Here's a topic I've had endless and fascinating discussion with among some friends over the years. Thought I'd throw it out to the Writers' Bothy to see what happens.

The crux of it can be summed up in a nameless 12th century scribe's note in a margin of the Cattle Raid of Cooley.

But I who wrote this history or rather fable put no trust in this history or fable, for some of these things are the feats of devils, some poetic figments, some apparently true, some not, and some for the delectation of fools.

The challenge of the discussion is to sort out what's what.

Taking old Irish literature and trying to break it down into its component parts - what was written by whom and where and why? Most of it was not by a single author or just one monk. There are chunks of history cobbled together with myths and stories, and along the long line various literary bits were tacked on such as introductions, sequels and even different tales stitched together for reasons that only the scribe knew, until what comes down to us is a crazy quilt patchwork tapestry of stuff!

For myself, as a writer and somewhat of a historian, this is a great exercise. Anybody up for it?