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Cú Chulainn, hero of Ulster, [br]stood at the ford at Cooley,

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ready to face an entire army [br]singlehandedly—

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all for the sake of a single bull.

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The army in question belonged [br]to Queen Meadhbh of Connaught.

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Enraged at her husband’s possession[br]of a white bull of awesome strength,

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she had set out to capture [br]the fabled brown bull of Ulster

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at any cost.

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Unfortunately, the King of Ulster [br]had chosen this moment

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to force the goddess Macha to race [br]her chariot while pregnant.

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In retaliation, she struck down him [br]and his entire army with stomach cramps

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that eerily resembled childbirth—[br]all except Cú Chulainn.

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Though he was the best warrior in Ulster,

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Cú Chulainn knew he could not take on[br]Queen Meadhbh’s whole army at once.

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He invoked the sacred rite [br]of single combat

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in order to fight [br]the intruders one by one.

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But as Queen Meadhbh’s army [br]approached,

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one thing worried him [br]more than the grueling ordeal ahead.

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Years before, Cú Chulainn had travelled [br]to Scotland

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to train with the renowned [br]warrior Scáthach.

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There, he met a young warrior [br]from Connaught named Ferdiad.

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They lived and trained side-by-side,[br]and soon became close friends.

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When they returned [br]to their respective homes,

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Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad found themselves [br]on opposite sides of a war.

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Cú Chulainn knew Ferdiad [br]was marching in Meadhbh’s army,

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and that if he succeeded [br]in fending off her troops,

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they would eventually meet.

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Day after day, Cú Chulainn [br]defended Ulster alone.

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He sent the heads of some [br]of his adversaries back to Meadhbh’s camp,

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while the rushing waters of the ford [br]carried others away.

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At times, he slipped into a trance [br]and slayed hundreds of soldiers in a row.

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Whenever he saw the queen in the distance,[br]he hurled stones at her—

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never quite hitting her,

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but once coming close enough [br]to knock a squirrel off her shoulder.

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Back at the Connaught camp, [br]Ferdiad was laying low,

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doing everything he could [br]to avoid the moment

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when he’d have to face[br]his best friend in combat.

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But the Queen was impatient [br]to get her hands on the prize bull,

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and she knew Ferdiad was [br]her best chance to defeat Cú Chulainn.

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So she goaded him [br]and questioned his honor

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until he had no choice but to fight.

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The two faced off at the ford, matching [br]each other exactly in strength and skill

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no matter what weapons they used.

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Then, on the third day of their fight,[br]Ferdiad began to gain the upper hand

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over the exhausted Cu Chulainn.

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But Cú Chulainn had one last trick [br]up his sleeve:

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their teacher had shared [br]a secret with him alone.

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She told him how [br]to summon the Gáe Bulg,

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a magical spear fashioned [br]from the bones of sea monsters

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that lay at the bottom of the ocean.

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Cu Chulainn called the spear, [br]stabbed Ferdiad to death, and collapsed.

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Meadhbh seized her chance [br]and swooped in with the rest of her army

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to capture the brown bull.

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At last, the men of Ulster were recovering[br]from their magical illness,

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and they surged out in pursuit.

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But they were too late: Queen Meadhbh[br]crossed the border unscathed,

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dragging the brown bull with her.

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Once home, Meadhbh [br]demanded another battle,

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this time between the brown bull [br]and her husband’s white bull.

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The bulls were well matched, [br]and struggled into the night,

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dragging each other all over Ireland.

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At long last, the brown bull [br]killed the white bull,

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and Queen Meadhbh was finally satisfied.

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But the brown bull’s victory [br]meant nothing to him.

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He was tired, injured, and devastated.

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Soon after, he died of a broken heart, [br]leaving behind a land

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that would remain ravaged [br]by Meadhbh’s war for years to come.