In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology the Red Branch was the name of two Conchobar's three houses at Emain Macha, as Old Irish had two words for "red". The Cróeb Ruad or Craoibh Ruadh ("dull red branch") was where the king sat; its name has survived as the townland of Creeveroe in County Armagh. The Cróeb Derg or Craoibh Dearg ("bright red branch") was where the severed heads and other trophies of battle were kept. His third house was called the Téite Brec or "speckled hoard", where the heroes' weapons were stored. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... 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. ... 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. ... Categories: Ireland-place stubs | Ulster cycle ... Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language which can be more or less fully reconstructed from extant sources. ... County Armagh (Ard Mhacha in Irish) is a county on the island of Ireland. ...

In later stories the Red Branch was taken to be the name of the order of warriors who fought for and protected Conchobar. Cúchulainn was said to be their greatest warrior. Young Cúchulainn, 1912 illustration by Stephen Reid. ...

There is a small debate over whether the name was, in fact, Red Branch or Royal Branch, with at least historian pointing out that a scribe could have mis-transcribed "Riadh" (Royal) as "Ruadh".