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"I swear by the oath of my people", said Cúchulainn, "I will make my doings be spoken of among the great doings of heroes in their strength" - Cúchulainn of Muirthemne by Lady Gregory A long time ago, in ancient Ireland, it was prophesied that a great warrior would be born and that his great deeds would give him everlasting fame, but that his life would be a short one. This warrior was known for his terrifying battle frenzy in which he becomes an unrecognisable monster who knows neither friend nor foe, and fights with amazing strength.  The story of a boy called Setanta. Setanta A king called Conor MacNessa ruled in ancient Ireland. His warriors called the Red Branch Knights, defended this land, known then as Ulster.  The king trained them to be strong and brave men. They had to be, as this was a time of war, magic and the supernatural.  In Dundalk (known then as the Plains of Muirthemne), there was a boy called Setanta, he had magic strength and loved the game of hurling and always wanted to be a Red Branch Knight. From a very early age he showed superhuman qualities of wisdom, warfare, magic and poetry.  And, he was to become a legend. Setanta was a happy child who loved to play the game of hurling with his friends. His team always won. When Setanta was only ten he asked his parents to let him join the Red Branch Knights. They told him, he was too young. But, Setanta knew that it was his destiny to become a mighty warrior, so one night, while everyone was asleep, he got his hurling stick and ball and left for King Conor MacNessa’s castle at Emain Macha. Before becoming a Red Branch Knight, he had to get into the boys army called the Macra first. It was a long trip but when he got there, a hurling match was on. Setanta joined in and the other boys did not like it because he was such a good hurler, and was so strong. However the King said he could stay. He liked this special boy. One day, the king invited Setanta to a feast at the fort of Culann the blacksmith. “I am going to a party at Culann’s, do you want to come?” Setanta replied, “I will come later as I am playing a hurling match.” Cúchulainn's First Battle Later that night he set off. It was a long trip. He gets to the fort and finds that not only has the feast already started, but that the gates are locked and an enormous wolfhound is guarding the fort.  The hound attacks him. He hits the sliotar (hurling ball) down the throat of this huge animal and kills Culann’s hound. Culann cannot believe that his hound has been defeated.  Setanta promises to guard the fort “I’ll be your guard dog until you can replace the one I killed.  I’ll be the “Hound of Culann” ["CúChulainn"],” said Setanta. So that’s how Cúchulainn got his name. Soon he became the best guard of all and joined the knights. He was the best Red Branch Knight ever, and in his most famous battle he defends the lands of Ulster by himself, because all the other Red Branch Knights and warriors are under a magic curse.  Read about “ Táin Bó Cuailnge ” to learn more about Cúchulainn, the greatest of all Irish Warriors. Cúchulainn's Battles - The Brown Bull of Cooley - Táin Bó Cuailnge  Cúchulainn is most celebrated in his pivotal role in the epic Táin Bó Cuailnge, the cattle raid of Cooley.  This tale is ranked amongst the oldest legends in the canon of European folktales and highlights the importance of cattle in Iron Age Ireland.  The story recounts the theft of the Brown Bull of Cooley by Queen Medb of Connacht and Cúchulainn’s efforts to ward off this army.  The story ends with his death in a field tied to a stone, most vividly captured in the sculpture by Oliver Sheppard, which was crafted as a memorial symbolising those who fought for Irish independence and was inspired by the Easter Rising of 1916.  Perhaps the most poignant aspect to the Táin is the battle between Cúchulainn and Ferdia, Cúchulainn’s foster-brother and best-friend. Cúchulainn's Battle Frenzy Cúchulainn is renowned for one thing above all else: his berserker battle-rage. When Cúchulainn really became mad, all hell would break loose. First he quivered all over, and then his body began to twist backwards. His knees and shins shifted themselves to the back, as did the frontal sinews of his neck, where they protruded out like lumps. One eye receded back into his head, and the other bulged out upon his cheek. His mouth widened until it met his ears, and sparks flew out of it.  His heart pounded as loud as a great metal drum, and his locks stood up on end, with a spark of flame at the end of every hair.  A great horn jutted out of his forehead, and a vast spurt of black blood jetted up from his skull, where it spread out like a cloud of dark gloom over the battlefield, not a pretty sight.

