The Táin is preceded by a number of remscéla, or pre-tales, which provide background on the main characters and explain the presence of certain Ulaid characters in the Connachta army, the curse that causes the temporary inability of the remaining Ulaid to fight and the magical origins of the bulls Donn Cuailnge and Finnbennach. The eight remscéla chosen by Thomas Kinsella for his 1969 translation are sometimes taken to be part of the Táin itself, but come from a variety of manuscripts of different dates. Several other tales exist which are described as remscéla to the Táin, some of which have only a tangential relation to it.