The Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh (Moytura)

The Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh (Moytura)

The central heroic tale of the group dealing with the Tuatha De Danaan and the so-called Mythological Cycle is “The Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh (Moytura).” The text, though not so early as most of the stories of the Ulster Cycle, still preserves much of the rugged strength and directness for which the older tales are admired. It also exhibits something of the rough exaggerated humor of the earlier texts. The diversity of material, the repetitions, and the contradictions all go to show that the story as we now have it is a compilation made up of a number of independent narratives.