There is nothing like the simple pleasure of hearing stories told well, passed on orally as they were for hundreds of years. The myths of Ulster’s legendary past, like many other cultures, have their roots in the Iron Age in a time when communities were becoming more settled but there wasn’t yet a written culture. There’s definitely a pun in the title though, because Lara McClure’s solo show Oral Tradition centres around three legendary Ulsterwomen who used sex as a weapon to achieve their aims.

The ambitious Ness seeks out Cathbad the local seer, who tells Ness that it’s an auspicious hour to conceive a king. With no men for miles around, Ness seizes the opportunity – and the druid. McClure is a spirited performer, and her acting out of their coupling sets the tone for this enjoyable tale telling. She’s not afraid of having fun with the sexy elements of myth.

Ness manages to inveigle her son Conor MacNessa onto the throne, by manipulating Fergus MacRae’s desire for her. Fergus is famed for his enormous penis of seven fists’ length, and prior to Ness, it took seven women to satisfy him. As McClure says, it’s often best to not think too much about the logistical arrangements.

Next up is Queen Mebh, who gives McClure even more scope for covering the outlandish sexual propensities of her characters. Including her epic love-making with husband Ailill, which resembled all-out combat and required teams of carpenters and weavers to construct the arena (or bed, as mere mortals would know it). Mebh’s tattoos allegedly inspired the Book of Kells, and McClure’s are also pretty impressive as she embodies the Queen of Connaught. Finally, we wrap up with Deirdre, described as a bit of a drip, and in contrast to the others, it’s her virginity that causes the wars.

McClure is an excellent performer, and though she relied a little too much on a friend in the front row on the day I attended, she engages well with an audience who lap up her stories. She stamps her own style on the tales, unafraid to throw in a modern reference or two, just as any past storyteller would. The myths of Ulster are as epic as any, though they probably feature more cattle. Many of these stories are available in to read in the Tain of Ulster, but experiencing them as they were originally told in the Oral Tradition is a different matter altogether. It stands firmly on the fun side of raunchy and is not to be missed.