In the twelfth century AD a monk in the monastery of Cloncmacnoise was given the job of writing down an epic poem that had survived only through oral tradition.
It was the Castle Raid of Cooley, and is one of the great poems of Europe, describing as it does the primitive life of the early Celts, adoring weapons and war, cattle raiding and magical feats of strength and endurance.
In a lunatic tale of gargantuan frenzy, a southern army led by Queen Maeve invades Ulster and is met by the hero Cuchulain.
An ambitious epic inspired by the rich legends of ancient Ireland.