Rathcroghan Visitor Centre

Ulidia 8 - The International Conference for the Ulster Cycle of Tales
2026-06-23 09:00 - 2026-06-25 18:00 UTC | Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk,, Co. Roscommon, Roscommon, F45 HH51, Ireland
Ulidia 8 – The Eighth International Conference for the Ulster Cycle of Tales.
Over a three day period this conference will feature talks on all aspects to do with the Ulster Cycle, including archaeology, toponymy, philology, literature and history.
Dr Daniel Curley and Mr Mike McCarthy have organised Ulidia 8 — The Eighth International Conference on the Ulster Cycle of Tales, starting with a plenary on ‘The Archaeology of the Rathcroghan’ by Mr Joseph Fenwick, University of Galway. A very special book launch and public lecture will be delivered by Prof Matthieu Boyd, editor and translator of the new book The Essential Táin Bó Cúailnge and Other Stories from the Ulster Cycle . This will be convened at the Roscommon County Library, in Roscommon Town, on the 24th June, as part of our public engagement.
Two fieldtrips will complement the proceedings, taking place on the afternoons of 23rd and 25th June.
The first fieldtrip will explore the Rathcroghan Archaeological Landscape, and will focus on the confluence between the built remains and their roles in the Ulster Cycle tales that pertain to Roscommon. Our guides for this fieldtrip will be Dr Daniel Curley and Mike McCarthy, of our own Rathcroghan Visitor Centre. The fieldtrip will be on foot across grassland from the outset.
The second fieldtrip will be led by Mr Paul Gosling, entitled: ‘The Topography of the Táin Route in Roscommon’. Within, Paul’s expertise and years of research on the route of Táin Bó Cúailnge, specifically, in this case, in the Roscommon landscape, will be brought to bear, and will serve as the most appropriate conclusion to Ulidia 8.

Heritage Week Event - Storytelling & Launch of Finnbennach Bull Sculpture
2026-08-20 15:00 - 16:00 | Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Tulsk,, Co. Roscommon, Roscommon, F45 HH51, Ireland
Storytelling & Launch of Finnbennach Bull Sculpture
This original sculpture, funded through Roscommon LEADER Partnership, was made by local Co. Longford artist, Liam Kavanagh and will serve as a landmark sculpture for Tulsk and Co. Roscommon more generally. It will celebrate the early Irish stories which inspired its creation, as well as the countless generations of farming communities who have farmed amongst the monuments of Rathcroghan, the ancient capital of Connacht.
The bull, made of stainless steel, represents the monstrous Finnbennach, the White Bull of Connacht, who was the property of Ailill Mac Máta, the husband of the Warrior Queen Medb (Maeve) of Connacht, whose home is at Rathcroghan. It is from here that she assembles the armies of Ireland to go across to Cooley, Co. Louth, in order to kidnap the only equal to the Finnbennach on the island, the Donn Cuailnge, the Brown Bull of Cooley.
Join us this Heritage Week to celebrate the launch of this unique landmark, hear the origin story of the two bulls, how they caused war across Iron Age Ireland and how they met their ultimate end.

All are welcome.

Who Shot Queen Medb?
2026-09-25 20:00 - 22:00 | Roscommon
Who Shot Queen Medb?
The story of the Táin Bó Cuailnge & Cruachán Aí.
Friday 25th September, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company, The Factory Performance Space,
Lower Quay Street, Sligo @8pm

Why not leave Netflix aside and journey back in time to the prehistoric Iron Age to share in an evening of storytelling recounting some of the oldest tales in Ireland. Hear firsthand about the origins of Queen Medb and her great cattle raid to Ulster, which features a host of legendary characters such as the boy hero Cúchulainn, the Connacht warrior Fráoch and immortals of the Otherworld including the vengeful Macha and the formidable battle goddess, Mórrígán, who dwells in Oweynagat, the Cave of Cruachán, Ireland’s reputed ‘Gate to Hell’.
The genesis for this event came about from a variety of storytelling events, particularly pertaining to Queen Medb, provided at various events and festivals in Co. Roscommon over the years
This inspired us to expand the concept into a full evening of storytelling, which culminated in the delivery of ‘Who Shot Queen Medb?’, which took place in the Roscommon Arts Centre in August 2025. The positive feedback obtained from this event has inspired us to continue the project and bring it to a wider audience and share these wonderful tales throughout the country.
For further information and to book your tickets, visit our Eventbrite site HERE
