Irish Táin Bó Cúailgne
Irish narrative, the longest of the Ulster cycle .
It was composed in prose with verse passages in the 7th8th century, probably by an author acquainted with such epics as the Aeneid . Its hero is Cú Chulainn , who singlehandedly held off the Connaught army that invaded Ulster to capture a famous and valuable brown bull. After three days of battle, Cú Chulainn gained victory, yet the Connaughts successfully captured the bull. Madb, the warrior-queen of Connaught, secured her superiority over her husband Ailill when the brown bull defeated Ailill's white-horned bull.