1. Setanta Cú Chulainn

2. Setanta was his name as a young boy.
Cú Chulainn was an ancient Irish hero with superhuman strength, speed and skill.
Setanta was his name as a young boy.
His parents were Dechtire and Lugh.
At the age of five Setanta left home to join the Red Branch Knights, the army of king Conor Mac Nessa, who was his uncle. With him he took his hurley, a sliotar, a javelin and a spear.

3. He went to the palace at Emain Macha (Navan Fort) where he played 150 boys at hurling and other games.
Emain Macha was the capital of the Ulster province in ancient Ireland and the seat of King Conchobar. It held three buildings called the Three Branches of King Conchobar. 

4. Cú Chulainn got his name at the age of seven.
One day Culann, a blacksmith, who made spears for King Conor, invited young Setanta to a feast. When Setanta arrived at Culann’s house his wolfhound leapt out of the dark to attack. Culann had the hound unchained as he thought the entire guests had arrived.
Setanta hurled his sliotar down the hound’s throat and killed him. The party heard the hound growling and ran out. King Conor was amazed to find his nephew alive and proud of his great strength.

5. Culann was relieved but also sad his hound was dead
Culann was relieved but also sad his hound was dead. “Let me take the place of your hound until you find another one to take its place” said Setanta to Culann.
Culann agreed. From that day on Setanta was called Cú Chulainn, which means hound of Culann.

6. Cú Chulainn became the leader of the Red Branch Knights.
One of his enemies was Queen Maeve of Connaught. She was a jealous queen and when she learnt of a great Brown Bull in Cooley, County Louth, she wanted it for her own.
The chieftan of Louth refused to let Maeve have his bull, so she resolved to get it by force. Her army marched to Kells and camped.

7. Táin Bó Cuailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), the great epic of Ireland, tells of Cúchulainn's single-handed defence of Ulster against the invasion of Queen Maeve "Medb“ of Connacht to steal the Brown Bull of Cooley.
Maeve appeared on the old £1 note. The background is part of the manuscript of the Táin. You can see Maeve's name ("medb") at the top.

8. Maeve offered Cú Chulainn gold and great rewards if he would not go into battle against her.
Cú Chulainn refused, but Maeve secured his agreement to fight one of her heroes each day, reckoning that this was better than losing one hundred warriors every night.

9. Day after day Cú Chulainn fought Maeve's warriors, overcoming Morrigu, the water goddess, and mortally wounding the hero Loich.
After more battles and deceitful trickery by Maeve, Cú Chulainn mounted his war chariot and attacked Maeve’s army.

10. With most of her army defeated Maeve forced Cú Chulainn's foster brother, Ferdia, to fight against him by threatening him with the spells of her Druids.
After a great fight in which Ferdia almost proved a match for him, Cú Chulainn badly wounded, emerged as the tragic victor.
Ardee town, Originally called Atherdee, its name is derived from the Irish Áth Fhirdia (the Ford of Ferdia)

11. While he recovered from his wounds, the men of Ulster began to collect themselves, and the two armies faced each other again.
While this great battle was raging Maeve managed to steal the Brown Bull of Cooley, which she sent back to Connaught under escort.
Eventually Cú Chulainn and the Ulster army defeated Maeve's followers and they fled back to Cruachan.

12. After a period of time the jealous Queen Maeve once again brought an army together to seek revenge. But it was only by magic that Cú Chulainn was eventually pierced by his own spear.

13. Cú Chulainn's remains are said to be buried at Tara.
Mortally wounded, Cú Chulainn tied himself to a high stone. As a Gaelic hero he did not wish to die lying on the ground, it was standing that he wished to meet his death.
And even though he was motionless for a very long time his enemies were afraid to approach him and it was only when a raven landed on his shoulder that his enemies knew he was dead.
Cú Chulainn's remains are said to be buried at Tara.
lucasnickerson.wordpress.com

14.
The statue of the ancient hero Cú Chulainn which stands in Dublin Post Office, commemorating the Irish rising of Easter 1916

15. Clochafarmore
Standing Stone
Situated: Near Rathiddy, Co Louth. 

16. Tayto Park in Ireland featuring Cú Chulainn!