Briccriu (Bricriu, Briccirne, Bricne), is a warrior, poet and troublemaker in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology. The Ulster Cycle, formerly the Red Branch Cycle, is a large body of prose and verse centering around the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster. ... The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ...

He once held a lavish feast for Conchobar mac Nessa and the heroes of Ulster in his house at Dún Rudraige (modern Dundrum, County Down), but knowing his reputation the Ulstermen had to be threatened to attend. First Briccriu threatened to set the Ulster warriors at odds with each other, then to set father against son and mother against daughter, but the Ulstermen finally agreed to come when he threatened to set the two breasts of each Ulster woman beating against each other. In Irish mythology, Conchobar mac Nessa (also Conchobor, Conchubar, Conchobhar, Conchubhar, Conchúr, Conchúir, Conor) was king of Ulster during the events of the Ulster Cycle. ... The Ulaid, also known as the Ulaidh and the Ulad, are a people of Early Ireland who gave their name to the Irish Province of Ulster. ... Dundrum (Dún Droma in Irish) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland lying by Dundrum Bay. ... County Down, (An Dún in Irish) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, covering an area of 2,448 km² (945 square miles). ...

At the feast he promised the "champion's portion" to Cúchulainn, then to Conall Cernach, then to Lóegaire Búadach, and the three heroes proceeded to compete for the honour. Challenges were set, some judged by Ailill and Medb of Connacht, some by Cú Roí of Munster. At every test set Cúchulainn came out top, but neither Conall nor Lóegaire would accept the decision. Young Cúchulainn, 1912 illustration by Stephen Reid. ... Conall Cernach (Conall the Victorious) is a heroic warrior of the Ulaid in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. ... In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Lóegaire Búadach (Lóegaire the Victorious) is a hapless Ulster warrior who mainly functions as comic relief. ... Ailill (Aillell, Oilioll) mac Máta was king of Connacht and husband of Medb in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. ... (, Medb, Medhbh, Meabh, Maeve, Maev) is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. ... Connaught redirects here. ... In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Cú Roí (Cú Ruí, Cú Raoi) mac Dáire is a king of Munster and a sorcerer who can change his form at will. ... Alternate uses: See Munster (disambiguation). ...

Finally Cú Roí, disguised as a giant churl, challenged each of the three to behead him, then allow him to return and behead them in return. Only Cúchulainn passed this test, and was judged worthy of the champion's portion.

(Two motifs in this story, the champion's portion and the beheading challenge, are mentioned by the Greek writer Posidonius as practices of the ancient Celts. The beheading challenge is also central to the Middle English Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.) The bust of Posidonius as an older man depects his character as a Stoic philosopher. ... A Celtic cross. ... Middle English is the name given by historical philologists to the diverse forms of the English language spoken in England from around the 12th to the 15th centuries— from after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror in 1066 to the mid to late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Britain. ... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th century metrical romance recorded in a manuscript containing three other pieces of an altogether more Christian orientation, which are linked by a commonality of dialect usage. ...

Briccriu followed Fergus mac Róich into exile in Connacht following the Deirdre affair. He died there at the end of the Táin Bó Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley), trampled to death by the two bulls as they fought. In Irish mythology, Fergus (or Fearghus) mac Róich (or mac Róeg) is the former king of Ulster during the events of the Ulster Cycle. ... Deirdre or Derdriu is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish mythology. ... The Táin Bó Cúailnge, or Cattle Raid of Cooley, is the central tale in the Ulster Cycle, one of the four great cycles that make up the surviving corpus of Irish mythology. ...

The name of the town of Loughbrickland, near Banbridge, County Down, is thought to derive from Irish Loch Briccrend or Briccriu's Lake. Arms of Banbridge Banbridge (Droichead na Banna in Irish) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. ... County Down, (An Dún in Irish) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, covering an area of 2,448 km² (945 square miles). ...