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

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ready to face an entire army 
singlehandedly—

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all for the sake of a single bull.

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The army in question belonged to Queen 
Meadhbh of Connaught.

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

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she had set out to capture the fabled
brown bull of Ulster at any cost.

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Unfortunately, the King of Ulster had 
chosen this moment

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

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

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that eerily resembled childbirth—
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
Queen Meadhbh’s whole army at once.

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He invoked the sacred rite of single 
combat

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in order to fight the 
intruders one by one.

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But as Queen Meadhbh’s army 
approached,

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one thing worried him more than 
the grueling ordeal ahead.

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Years before, Cú Chulainn had travelled to
Scotland

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to train with the renowned 
warrior Scáthach.

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

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

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When they returned to their
respective homes,

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

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

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and that if he succeeded in fending off
her troops, they would eventually meet.

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Day after day, Cú Chulainn 
defended Ulster alone.

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

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while the rushing waters of the ford 
carried others away.

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

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

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never quite hitting her,

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

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Back at the Connaught camp, Ferdiad was 
laying low,

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doing everything he could to avoid the 
moment

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

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

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

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So she goaded him 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 
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,
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 up 
his sleeve:

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their teacher had shared 
a secret with him alone.

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She told him how to 
summon the Gáe Bulg,

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a magical spear fashioned 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, stabbed
Ferdiad to death, and collapsed.

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Meadhbh seized her chance 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
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
crossed the border unscathed,

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dragging the brown bull with her.

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Once home, Meadhbh 
demanded another battle,

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

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The bulls were well matched, 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 killed the
white bull,

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and Queen Meadhbh was finally satisfied.

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But the brown bull’s victory 
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, 
leaving behind a land

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