The night Ulster’s heroes got lost and ended up in the wrong kingdom
The Intoxication of the Ulstermen is the great comic epic of the Ulster Cycle — a story about Ulster’s finest heroes setting out for a feast, getting spectacularly lost in the dark, and stumbling into progressively more dangerous situations, each one more absurd than the last, until they find themselves accidentally invading the kingdom of a king who is not especially pleased to see them.
The Feast and the Wrong Road
Conchobar mac Nessa and the full court of Ulster were returning from a feast — well fed, well watered, and perhaps not entirely clear-headed. They took a wrong turn. In the dark and the unfamiliar country, the great heroes of Ulster lost their way entirely and ended up driving their chariots in the wrong direction for the entire night.
By dawn they were somewhere south — in Munster, the kingdom of Cú Roí mac Dáire. They saw lights and headed toward them, hoping for hospitality.
The Fortress of Cú Roí
Cú Roí’s fortress was the most remarkable building in Ireland — it spun like a wheel every night so that no enemy could find the entrance. The Ulster warriors drove into it without being invited, found themselves inside a fortress that was rapidly becoming very unwelcoming, and began to realise their mistake.
Cú Roí was not a man to trifle with — he was the same supernatural being who had tested Cú Chulainn with the beheading game and declared him champion of Ulster. He tolerated their accidental invasion with reasonable grace, but made it very clear whose house it was.
The Long Way Home
The heroes of Ulster eventually extracted themselves and made their way home, having had an adventure they had not planned, survived a visit to a fortress they had not intended to enter, and suffered the particular humiliation of great heroes who have been decisively, comprehensively lost.
The tale is part farce and part genuine adventure, and its comedy comes from the contrast between the enormous dignity Ulster’s warriors normally carry and the indignity of being drunk, lost, and accidentally trespassing in a supernatural king’s spinning fortress.
Key facts about the Intoxication of the Ulstermen
- Irish title: Mesca Ulad (“The Intoxication of the Ulstermen”)
- How it started: Ulster warriors lost their way in the dark while returning from a feast
- Where they ended up: The fortress of Cú Roí mac Dáire — in Munster
- Cú Roí’s fortress: Spun like a wheel every night so no enemy could find its door
- Cú Roí: Supernatural king; the same figure who judged Cú Chulainn champion of Ulster
- Tone: Largely comic — the dignity of Ulster’s greatest warriors undercut by getting thoroughly lost
- Resolution: The Ulstermen eventually extracted themselves and returned home
- Cycle: Ulster Cycle
Link/cite this page
If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content.
Link will appear as The Intoxication of the Ulstermen: https://irishgodsandgoddesses.net - Irish Gods & Goddesses, March 22, 2026