She was the high priestess of ancient rite, the last of her kind,. It was said that she could trace her lineage in an unbroken line through the ages to the first human to land on Erin. She was Maeve of Connaught. Tall, with strong, almost masculine features, a flaming crown of amber hair flowing to her waist, the woman possessed the last remants of wild magic that was deeply rooted in the land.  Tradition had it that when a king was elected to rule, he had first to receive a blessing from the keeper of the old magic. The future kings would first undergo a ceremony that would wed them to Maeve, then they would feast throughout the day, and in the evening they would lie together as man and wife, then the king would become one with the land, and the land would impart a little of the wild magic into him.

When the magic was stronger, it was said that if an unworthy king lay with the land, then the land would blast him like a lightning-struck tree. Maeve had blessed seven kings. This made her wealthy because the kings paid her in gold, land and cattle. And her magical powers had made her feared. Maeve had only ever made one of the kings she had blessed her consort, and that was "Ailill of Connaught".Together they ruled the wild western seaboard they kept seperat households in the huge fort of Cruachan on the plain of Magh Ai.

THE TAIN BO CUAILGNE. (The Brown Bull Cuailgne.)

The argument had begun simply enough, but as  usual  with such arguments, it grew bitter and prolonged between Maeve and Ailill. they were arguing about who had the greater wealth, so finaly Maeve said "We will have an accounting of our possessions". Agreed said Ailill. They decided to get "Fergus" of Ulster to oversee the counting, since he was without repoach, so they knew that he would give them a true figure. After a day and night Fergus brought Maeve and Ailill to a field at the edge of Magh Ai. There he told them "your treasures and possessions are almost identical", he nodded out across the field to a white-horned bull, ghostly and ephemeral in the light. Who does he belong to Fergus asked. The finest bull in all Erin and he belongs to me, Ailill said proudly. Fergus nodded towartds the white-horned bull. And that is the only difference between your possessions. Maeve looked at the bull, is there a finer animal than that bull in all Erin? she asked. There is, said Fergus. The brown bull in the possessions of "Daire of Cuailgne" in Ulster is twice the size and more of that poor white horned speciment.

Maeve had to have the brown bul. So she sent Fergus to Daire´s fort to buy the brown bull. Fergus knew that if Daire did not sell the bull, that Maeve would get the bull no matter what the cost. Fergus returned to Maeve at Cruanchan with the news that Daire would not sell the brown bull of Cuailgne. Maeve did not like this, she decided to take the bull. That night she sent her men to Cuailgne to bring back the brown bull. the men returned with the brown bull, he was let out in the field of Magh Ai. But when the white bull of Cruachan and the brown bull of Cuailgne meet they started to fight . they fought for days and nights, and when the fight had finaly ended the two buls lay dead on the ground. In the end Maeve had no brown bull and Ailill did not have his white bull, over their argument that had begun simply enough. It ended bitter and no one was better off. Ans so ends the tail of the tain bo Cuailgen.

In the book "Irish Myths and legends" by Michael Scott you can read more about the Cuchulain, the hound of Ulster. And in his book "Irish ghosts and hauntings" You can read about Irish folk and fairy tales.