Cú Chulainn, hero of Ulster, 
stood at the ford at Cooley,

ready to face an entire army 
singlehandedly—

all for the sake of a single bull.

The army in question belonged 
to Queen Meadhbh of Connaught.

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

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

at any cost.

Unfortunately, the King of Ulster 
had chosen this moment

to force the goddess Macha to race 
her chariot while pregnant.

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

that eerily resembled childbirth—
all except Cú Chulainn.

Though he was the best warrior in Ulster,

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

He invoked the sacred rite 
of single combat

in order to fight 
the intruders one by one.

But as Queen Meadhbh’s army 
approached,

one thing worried him 
more than the grueling ordeal ahead.

Years before, Cú Chulainn had travelled 
to Scotland

to train with the renowned 
warrior Scáthach.

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

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

When they returned 
to their respective homes,

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

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

and that if he succeeded 
in fending off her troops,

they would eventually meet.

Day after day, Cú Chulainn 
defended Ulster alone.

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

while the rushing waters of the ford 
carried others away.

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

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

never quite hitting her,

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

Back at the Connaught camp, 
Ferdiad was laying low,

doing everything he could 
to avoid the moment

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

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

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

So she goaded him 
and questioned his honor

until he had no choice but to fight.

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

no matter what weapons they used.

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

over the exhausted Cu Chulainn.

But Cú Chulainn had one last trick 
up his sleeve:

their teacher had shared 
a secret with him alone.

She told him how 
to summon the Gáe Bulg,

a magical spear fashioned 
from the bones of sea monsters

that lay at the bottom of the ocean.

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

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

to capture the brown bull.

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

and they surged out in pursuit.

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

dragging the brown bull with her.

Once home, Meadhbh 
demanded another battle,

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

The bulls were well matched, 
and struggled into the night,

dragging each other all over Ireland.

At long last, the brown bull 
killed the white bull,

and Queen Meadhbh was finally satisfied.

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

He was tired, injured, and devastated.

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

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