of Cruinniuc's wife, Macha. The only person fit to defend Ulster is seventeen-year-old Cúchulainn but he lets the army take Ulster by surprise because he's off on a tryst when he should be watching the border. Medb ultimately tracked Donn Cuailnge down and he gores the first Connaught herdsman that attempts to capture him. He then stampeded with fifty heifers through the camp killing fifty warriors before charging off into the countryside. Cúchulainn meets Medb's army on the mount of Slieve Foy, who invoked the right of single combat at a ford, defeating a series of champions in a standoff lasting months. While Cúchulainn is thus engaged Buide mac Báin has found Donn Cuailnge and is driving him and twenty-four cows to Connaught. Cúchulainn kills Buide mac Báin and his twenty-four followers, but in the carnage Donn Cuailnge again runs off. Eventually, after a pitched battle with the Ulster forces, Medb's armies were forced to retreat, but they managed to bring Donn Cuailnge back to Cruachan. He and Finnbhennach fight. After a long and gruelling battle Donn killed his rival. Mortally wounded himself, he wandered around Ireland inspiring placenames before returning to Cooley to die. Julius Caesar, in his Gallic Wars, refers to a Gaulish ally called Valerius Donnotaurus, an interesting Celtic parallel to the Donn Tarbh of Cooley. Versions The oldest recension of the tale is found in the Lebor na hUidre ("The Book of the Dun Cow"). This was in large part copied in the Lebor Buide Lecáin, ("The Yellow Book of Lecan"), which was completed around 1390. References External links Ulster Cycle Irish legendary creatures Characters in Táin Bó Cúailnge Mythological bulls