An oft-quoted phrase describes the Ulster Cycle of early Irish tales as providing a ‘window on the Iron Age.’ Originally, scholars viewed Ireland, as depicted in the Ulster Cycle, as a continuous late Iron Age society from circa third or second century BC to the Christian era beginning in the fifth century, with an oral tradition that remained as static as the culture. The Táin bó Cuailnge, or The Cattle Raid of Cooley, is one of these Ulster tales, and was believed to directly originate in the period between the first and the fourth century AD, or in other words, before the coming of Christianity to Ireland, representing contemporary Iron age life. Linguistic evidence directs scholars to the thought that the Táin was likely first set in writing in the eight century. Yet the major manuscripts that contain all or parts of the Táin are of later dates: the late eleventh or early twelfth century manuscript Lebor na hUidre (The Book of the Dun Cow) with Recension I, the later twelfth century Book of Leinster with a Recension II extensive version of the Táin, and the fourteenth century Yellow Book of Lecan containing elements of Recension I.
Given the distance in time between the oral tellings of the story and it being written down, the monks could not have been mindless conduits. The Latinate culture that arrived with Christianity introduced not only writing, but also knowledge of the Classical authors. Thus, the Táin was written down amidst two cultures; the first, a Christian one, which made use of the Old Testament and drew upon Classical tradition when confronted with the pre-Christian culture, the second, pagan one. The manuscripts were likely all produced in monastic scriptoria, but the scribes writing them were either Irish filid, a learned class, now sharing training in monasteries with monks, or literati influenced by the filid background and interested in combining pre-Christian Irish tales with the Latinate culture they were already acquainted with.
The Táin bó Cuailnge provides an example of how Irish oral tradition underwent changes under the influence of Latinate culture, with the arrival of Christianity, and changing political realities. The scribes of the Táin shone a vague light on some aspects of early Irish culture, but opened a window on their contemporary, early Irish history reality of using a wide range of Christian and Classical sources (the examples of the Christian and Classical sources can be referenced in the 'Symbols, Allegory and Motifs section).
An example of how the contemporary climate influenced the retelling of the Táin is evidenced in the main conflict, which is between the historical cóiceda (parts, or fifths) of Ulster and Connacht. While scholars have indicated a bias towards the mighty Ulster, neither side is shown as particularly heroic.
The shaming of Fergus is an example of the shaming of Ulster. Fergus, who had been exiled from Ulster and joined Connacht's forces, has his sword stolen in one scene by Ailill, who correctly suspected that Fergus had been sleeping with Medb. When Ailill sees Fergus again without his sword, he ‘started laughing at him,’ and as Fergus is still seen as an outsider, an Ulsterman, at the same moment Ailill is ‘laughing’ at a shamed Ulster.
With regard to Connaught, Medb, the initiator of the cattle raid, is constantly disregarded as simply a woman, Ailill even ‘lay[s] first fault/ straight at women’s/ own sweet swellings.’ This is contrary to previous opinion that the Táin had strong Ulster bias.
Perhaps the reason for neither side being shown in the best of light, especially with a sinning queen and a shamed exile, is that, due to political changes, the scribes seem to be situated outside either cóiced and the use of the archaic ‘somewhat was heard’ seems to imply a distancing from the story. Considering the then contemporary political decline of Ulster, they likely pertain to the Uí Néill, a túath that conquered Ulaid lands, the people who populated Ulster up to the fifth century, which would explain the close knowledge of the region, such as in the instance in the episode where Fergus carves a sword from a tree, thus giving ‘Fid Mórthruaille, the Wood of the Great Scabbard’ its name. Therefore, they show Ulster, or Ulaid, ‘for all its splendour…a society in decline.’
Wealth in Ireland in the early middle ages was counted in sheep and cattle, so the cattle-raid of Ailill and Medb was an important one. The story also shows the importance of retinue and its loyalty, as the king and queen rely on the support of all of their followers in attacking Ulster. The Táin highlights the highly-regimented society that existed in Ireland back then, with single-combat and rules dictating conduct of individuals. Though it could be argued that the scribes made up such a strict society, the existence of early law tracts such as the Bretha Nemed from the eighth century demonstrate that the elite of the society back then certainly believed in creating an ordered society.
