The first in a series of compositions for youth orchestra, Heroic Overture #1: Cuchulainn is named for the hero of the Ulster Cycle, an early Irish Gaelic literary work written around the 1st century BCE. In this heroic tale, Cuchulainn (pronounced koo-hool-n) is portrayed as a person above reproach, and the cycle documents his great strength and heroic deeds. The story outlines his triumphs including single-handedly defeating an entire army. Yet in the end through the trickery of another, Cuchhulainn dies in battle facing all the forces of Ireland.