---
product_id: 3719088
title: "The Tain: Translated from the Irish Epic Tain Bo Cuailnge 1st Edition"
brand: "thomas kinsella"
price: "257 Lei"
currency: RON
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.ro/products/3719088-the-tain-translated-from-the-irish-epic-tain-bo-cuailnge
store_origin: RO
region: Romania
---

# The Tain: Translated from the Irish Epic Tain Bo Cuailnge 1st Edition

**Brand:** thomas kinsella
**Price:** 257 Lei
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Tain: Translated from the Irish Epic Tain Bo Cuailnge 1st Edition by thomas kinsella
- **How much does it cost?** 257 Lei with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ro](https://www.desertcart.ro/products/3719088-the-tain-translated-from-the-irish-epic-tain-bo-cuailnge)

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- thomas kinsella enthusiasts

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## Description

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    The translator warns in his introduction: "...no attempt has been made to preserve the actual texture of the Irish narrative..."
  

*by M***K on Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2018*

The translator, Thomas Kinsella, didn't even attempt to give an accurate translation from the original Irish-language manuscripts. In fact, he states in the Introduction that "no attempt has been made to preserve the actual texture of the Irish narrative. Sentence structure and tense, for example, have been changed without hesitation; elements are occasionally shifted from one sentence to another; proper names have been substituted for pronouns, and vice versa; a different range of verbs has been used; and so on." So, take this entire translation with a pinch of salt.As to translating the poetry from Old Irish into English, Kinsella hilariously warned readers that because he hadn't a clue what the original poetry meant, his "aim has been to produce passages of verse which more or less match the original for length, ambiguity and obscurity," and stressed that the poems he attempted to write instead of the originals "are highly speculative and may reproduce little if anything of the original effect."Also, be aware that Kinsella failed to transfer the séimhiú from the original Irish manuscripts. Séimhiús are vital to the correct pronunciation of words, and should be included in modern translations as the letter 'h'. Thus he incorrectly rendered Queen Medbh (pronounced 'Maeve') as 'Medb' (pronounced 'Mabe'). I have an Irish-language version of the Tain and was able to compare Kinsella's translation with the original, and found many little errors in this way. Perhaps this is why he couldn't make head nor tail of the poetry.Despite my complaints, however, I would never be able to translate the documents as well as Kinsella did -- not even close. I found this to be a delightful account of the events and people surrounding the Cattle Raid of Cooley (an Tain Bo Cuailnge). Kinsella combined scattered tales and edited out the boring repetitions, and replaced pronouns with nouns for clarity. It was a difficult and tedious job, and I'm glad Kinsella took it on.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Uncommon traits in female characters
  

*by C***M on Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2012*

The old story features some surprising themes especially with regard to sexism and gender issues.  The young queen, daughter of the high king of Ireland, "Madb" has agency, liberty and power unknown in the post Christian collections of classical literature. Those interested in women's perspectives and avoiding the usual stereotypical roles as applied to a younger and transitioning Ireland, would find this work inspiring and enjoyable.While the over the top battle scenes seem to go on and on and on and on, Madb's appearances throughout the text make this a worthwhile read.  Her discussions and approaches to love, marriage, sexual liberties, politics, property rights, unpreventable reproductive cycles during battle, despite the zealous efforts of a young patriarchy speak volumes regarding where we are, where we've been and where we want to go.  I have yet to see such attention to the female voice, agency and autonomy in other classical characters.  Make no mistake, the paternalistic players, not yet established as the favored group, demonstrate a perniciousness in their competition and effort to shift the formerly fair distribution of power.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    A great old classic, from Ireland
  

*by P***O on Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2014*

I read this classic many years ago in a class of Irish Literature at the University of Michigan.  Since I was holding a class on Ancient Epic Literature, I decided to try to read this book with my students.  It fit right in with other epic literature that we had read; The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Beowulf.  You get a chance to see an ancient culture in Ireland and what they valued and how they thought, and the heroes that they emulated.  The names are somewhat difficult to pronounce, but other than that, it was a great translation and a unique coming together of some of the old stories of Ireland.

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*Product available on Desertcart Romania*
*Store origin: RO*
*Last updated: 2026-01-23*