A king of Munster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology; he is usually portrayed as a warrior with superhuman abilities, a master sorcerer.
His name probably means ‘hound of the battlefield’ or ‘roaring warrior’ and he is believed to be the son of Daire Mac Dedad.
He is associated especially with Kerry, where the remains of a prehistoric fortification in the Slemish Mountains are still known as Caher Conree, 'Cu Roi's City.
From the age of seven until he died he had not bloodied his sword in Ireland, and the food of Ireland did not pass his lips either.
Each night in whatever part of the world he might be in, he chanted an incantation so that his fortress in Kerry revolved as swiftly as a mill-stone and the entrance could never be found after sunset.
Cu Roi is a great tester of courage and has shape-shifting abilities; he appeared most frequently in the guise of a giant yokel or herdsman.
On one occasion he challenged the heroes of Ulster to play the Beheading Game with him as indicated in the legend of the Feast of Bricriu.
He helped out the Ulstermen one time on a raid of the Underworld and they offered him first choice of the booty if they succeeded.
They did succeed and when Cu Roi went to make his choice, the Ulstermen refused to hand over the goods, he then lifted up the booty, stowed it on several parts of his body and prepared to leave.
Cuchulainn was the only one that tried to stop him and he simply lifted him up and threw him into the earth. Then he did one of the worst things to be done to a Celtic Warrior; with his sharp sword he shaved off all of Cuchulainn’s hair, forcing him to hide for a year until his hair grew a little.
He appropriated many otherworldly prizes which the Ulsterman had captured, including his wife, Blanaid, loved by CuChulain.
Several tales describe the enmity between him and Cu Roi.
At the end, it was his wife, who betrayed him by pouring milk into the river by his stronghold as a sign when he was there; enabled Cu Chulainn to kill him.
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