Few twentieth-century Irish books can rival the cultural importance, artistic achievement, and enduring influence of the 1969 edition of The Táin, translated by Thomas Kinsella and illustrated by Louis le Brocquy. Published by the legendary Dolmen Press under the direction of Liam Miller, it is widely regarded as one of the finest Irish books ever produced and remains a landmark in the history of Irish publishing.
Reimagining Ireland’s Greatest Epic
The Táin Bó Cúailnge (“The Cattle Raid of Cooley”) stands at the centre of the Ulster Cycle and is often described as Ireland’s national epic. Its story of Queen Medb’s invasion of Ulster, the heroism of Cúchulainn, and the struggle for possession of the Brown Bull of Cooley has survived in manuscript form for centuries.
Although earlier translations existed, Thomas Kinsella sought to create a version that captured the vigour, violence, and immediacy of the original Irish texts. His translation, published in 1969 after years of work, was hailed as the first truly modern rendering of the saga, bringing Ireland’s ancient heroic age to a contemporary audience.
Louis le Brocquy’s Vision
The success of the volume owes as much to Louis le Brocquy’s illustrations as to Kinsella’s translation. Commissioned by Liam Miller in 1967, le Brocquy spent months creating hundreds of brush drawings before selecting 133 images for publication. These haunting black-and-white illustrations transformed perceptions of Irish mythological art.
Rather than depicting warriors and heroes in a conventional historical manner, le Brocquy created an entirely new visual language. His calligraphic brush strokes evoke cave paintings, ancient manuscript illumination, and modern abstraction simultaneously. Figures emerge from darkness and dissolve back into it; armies become masses of movement and energy; Cúchulainn appears less as a historical warrior than as an elemental force.
Le Brocquy believed that the illustrations should not merely accompany the text but grow from it organically, acting as visual extensions of the narrative rather than decorative additions.
A Triumph for the Dolmen Press
The publication represented the culmination of Liam Miller’s ambitions for the Dolmen Press. Produced as Dolmen Edition IX, the book was issued in a limited edition of 1,750 copies, including fifty deluxe copies signed by Kinsella, le Brocquy, and Miller. Printed in Dublin and housed in an illustrated slipcase, the volume demonstrated that Irish publishing could equal the finest private presses in Europe.
The physical book is itself a work of art. Large in format, beautifully designed, and lavishly illustrated throughout, it represents the ideal marriage of text, typography, illustration, and binding. The distinctive image of the bull, designed by le Brocquy, has become one of the most recognisable motifs in modern Irish book design.
Critical Acclaim
Upon publication, the volume was greeted with widespread admiration. Critics recognised immediately that something exceptional had been achieved. The collaboration between Kinsella, le Brocquy, and Liam Miller created a work that transcended the boundaries between literature, visual art, and fine printing.
Today, the 1969 Táin is frequently described as the greatest Irish artist’s book of the modern era. It remains a benchmark against which later illustrated Irish books are measured.
Collecting the 1969 Edition
For collectors, the first Dolmen Press edition remains the most desirable form of the work. Copies retaining their original dust-jacket and illustrated slipcase are increasingly difficult to locate in fine condition. The deluxe issue, limited to only fifty signed copies, ranks among the great rarities of modern Irish book production.
More than half a century after publication, the Kinsella–le Brocquy Táin continues to stand as a monument of Irish cultural achievement—a meeting of Ireland’s greatest epic, one of its finest poets, one of its most celebrated artists, and the country’s most distinguished private press.
The result is not merely a book but a defining statement of modern Irish artistic identity.
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The 1969 Táin: Thomas Kinsella, Louis le Brocquy and a Masterpiece of Irish Publication.
