Writing came to Ireland with Christianity in the fifth century
A.D. Up until then all histories, genealogies, and stories
were passed orally from one generation to the next; and it
was the poet's function to memorise and perpetuate these.
Inevitably a lot of early Irish literature was lost, but most
of what did survive is preserved in manuscripts made in medieval
times by monks.
Amongst the various contents are four groups of stories;
The MYTHOLOGICAL cycle - dealing with
Gods and the spirit world.
The ULSTER cycle - stories about Connor
Mac Nessa and the champions of the Red Branch Knights, chief
of whom was Cu Chulainn.
The FENIAN cycle - stories of Finn Mac
Cool, his son Ossian and his warrior band; The Fianna.
The HISTORICAL cycle - various stories
of Kings said to have existed between the 3rd century B.C.
and the 8th century A.D.
The earliest complete version of the Tain appears in a
12th century manuscript, but it is certain that this was
copied from a much older work dating back to the 7th century.
Before that the tale probably existed in the oral tradition
for hundreds of years, for the archaic world it reveals
- fighting from chariots head hunting etc. - mirrors that
of the Celts of southern Britain and Gaul described by Julius
Caesar in the 1st century B.C. This makes it the earliest
vernacular epic in western literature.
The Tain forms the centre piece of the Ulster cycle of
Heroic tales, and the other tributary tales feed into it.
For instance the reason why Fergus Mac Roy and the Ulster
exiles are fighting with Maeve is explained in the story
of Deirdre and the Sons and Ushnach, where Fergus is betrayed
by the Ulster King, Connor Mac Nessa. The affliction that
falls upon the Ulstermen is explained in the tale of Princess
Macha and the Pangs of Ulster.
Pronunciation of words; Tain (as in join); Ailill (Al-ill);
Cruachan (Kroo-a-chan); Emain Macha (Ev-in
Ma-cha); Cuchullain (koo-chull-in)
