LON-ess mahk NISH-len
The Ulster Cycle tale of Deirdre, preserved in the 12th-century Book of Leinster.
| Cycle | Entries here | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The Mythological Cycle | 17 | The oldest of the four cycles, telling of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the successive invasions of Ireland. |
| The Fenian Cycle | 6 | Tales of Fionn mac Cumhaill and his band of warriors, the Fianna, set generations after the Ulster Cycle in a world of hunting, romance, and roaming adventure. |
| The Ulster Cycle | 12 | The heroic tales of Conchobar mac Nessa's court at Emain Macha, centered on Cú Chulainn and the great cattle raid of the Táin Bó Cúailnge. |
| The Historical Cycle | 1 | Also the Cycle of the Kings — legendary and semi-legendary tales of Ireland's High Kings, treated by medieval scribes as genuine national history. |
Longes mac nUislenn ("The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu") is the Ulster Cycle text telling the tragic story of Deirdre, her love for Naoise, and their deaths at the hands of King Conchobar mac Nessa.
The story's ending, in which Conchobar treacherously kills Naoise and his brothers, drives Fergus mac Róich and other warriors into exile in Connacht, weakening Ulster and putting Fergus on Medb's side in the later Táin.
It survives in manuscripts from the 12th century onward, but linguistic evidence suggests the tale itself was composed considerably earlier, likely by the 9th century.