Táin Bó Cuailnge edited by Pádraig Ó Fiannachta

Edited by Pádraig Ó Fiannachta
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies – School of Celtic Studies
Hardcover with original dust jacket | Old Irish text with English commentary | Excellent condition

For the Rare Book Collector

This is a true first edition of Táin Bó Cuailnge, published in 1966 by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), marking the debut of the “Maynooth manuscript” version of Ireland’s most celebrated epic. Released by DIAS’s School of Celtic Studies, this scholarly publication was never intended for a general commercial audience, resulting in limited availability and very low surviving print numbers, especially with the original dust jacket intact.

This copy is in excellent condition. The hardcover binding is square and tight, with bright gilt titling to the spine and virtually no external wear. The dust jacket is original and complete, a rarity for this edition, and is now protected in a clear archival sleeve. Internally, the pages are clean, crisp, and unmarked, with only a single neat owner’s name inscribed on the first page — no marginalia, highlighting, or library markings. There is only the faintest natural toning of the paper consistent with age.

Edited by the esteemed Celtic scholar and priest Rev. Pádraig Ó Fiannachta, this is the first printed edition of the Old Irish text of the Táin from the “Maynooth manuscript.” The editor's detailed English commentary and introduction make this volume accessible even to readers without fluency in Old Irish. It occupies a unique place in the publication history of Irish epic literature, predating the more widely known translations (such as Kinsella’s 1969 Dolmen Press edition) and establishing a textual standard still referenced today.

Collectors of Irish-language books, early Celtic texts, or folklore-related first editions will recognise this as a foundational volume — scholarly, scarce, and beautifully preserved. This copy offers the chance to own a cornerstone of Ireland’s literary canon in its earliest 20th-century critical form.

The Epic Within

The Táin — or Táin Bó Cuailnge, “The Cattle Raid of Cooley” — is the central heroic epic of early Irish literature and the crown jewel of the Ulster Cycle. It tells of the war waged by Queen Medb of Connacht to capture the great bull Donn Cúailnge from Ulster, and the resulting one-man stand of the teenage warrior Cú Chulainn. Battle, loyalty, curses, divine visitations, and tragic duels — including the unforgettable combat between Cú Chulainn and his foster-brother Fer Diad — combine to create one of the oldest and most complex vernacular epics in all of Europe.

The story was passed down orally for centuries before it was written into medieval manuscripts such as the Book of the Dun Cow (c.1100) and the Yellow Book of Lecan (14th c.), and was likely already in circulation in some form by the 7th or 8th century. Its historical setting reflects pre-Christian, Iron Age Ireland, where cattle were both currency and status. The epic preserves early Irish social norms, mythic cosmology, and language in vivid detail — a source of endless fascination for historians, linguists, and cultural enthusiasts alike.

The 1966 DIAS edition, edited by Ó Fiannachta, presents the text as found in the so-called “Maynooth manuscript,” a variant that differs in structure and phrasing from the more widely studied Leinster and Stowe versions. The decision to publish this variant reflects a growing mid-20th-century interest in broadening access to Ireland’s manuscript tradition beyond select academic circles.

Ó Fiannachta — who would later become Bishop of Kerry and translator of the full Irish Bible — provides an English-language introduction, footnotes, and commentary throughout, illuminating the Old Irish prose and verse. His editorial hand ensures fidelity to the text while opening it up to readers newly entering the world of early Irish mythology.

A Living Piece of Irish Literary History

This book represents more than textual preservation. It’s a material link to a major moment in Ireland’s post-independence cultural project — when institutions like DIAS worked to reclaim and elevate the native literary tradition. It predates the popular retellings of the Irish epics and presents them unfiltered, in their original form, supported by the best scholarship available at the time.

Holding this book is to hold a chapter of Ireland’s cultural awakening — where myth, language, and nationhood converge. It belongs on the shelf of anyone passionate about the Irish literary tradition, Celtic mythology, or the early history of the Gaelic language.

Secure this rare edition today — copies in such excellent condition, with original dust jacket and pristine interiors, are few and far between. For the serious collector of Irish literary heritage, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Reference Notes

• The epic status and synopsis of Táin Bó Cuailnge are widely covered in early Irish literature surveys.

• Ó Fiannachta’s role as editor and scholar is acknowledged by the DIAS School of Celtic Studies and in his later appointment as bishop and translator of An Bíobla Naofa.

• The “Maynooth manuscript” edition published by DIAS in 1966 is catalogued as the first printed presentation of that variant.

• Cú Chulainn's singular defence of Ulster and the cultural meaning of cattle in early Irish society are central themes of the saga and are highlighted in translations and scholarly commentary.

• DIAS’s limited print runs and academic imprint history make early editions like this one scarce in the market.