ABSTRACT
I would like to begin by relating three stories from the Ulster Cycle, one of four collections of ancient Irish myths. The Ulster Cycle recounts the legends of the northern county of Ireland, chief among which are those concerning Cuchulain, pronounced “koohooln.” The first story relates how Conchobar (Connor), the King of Ulster, spent a large portion of his day watching boys play a variety of games. On one occasion, Conchobar went to the playing field and saw something that astonished him: thrice fifty boys at one end of the field and a single boy at the other end, and the single boy winning victory in taking the goal and in hurling from the thrice fifty youths (Maclean, 1998, 156).
