Glen Gat – Origin of Name & Brown & White Bull logo

The Story of the Táin.

The ‘Táin Bó Cuailgne’, the ‘Cattle raid of Cooley’ is the most famous ancient Irish saga and the earliest vernacular epic in the western literature of any European language, at over 12 centuries old.

In this ancient saga Queen Maeve of Connaught and her husband Ailill decide one night to compare their possessions. After much discussion, it becomes evident that Ailill owns a great white bull, Finnbennach, which Maeve has no equal of. There is only one bull in Ireland the equal of Finnbennach, the great Brown Bull of Cooley. Maeve decides that she must have the Brown Bull and so begins the story of the Táin Bó Cuailgne.

Maeve and her armies set off from the Royal Palace at Rathcroghan in pursuit of the Brown Bull of Cooley. The only thing that stands in her way is Cúchulainn, the greatest of all Celtic heroes, who defends the Brown Bull and the lands of Ulster, as his fellow warriors lie asleep under a spell.
The Brown Bull was kept hidden in Glen Gat - The Valley of the Osiers - which above Ballymakellett, about 10 Kilometers north of Dundalk.

The many bloody battles between Cúchulainn and Maeve’s armies, including the fatal duel with his foster brother Ferdia, set the scene for an exciting and poetic tale of epic proportions.

Maeve eventually captures the Brown Bull and sets off with her prize. The Ulster warriors rise from their magical slumbers and repulse the Connaught armies. The Brown Bull of Cooley engages the White Bull and both are destroyed as they fight each other to the death.