains heroic narratives associated with the court of Conchobar mac Nessa at Emain Macha and the warrior Cú Chulainn. Its best-known work, the Táin Bó Cúailnge, tells of Queen Medb’s invasion of Ulster to seize the Brown Bull of Cooley.
The stories combine cattle raiding, single combat, kingship, supernatural obligations and tragic conflicts between personal loyalty and public honour. They preserve a legendary image of pre-Christian Ireland shaped by medieval authors and oral tradition.
