Page 50 - Demo

50 Stephen Dunford: The Journey of The IrIsh
Watercolour of the young Setanta by Stephen Reid 1910
When a day was fixed for Cúchulainn’s joining the ranks of the Red Branch Knights, the Druid Cathbad, asked him to change the day, “Because,” said Cathbad, “he who takes arms on this day shall be short-lived, though he will win great fame”. But the brave youth, stand- ing erect and proud in the celebrated Hall of Heroes, with spear in one hand and shield in the other, replied: “I care not whether I die to-morrow or next year, if only my noble deeds live after me”. Most of Cúchulainn’s noble deeds are recounted in the aforementioned Táin Bó Cuailgne-anglicised as The Cattle Raid of Cooley; Cooley is to be found in the present day county of Louth. The story which was referred to in 1914 as ‘The Iliad of Ireland”, the queen of Irish epic tales and the wildest and most fascinating saga-tale...of all Western Europe’ is roughly as follows:
The warrior-Queen Meadhbh of Connacht, who was herself the daughter of a King, and was the first wife of King Conor Mac Nessa, secured for herself the kingdom of Con- nacht through a second marriage, before it is told, by a third marriage she had Ailill, King of Leinster, as her consort. In the aftermath of the marriage Queen Meadhbh and King Ailill began comparing their worldly goods. Following a long and thorough reckoning, it was found that neither one had any advantage of the other in worldly wealth, until at length, it was discovered that Ailill, in his herds had one prized, white-horned bull, which Meadhbh in her herds could not equal. Furthermore, the story tells, that in all Ireland, there was no bull to equal Aillil’s, with the single exception of the treasured and much vaunted brown
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