CELT...Corpus Of Electronic Texts

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The Online Resource for Irish history, literature and politics.
CELT, the Corpus of Electronic Texts, brings the wealth of Irish literary and historical culture to the Internet, for the use and benefit of everyone worldwide. It has a searchable online textbase consisting of 11.6 million words, in 1023 contemporary and historical documents from many areas, including literature and the other arts.

Found here....http://www.ucc.ie/celt/

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British And Celtic Folklore Resources.

Found here...http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Folklore...sh_and_Celtic/

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Lebor Gabala, The Book of Invasions.

The people of Ireland in medieval times had never believed that the Gaelic speaking people were native of their land. They had believed that the Ireland was invaded and settled by successive Celtic tribes over different periods. Their history is based largely upon the pseudo-historical Lebor Gabala, translated into English as the "Book of Invasions", and Cath Maige Tuired, or the "Second Battle of Maige Tuired".

found here....http://www.timelessmyths.com/celtic/invasions.html

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The Boyhood Deeds of Cu Chulainn

"This boy," said Fergus, " was reared in his father's and his mother's house, by the seaside northwards in the plain of Muirthemene, where someone gave him an account of the macrad or "boy-corps"of Emain Macha; how that Chochobar divides his day into three parts: the first being devoted to watching the boy-corps at their sport, especially that of hurling; the second to the playing of chess and draughts; the third to pleasurable consuming of meat and drink until drowsiness sets in, which then is promoted by the exertions of minstrels and musicians to indulge favorable placidity of mind and disposition. And, for all that we are banished from," continued Fergus "by my word I swear that neither in Ireland nor in Scotland is there a warrior like his (i.e., Conchobar's) counterpart. The little, lad then, as aforesaid, having heard of all this, one day told his mother that he was bent on a visit to Emain Macha to test the boy-corps at their own sports. The objected that he was immature, and ought to wait until some grown warrior or other, or some confidential of Conchobar's should in order to insure his safety, bind over the boy-corps to keep the peace toward him. He told his mother that that was too long an outlook, that he could not wait, and that all she had to do was to set him a course for Emain Macha, since he did not know in which direction it lay.

found here....http://web.ncf.ca/dc920/boyd.html

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The Ulster Cycle



Bricriu's Feast

Bricriu Poison-tongue held a great feast for Chonchobar Mac Nessa and for all the Ulstermen. The Preparation of the feast took a whole year. For the entertainment of the guests a spacious house was built by him. He erected it at Dun Rudraige after the likeness of the Red Branch in Emain Macha. Yet it surpassed the buildings of that period entirely for material, for artistic design, and for the beauty of architecture-its pillars and frontings splendid and costly, its carving and lintel-work famed for magnificence. The house was made in this fashion: on the plan of Tara's Mead-Hall, having nine compartments from fire to wall, each fronting of bronze thirty feet high, overlaid with gold. IN the fore part of the palace a royal couch was erected for Conchobar high above those of the whole house. It was set with carbuncles and other precious stones which shone with a luster of gold and silver, radiant with every hew, making night like day. Around it were placed the twelve couches of the twelve tribes of Ulster. The nature of the workmanship was on a par with the material of the edifice. It took a wagon team to carry each beam and the strength of seven Ulstermen to fix each pole, while thirty of the chief artificers of Erin were employed on its erection and arrangement.

http://web.ncf.ca/dc920/bricriu.html

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The Second Battle of Mag Tured (Moytura)

The Second Battle of Mag Tured (text)

The Tuatha De Dannan lived in the northern isles of the world, learning lore and magic and druidism and wizardry and cunning, until they surpassed the sages of the arts of heathendom. There were four cities in which they learned lore and science and diabolic arts, to wit Falias and Gorias, Murias and Findias. Out of Falias was brought the Stone of Fal, which was in Tara. It used to roar under every king that would take the realm of Ireland. Out of Gorias was brought the Spear that Lug had. No battle was ever won against it or him who held it in his hand. Out of Findias was brought the Sword of Nuada. When it was drawn from its deadly sheath, no one ever escaped from it, and it was irresistible. Out of Murias was brought the Dagda's Cauldron. No company ever went from it unthankful. Four wizards (there were ) in those four cities. Morfesa was in Falias: Esras was in Gorias: Uscias was in Findias: Semias was in Murias. Those are the four poets of whom the Tuatha De learnt lore and science.

Now the Tuatha De Danann made an alliance with the Fomorians, and Balor grandson of Net gave his daughter Ethne to Cian son of Diancecht, and she brought forth the gifted child, Lug. The Tuatha De came with a great fleet to Ireland to take it from the Fir Bolg. They burnt their ships at once on reaching the district of Corcu Belgatan (that is, Connemara today), so that they should not think of retreating to them; and the smoke and the mist that came from the vessels filled the neighboring land and air. Therefore it was conceived that they had arrived in clouds of mist. The first battle of Moytura was fought between them and the Fir Bolg; and the Fir Bolg were routed and a hundred thousand of them were slain, including their king Eochaid son of Ere.

found here...http://web.ncf.ca/dc920/tured.html

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The T`ain

The Quarrel of the Two Pig-keepers, and How The Bulls were Begotten

What Caused the two pig-keepers to quarrel?

It is soon told.

There was bad blood between Ochall Ochne, the king of the sid in Connacht, and Bodb, king of the Munster sid. (Bodb's sid is the Sid ar Femen," the sid on Femen Plain; Ochall's is the sid at Cruchan.) They had two pig-keepers, called Friuch, after a boar's bristle and Rucht, after its grunt. Friuch was Bodb's pig-keeper, Rucht was Ochall's and they were good friends. They were both practiced in the pagan arts, and could form themselves into any shape, like Mongan mac Fiachna.

The two pig-keepers were on such good terms hat the one from the north would bring his pigs down with him when there was a mast of oak and beech nuts in Munster. If the mast fell in the north the pig-keeper from the south would travel northward.

There were some who tried to make trouble between them. People in Connacht said their pig-keeper had the greater power, while others in Munster said it was theirs who had greater power. A great mast fell in Munster one year, and the pig-keeper from the north came southward with his pigs. His friend made him welcome.

"Is it you?" he said. "They are trying to cause trouble between us. Men here say your power is greater than mine."

"It is no less, anyway," Ochall's pig-keeper said.

"That's something we can test," Bodb's pig-keeper said. "Ill cast a spell over your pigs, Even though they eat this mast they won't grow fat, while mine will."

And that is what happened. Ochall's pig-keeper had to bring his pigs away with him so lean and wretched that they hardly reached home. Everybody laughed at him as he entered his country.

"It was a bad day you set out," they said. "Your friend has greater power than you."

"It proves nothing," he said. "We'll have mast here in our own turn and I'll play the same trick on him.."

This also happened. Bodb's pig keeper came northward the same time next year into the country of Connacht, bringing his lean pigs with him, and Ochall's pig keeper did the same to them, and they withered. Everybody said then that they had equal power. Bodb's pig-keeper came back from the north with his lean pigs, and Bodb dismissed him from pig-keeping. His friend in the north was also dismissed.

After this they spent full years in the shape of birds of prey, the first year at the fort of Cruchan, in north Connacht, and the second at the sid on Femen Plain. One day the men of Munster had collected together at this place.

http://web.ncf.ca/dc920/tain.html

[Oisín]

Found here....http://www.ucc.ie/celt/

That's a great site and I use it alot myself. Everyone should read the Nationalist essays and articles by Padriag Pearse and Thomas Davis if they get a chance.

[Oisín]

Carmina Gadelica
Ortha Nan Gaidheal
by Alexander Carmichael
[Link]