An Bradán Feasa — The Salmon of Knowledge Fionn MacCumhaill - also known as Finn McCool, became the leader of Na Fianna, a band of warriors responsible for the safety of the High King of Ireland. His fame is most notable in relation to two stories The Salmon of Knowledge and his role in The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Grainne.  The Salmon of Knowledge (in Irish, An Bradán Feasa) is a creature from the Fenian Cycle of Irish Mythology.   According to Irish mythology the first thing to ever come into creation was a hazel tree, and in it's branches was contained all the knowledge of the universe. This hazel tree flourished over the Well of Wisdom (Tobar Segais) within which lived a great speckled salmon. The story goes that the salmon ate the hazel nuts which on one occasion fell into the well, thus acquiring all the wisdom of the universe. It was foretold that the first person to catch and eat the salmon would gain this knowledge and that a man by the name of Fionn would be the one to do so. Nonetheless, many tried and failed, until a poet named Finnegas having spent seven years fishing the Boyne caught it. Finnegas instructed his apprentice, a young boy named Deimne Maol, to prepare it for him. Deimne burned his thumb bursting a blister on the cooking salmon.  Instinctively he put his thumb into his mouth to ease the pain and in an instant acquired all its knowledge. When Dimne brought the cooked meal to Finnegas, his master saw something in the boy's eyes that had not been there before. When asked by Finnegas, Deimne denied that he had eaten of the fish.  When pressed, he admitted his accidental taste. What the old poet hadn't known was that Deimne had another name, given to him by his mother - Fionn, meaning fair haired one. It was this incredible knowledge and wisdom gained from the Salmon of Knowledge that allowed Fionn mac Cumhaill to become the leader of the Fianna, the famed heroes of Irish myth. He was killed at Áth Brea or Ford of Brea on the Boyne.

Táin Bó Cuailnge (The Brown Bull of Cooley) The 3 wonders of The Táin: It is said that a years protection is given on those to whom it is recited;That those who hear The Táin shall be blessed with health;And that those who do not sleep or converse during the telling, shall obtain their hearts desire. The Legend Cúchulainn is most celebrated in his pivotal role in the epic Táin Bó Cuailnge (pronounced - Tawn Bow Coole-in-ya), the cattle raid of Cooley.  The Táin Bó Cuailnge, written more than 1,200 years ago, is Ireland's greatest legend and one of Europe's oldest epics.  In this saga Queen Maeve of Connacht and her husband Ailill decide one night to compare their possessions.  After much discussion, it becomes evident that Ailill owns a great white bull, Finnbennach, of which Maeve has no equal. There is only one bull in Ireland equal to Finbennach, the great brown bull of Cooley (Cooley is a peninsula in modern day Co. Louth).  Maeve decides she must have the Brown Bull... and so begins the story of the Táin.  Maeve and her armies set off from the Royal Palace at Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon in pursuit of the Brown Bull. Maeve lines up a formidable army against Ulster and invokes a magic spell against the Ulstermen.  The only thing that stands in her way is Cuchulainn, the greatest of all Celtic heroes, who defends the Brown Bull and the lands of Ulster, as his fellow warriors lie asleep under the spell.  Since Cúchulainn is not an born Ulsterman he is unaffected by the spell.  Single-handedly our hero takes on Maeve’s army. Cute and cunning Maeve uses her wiles to make another great  warrior, Ferdia, jealous of Cúchulainn.  Against his better judgement Ferdia is lured into facing his friend and foster brother Cúchulainn. For days they battle it out at Ardee (Ath Fherdia) and by night they assist and nurse each other. They pledge always to be brothers but eventually Cúchulainn kills Ferdia.  Maeve gets her brown bull but it is a short lived victory for she loses him soon after.  According to legend Cúchulainn, who was fatally wounded, tied himself to a standing stone at Knockbridge, so that he could stay upright and face the opposing army.  Sadly Cúchulainn dies of his battle wounds.

The River Boyne derives its name from the legendary Celtic goddess Boann (or Boand).  The story goes that there was once a magical well - the Well of Wisdom (Tobar Segais in Irish) - which belogned to Nechtain, King of Leinster and husband to the godess Boann.  Nechtain was very protective of his magical well and no one but he and his three cup bearers were permitted to viist it.  One day Boann decided to visit the well and see for herself its wonders.  Some say she walked around the well three times counter sun-wise, others say she merely peered into its magical depths.  Whatever the case, the waters of the well rose up - blinding, mutilating and drowning the goddess - and then rushed seawards turning into a river.  Though nothing remains of the mythical well, it's waters remain in the form of the River Boyne, named after the drowned Goddess Boann.