This translation of the Táin Bó Cuailnge is not an artful, literary, full telling of the story. It is in essence the skeleton of the tale. As Faraday explains in her introduction to the text, she sources Lebor na hUidre (LU) and the Yellow Book of Lecan (YBL), which are closer to the original telling of the tale as it were. She claims the Book of Leinster (LL), which provides a more modern and literary telling, is less interesting. Here is her reasoning: ‘The writers of LU and YBL aimed at accuracy; the Leinster man, at presenting an intelligible version.’
Some slight alterations to the text have been made to modernise the spelling. Three Irish terms which are in more frequent use now have also been changed. The alterations are listed thus:
to-day : today
to-night : tonight
to-morrow : tomorrow
Connaught : Connacht
Cuchulainn : Cú Chulainn
tain : táin
tain bo : táin bó
All footnotes are Faraday’s.
We highly recommend for our Irish-speaking audience Darach Ó Scolaí’s award-winning Táin Bó Cuailgne. This text may serve as a useful companion piece for those who struggle to understand certain sections of Ó Scolaí’s work.