can be seen in Irish museums today. The Early Christian and the tuatha communities existed side by side across the Irish landscape, sometimes in harmony, sometimes not. Often the kings of the tuatha found it advantageous to become patrons of their local religious community as it gave them prestige. The people of the tuatha were usually the extended family of the king. They would have included many generations of relatives and also children of other tuatha who were given “fosterage” by a different tuatha and treated with as much love as if they were the children of the king. This extended family was the army with which the territorial battles were fought between kings. Táin Bó Flidhais is not as well known as the Táin Bó Cuailnge, but the story it relates is equally as complex and intricate. It includes many of the most important characters of Irish saga literature who appear in many of the cycles of legends from the period. Queen Maedbh, the Queen of Connacht, is one such individual, as are Cú Chulainn and the irresistible hero, Fergus mac Róich. The story of the Táin Bó Flidhais is set in the province of Connacht in Ireland in the late Iron Age . The royal fort of Cruachan, near Tulsk in Roscommon was the seat of the Queen of Connacht, Maedbh and her husband, King Ailill MacMáta. Glenmasan manuscript The most notable addition provided by the Glenmasan manuscript to the Táin Bó Flidhais is the precursor story of the death of the sons of Uisnech. Conchobar mac Nessa sends Fergus mac Róich to bring the sons of Uisnech back from exile in Scotland so that they might help Conchobar 'defend the province of Ulster against every other province in Ireland.' Dierdre has an ill-omened dream that her husband Naisi, son of Uisnech, will be betrayed. Fergus insists he will let no harm come to them. Naisi trusts Fergus and the sons of Uisnech return to Ireland. They arrive at Borrach's fortress, where Fergus is immediately put under a Geas. ‘I have a feast for you, Fergus,’ said Borrach, ‘and it is a tabu of yours to leave a feast until it is ended.’ ‘You have done ill, Borrach,’ said Fergus, ‘to put me under prohibitions, seeing that Conchobar made me pledge my word to bring the sons of Uisnech to Emain on the day that they should come