Stories from the Tain

‘The Tain’ (meaning ‘The driving-off cows of Cooley’) is a legendary Irish tale set in the first century AD. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge and are challenged by the Ulster hero Cu Chulainn. Written in the 12th century and set in the pre-Christian first century, the Tain is the central text in the ‘Ulster Cycle’. These stories from the Tain were edited with glossary by the Celtic, Greek and Sanskrit linguist John Strachan, also the author of ‘Old Irish Paradigms’, the ‘Old Irish Workbook’ and ‘Selections from the Old Irish Glosses’. This third edition of ‘Stories from the Tain’ was revised by the Irish language scholar Osborn Bergin. It is an essential text-book for beginners in Old-Irish.