It is closely related to the Acallam na Senórach ("The Colloquy of the Elders"), of which it is sometimes considered to be a later recension.
It is the most important text of the Fenian Cycle and at about 8,000 lines is the longest surviving work of original medieval Irish literature.
The event is first referred to in a love-story of the Acallam na Senórach, in which Finn sets out to meet the enemy in battle, but interrupts the journey to act as a match-maker for Cáel and Créde.
Cath Gabhra exists in many versions, and is referenced often in other works, including poems about Cairbre Lifechair in the Book of Leinster and in the long narrative Acallam na Senórach.