I'm somewhat versed in the Táin Bó Cúailnge and other Irish mythology, but am in no way a scholar.
First off, regarding pronunciation of Táin I've only ever heard it referred to like "toy-n" by other irish speakers, but granted, pronunciation of irish words can vary by region.
Part 1 is by far the hardest for me to figure out. The lines "and granted for their pleasure possessions laid to measure" refer to Alill and Medb comparing their wealth (which invariably led to Medb desiring the title bull). I'm assuming that the crone that these lyrics are attributed to would be Fedelm the prophetess, but its very unclear to me to whom she is addressing. The "she" in the song is Medb, but both Alill and Fergus mac Róich have been involved with Medb (as well as a LOT of other men). I would be inclined to believe that subject of this part would be Fergus, since Alill is included is referred to in the third person in "granted for their pleasure" and that Fergus was renowned for needing seven women to satisfy him sexually (when he could not have his wife) provides some meaning towards "your phallo (penis) won't leave you alone". What throws me off is "are you sweet on your sister?" as I've NEVER found any instances of sisters to the characters in Táin or any other stories involving the characters. The closest I've been able to find is that in some interpretations Alill is thought to be grandson of Medb's sister and was sent to be raised by Medb.
Part two is definitely referring to the build up of the fighting forces of Medb and Alill (the first recension of the story). I have seen this as being attributed as Alill ("husband") and the unnamed "captain". Some lyrics lead me to believe that the "husband" is actually Fergus. The lines "in this place called heavenly you were born here" seem to refer to Ulster, where the bull is found, and is also the former land of Fergus (who was tricked out of his kingdom and defected to Connacht). As mentioned previously, Fergus was a lover of Medb's, but Alill was her only husband at the time.
The opening verse of part three seem to refer to the guerrilla was that Cúchulainn and Láeg wage on the invaders. After that, I don't have any real objections/anything to add to the other posts stating that its from Ferdiad's perspective and that the chaplain is talking about the curse on the Uliad.
Part four would be the period of rest during the rounds of single combat where Lug healed Cúchulainn. The lines "and arise with the others" refers to the rest of the Uliad once they are roused from the curse. But the following lines refer to the story's events as past. A lot of the lyrics in this part don't seem to refer to anything in the story are appear to be flavour.
Part five is more or less along the lines of what has been interpreted before, except I don't agree with its Findabair being upset about being told of another solider being killed for her. Rochad mac Fathemain is one of the Uliad who come to Cúchulainn's aid and was Findabair's first love. Medb uses her daughter as a bargaining chip with Rochad, but the kings of Munster who were allied with Medb were also all promised Findabair and when they found about her and Rochad spending the night, the Munster armies turned against Connacht with seven hundred men dying in that battle. Findabair ends up dying of shame. I would believe this is the reason for Findabair's distress. The "mother's sow" is another bit of lyric that is incredibly elusive to me.
Regardless of my thoughts on the song, the lyrics (and especially the characters they are attributed to) are quite vague to the actual story. I wouldn't be surprised if Colin took a lot of liberties with his interpretation. Especially with reference to Alill and Fergus. There's quite a few versions of Táin Bó Cúailnge and they can vary, especially those taken from the oral recitations, and some include other stories that aren't part of the main storyline (like the death of Cúchulainn), so Colin may also be referencing parts from versions I haven't seen.
I'm somewhat versed in the Táin Bó Cúailnge and other Irish mythology, but am in no way a scholar.
First off, regarding pronunciation of Táin I've only ever heard it referred to like "toy-n" by other irish speakers, but granted, pronunciation of irish words can vary by region.
Part 1 is by far the hardest for me to figure out. The lines "and granted for their pleasure possessions laid to measure" refer to Alill and Medb comparing their wealth (which invariably led to Medb desiring the title bull). I'm assuming that the crone that these lyrics are attributed to would be Fedelm the prophetess, but its very unclear to me to whom she is addressing. The "she" in the song is Medb, but both Alill and Fergus mac Róich have been involved with Medb (as well as a LOT of other men). I would be inclined to believe that subject of this part would be Fergus, since Alill is included is referred to in the third person in "granted for their pleasure" and that Fergus was renowned for needing seven women to satisfy him sexually (when he could not have his wife) provides some meaning towards "your phallo (penis) won't leave you alone". What throws me off is "are you sweet on your sister?" as I've NEVER found any instances of sisters to the characters in Táin or any other stories involving the characters. The closest I've been able to find is that in some interpretations Alill is thought to be grandson of Medb's sister and was sent to be raised by Medb.
Part two is definitely referring to the build up of the fighting forces of Medb and Alill (the first recension of the story). I have seen this as being attributed as Alill ("husband") and the unnamed "captain". Some lyrics lead me to believe that the "husband" is actually Fergus. The lines "in this place called heavenly you were born here" seem to refer to Ulster, where the bull is found, and is also the former land of Fergus (who was tricked out of his kingdom and defected to Connacht). As mentioned previously, Fergus was a lover of Medb's, but Alill was her only husband at the time.
The opening verse of part three seem to refer to the guerrilla was that Cúchulainn and Láeg wage on the invaders. After that, I don't have any real objections/anything to add to the other posts stating that its from Ferdiad's perspective and that the chaplain is talking about the curse on the Uliad.
Part four would be the period of rest during the rounds of single combat where Lug healed Cúchulainn. The lines "and arise with the others" refers to the rest of the Uliad once they are roused from the curse. But the following lines refer to the story's events as past. A lot of the lyrics in this part don't seem to refer to anything in the story are appear to be flavour.
Part five is more or less along the lines of what has been interpreted before, except I don't agree with its Findabair being upset about being told of another solider being killed for her. Rochad mac Fathemain is one of the Uliad who come to Cúchulainn's aid and was Findabair's first love. Medb uses her daughter as a bargaining chip with Rochad, but the kings of Munster who were allied with Medb were also all promised Findabair and when they found about her and Rochad spending the night, the Munster armies turned against Connacht with seven hundred men dying in that battle. Findabair ends up dying of shame. I would believe this is the reason for Findabair's distress. The "mother's sow" is another bit of lyric that is incredibly elusive to me.
Regardless of my thoughts on the song, the lyrics (and especially the characters they are attributed to) are quite vague to the actual story. I wouldn't be surprised if Colin took a lot of liberties with his interpretation. Especially with reference to Alill and Fergus. There's quite a few versions of Táin Bó Cúailnge and they can vary, especially those taken from the oral recitations, and some include other stories that aren't part of the main storyline (like the death of Cúchulainn), so Colin may also be referencing parts from versions I haven't seen.