Arranged and put into English by Lady Gregory, with a Preface by W. B. Yeats.
The world’s foremost—and greatest—translation into English of the legends surrounding ancient Irish mythological folk hero Cuchulain.
Parts of this work are derived from some of the oldest tales in all European history, predating the Norse Sagas, Beowulf, and the Nibelungenlied by hundreds of years. Compiled from ancient oral and written versions of the original Gaelic, this work combines the greatest events of the life of Cuchulain and the Ulster Cycle, weaving them together into a coherent, uplifting, and highly satisfying tale of bravery, hardiness, strength, courage, and love. It is a classic in the pantheon of the Western World’s greatest literature.
Lady Gregory’s translation faithfully captures the indigenous Irish style with which she was so familiar and which was missing from all previous English versions. First published in 1902, it quickly became the standard English text of this majestic literary work—and a worldwide best-seller. It also earned Lady Gregory a prominent position as a writer within the Irish Revival.
The poet W. B. Yeats was enthusiastic over the work, starting his introduction by asserting that he thought “this book is the best that has come out of Ireland in my time. Perhaps I should say that it is the best book that has ever come out of Ireland; for the stories which it tells are a chief part of Ireland’s gift to the imagination of the world—and it tells them perfectly for the first time.”