The Irish writer holds a special spot in the soul of Ireland, sometimes shaping its character by scripting the course of her actions and sometimes characterizing its features by recording her political and social developments.
Irish literature dates to the pre-Celtic peoples inhabiting the area now known as Ireland.
The Irish written tradition is the oldest continuous one in the western world with the earliest surviving manuscript dating to the 8th century. Amongst the earliest literature are two heroic cycles of legend. The mythological human characters in these tales face conflicts over honour, courage, love, hatred, revenge and rivalry. The Ulster, or Red Branch Cycle centers around Conor Mac Nessa the king of Uladh and his chief warrior Cuchulainn. Many of the other tales in the cycle are outgrowths of the T in , created for the purposes of performance or for elaboration on a certain element of the original tale.