On his return from Skye, prior to the birth of his ill-fated son, Cuchulinn had been joyously welcomed home by King Conchobar and his knights. Losing no time he proceeded to Lusk to claim Eimer. The young lady had in his absence become deeply enamoured of him, though her father and brothers remained obdurate. Fortifying themselves against the intrusion of the champion for a whole year, they denied him entrance, or even a sight of his faithful lover, until Cuchulinn, getting desperate, scaled the walls, overcame his opponents and carried off Eimer, her maid, and much treasure in his chariot. All the way north to Emania he had frequent combats with the men who followed to frustrate this heroic elopement. Commenting on the story, O’Curry makes the interesting remark that “there is scarcely a hill, valley, river, rock, mound, or cave in the line of country from Emania in the present county of Armagh to Lusk in that of Dublin of which the ancient and often varying names and history are not to be found in this singularly curious tract,” namely, the Wooing of Eimer. “So that, if we look upon it even as a highly-coloured historic romance, it will be found one of the most valuable of our large collection of ancient compositions on account of the light which it throws not merely on ancient social manners, and on the military feats and terms of those days, but on the meaning of so vast a number of topographical names. And it records, too, I may add, very many curious customs and superstitions, many of which to this day characterise the native Irish people.” Other exploits of the wonderful Cuchulinn are related in the “Táin Bó Chuailgné” or “Cattle Raid of Cooley”—the greatest and longest of the heroic sagas. Here we encounter that remarkable Amazon, Queen Meve of Connaught, and her third husband, Ailill. When at Rath-Cruachan it seems they had spread their royal couch, and between them there ensued a pillow conversation, ending in a controversy as to which of the two was the richer. In this debate comparison was made between their mugs and vats and iron vessels, their urns and brewers’ troughs, and kieves. Their jewels also were brought out, such as finger-rings, clasps, bracelets, thumb-rings, diadems, and gorgets of gold; their apparel of crimson, blue, black and green, yellow and chequered and buff, wan-coloured, pied and striped. Comparison was made between their flocks of sheep and steeds and studs, and herds of swine and droves of cows. But all were found to be exactly equal.