A cattle raid for the Queen
Queen Medb was the Queen of Connacht. She is best known from the mythical story ‘Táin Bó Cúailnge’ (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), in which she tries to steal a famous bull named ‘Donn Cuailnge’ from the cattle lord Dáire mac Fiachna in Ulster. Queen Medb succeeds in capturing the bull and brings it back to Connaught but ultimately it escapes and wanders back to Ulster.
In the Dindsenchas, Medb is described as “a fair haired wolf queen, whose form was so beautiful that it robbed men of two-thirds of their valour upon seeing her”. The Dindsenchas translates as ‘the lore of places’ and from this book we get a greater understanding of place names as well as legends and traditions of Ireland. It is comprised of poems and tales. These date from the 11th to the 15th century.
Relationship troubles
Medb’s name is pronounced as Mave, and is said to mean ‘she who intoxicates’. Queen Medb’s first marriage was to the King of Ulster Conchobar mac Nessa, this was a bad marriage and she left him. Conchobar then went on to marry Medb’s sister, Clothru. Medb proceeded to kill her sister Clothru, in order to assume the sovereignty of Rathcroghan. Queen Medb had a long queenship and eventually retired to the island of Inis Cloithreann on Lough Ree in Co. Roscommon.
Death by cheese
Clothru’s son Furbaide sought revenge for his mother’s death and planned to kill her at a pool of water that she bathed in every morning. He practiced using a stone and a sling, and hitting an apple sitting on top of a stake. When eventually he saw her at the pool he was eating a piece of cheese, and rather than stop and look for a stone he used the cheese and hit Medb on the crown of her head and killed her. There are three possible burial places for Medb. One is under a huge stone cairn outside Sligo town. It is said she was buried standing and facing her enemies in Ulster. The second is Rath Cruachan in Co. Roscommon, and the third is Knockma in Co. Galway.
Are you hungry for more Irish legends and lore? Read Mark Joyce’s Mythical Irish Wonders.
