The Tain (Penguin Classics)

Irish mythology tends to focus on phenomenal feats of strength and skill, plenty of whimsy, and yarns full of love and vengeance, but the Tain goes beyond this to comment on some deeper themes, such as how the valiant fight on both sides of a conflict due to misplaced loyalty.The first half of it is primarily amusing--because of a misogynistic act, the Ulstermen fall under a curse (said to resemble menstruation, but the length of the curse is as long as pregnancy) while the Connachtmen, under orders of the sexy but conniving Queen Medb and her quivering husband Ailill, attack in order to steel a prize bull. Cu Chulainn slows the massive army's progress by challenging its heroes to mortal combat one by one, and none can best him.Eventually, though, we see characters growing and changing, such as when Medb's beautiful daughter who seduces heroes into fighting Cu Chulainn falls in love with one of them and expresses sincere remorse for sending men to their death. The tone changes as Cu Chulainn proves not to be invincible, and the battle between him and his best friend Ferdiad conveys some strong emotion from otherwise haughty characters.There's no doubt that this story is perhaps the most highly-regarded work of Irish mythology, the only question is the translation. From what I've read, this is a great translation that sacrifices some of the literal meanings to convey the emotion and wit. I know translators who say that a literal translation of an idiomatic expression can and should be substituted with the equivalent in the target language because what is being said is far more important than how it's being said. Others may appreciate the colorful idioms and poetic devices that were used in the Gaelic which don't work well in English in order to get a feel for the linguistics. If you disagree, I'm sure there are translations on Amazon which will better suit your desired experience, but I found this translation able to roll a film in my head and am pleased with my choice.

Great, readable translation of the Tain Bo Cuailnge the most famous of Ancient Irish heroic stories. "Courage has a brutal core." "Where heroes congregate a Parliament of graves." "heroic deeds wrought in murk." "The friendship of her thighs." There is much to learn and appreciate in such ancient works. A peek into how they thought and fought, the clothes they wore, armor and arms, morals and sins, their boasting and their sorrows. Some very interesting characters. And two almost celestial bulls.

I really like the story of Chuhulain (and I know the spelling differs), but I had heard it from other sources so getting to read it was nice. This was an easy read. I never felt myself stuck because I was confused or bored. We read through it really quickly for class and discussed - everyone participated so you know that they at least got something from it.

Carson’s translation is clear, spare and even musical, without affectation. I don’t know how it compares to Kinsella’s because I have not read that, nor can I gauge how close it comes to the original Irish text.

A very interesting introduction to the ancient Irish world.

Well written and interesting interpretations of the old, old myths. I have no idea if the translations are accurate or not.

Never read anything quite like this before. Still not sure how I feel about the story, but definitely recommend to anyone with an open mind.

bought as a gift & the gifted already had it !

This is a very accessible translation of the great epic of Ireland. The Táin is the Irish equivalent of the Iliad or the Odyssey (although in my opinion it is vastly superior), and here it is presented by Carson in accessible modern English, without losing the feel of the original. For those who aren't used to Irish names, there is a guide to pronunciation in the front of the book.

It's a bit of a difficult to read because of the layout but still a good fun story and nice to read the original version of a story. I will say, the highlights were calming Cú Chulainn by flashing him and the term "long lad and acorns". I think you can figure out what that is, hahah!

Seminal translation of the Irish classic. Split into reasonable chapters and maintains in its writing a sense of the original epic. Modulates into verse on occasion bringing a welcome shift in tone and, soliloquy-like, illuminates the characters' deepest emotions at those intervals.

Excellent translation into English of a classic

Ok