The Ulster Cycle is one of the four great cycles of stories from ancient Celtic mythology; the others being the Mythological Cycle, the Fenian Cycle and the Cycle of Kings. The Ulster Cycle contains 80 stories telling the adventures of legendary figures, a group of people known as the Ulaid, who occupied the northeast of Ireland more than 2,000 years ago. They gave their name to the province of Ulster, which is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. Ulster is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); the remaining three are in the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is often referred to as Ulster, despite including only six of Ulster's nine counties. This usage is most common among people in Northern Ireland.