Irish Literary Tradition

with Maxim Fomin

To return HOME click here

Week 3:

The Ulster cycle of tales:

a window on the Iron Age?

The lectures will be devoted to the renowned Ulster epic: The Cattle-Raid of Cuailnge (Old Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge). Who were the heroes of pre-historic Ireland? Why did the small boy Setanta get a new name of ‘The Hound of Culainn’ (in Old Irish, Cú Chulainn)? Why did the warriors of Ireland headed by the queen Medb came to invade Ulster? Why did the Ulstermen were struck by the debility and could not fight back? How long did it take them to recover and what tricks did Cú Chulainn invent to prevent his enemies from further raids?

A good starting point for a discussion of the epic is

J. P. Mallory et al., Aspects of the Táin, Belfast 1992.

We will study the contents and major divisions of the Ulster cycle – the most extensive composition of the early Irish literature. The students are welcome to familiarise themselves with the

following publications:

R. Ó hUiginn, ‘Fergus, Russ and Rudraige: A Brief Biography of Fergus Mac Róich’, Emania 11 (1993) 31-40.

P. Freeman, ‘Visions from the dead in Herodotus, Nicander of Colophon, and the Táin Bó Cúailgne’, Emania 12 (1994) 45-48.

P. Ó Néill, ‘The Latin colophon to the 'Táin Bó Cúailnge' in the Book of Leinster: A critical view of Old Irish literature’, Celtica 23 (1999) 269-275.

Select a Week:

Week 1 Introduction go
Week 2Encounters of saints with heroes go
Week 3The Ulster cycle of tales go
Week 4Early Irish native literary tradition go
Week 5Middle Irish satirical wiritngs go
Week 6Middle Irish romances & Fenian lays go
Week 7The penetration of saga material into the folklore tradition go
Week 8Irish historical and pseudo-historical writings go
Week 9The Irish lords on the continent go
Week 10The decline of the bardic tradition go
Week 11Late nineteenth century Irish literary revival go
Week 12Twentieth century Irish literature go