When Connaught invaded Ulster so that Maeve could try to steal the Brown Bull of Cooley, Cuchulainn was the only man able to stand against him. All the great warriors of the Red Branch were writhing in birth pains, brought about by the curse of Macha.
Cuchulainn harried the army for many days, raiding their supply lines and ambushing the Connaught men by night, and this was wreaking havoc and costing far too many lives. So Maeve negotiated with Cuchulainn: she would halt the army by the ford over the river, if he would agree to fight one champion of Connaught each day.
Now, when Setanta had been in the Boy’s Troop for about a year, a smith called Cullan came to Emain Macha and invited Conchubar to a feast at his house. Cullan was a great smith and a skilled craftsman who lived some way outside of Emain Macha. When he gave his invitation, Cullen begged Conchubar not to bring along a great number of guests, because he was not wealthy enough to entertain all of Conchubar’s men properly, but he was eager to give a wonderful feast to his king and a few of his companions. Conchubar agreed not to abuse Cullan’s hospitality, and set off with a small retinue. On the way to Cullan’s house, he passed by a field where the Boy’s Troop were at play.
During his time as Ulster’s champion, Cuchulainn was challenged by many men over the years, and over the years, he killed all who challenged him. One of the men he struck down was called Calatan, and he was a great sorcerer. He left behind a pregnant wife, who gave birth to sextuplets: three girls and three boys. She raised all of her children with all the arts of druidry and sorcery, and instilled in them that they were to avenge their father’s death as soon as they were old enough.Cuchulainn, knowing nothing of this, carried on with his life for...
Once upon a time, many years ago, there lived a great warrior named Oisín, son of legendary Fionn Mac Cumhaill, or Finn MacCool in its English form. MacCool was leader of Fianna – a group of great protectors who guarded High King of Ireland – and each day Oisín and Fianna explored beautiful green hills of Ireland as they hunted land. One day, Oisín and Fianna saw a beautiful white horse in distance, and on its back was most beautiful young woman they had ever seen. Her hair was color of sun, and fell to her waist, and she wore...
Long ago when Finn was young he went to study with an old Druid called Aengus, who had dedicated the last seven years of his life to fishing, and nothing but fishing. He was trying to catch the Salmon of Knowledge. Every year, the salmon of knowledge swam into the Otherworld, ate a berry from the tree of life there, and swam back to this world again. The berries from the tree of life gave him all the knowledge of the world, and it meant that whoever ate this salmon would then have access to all knowledge, of this world and the otherworld. After seven years crouched over his fishing pole, Aengus was crooked and gnarled by the time Finn came to him, and he was skin and bone, because he neglected to do anything that would take him away from his fishing. Finn offered to stay with him, and hunt and cook for him, in exchange for Aengus taking him on as his pupil.
