LEINSTER , BOOK OFirregular sections, leading him to opine that this was
not intended as a single manuscript. It now contains
410 folios, 310 in the first 5 volumes of the diplomatic
edition by R. I. Best, O. Bergin, and M. A. O’Brien;
the Anglo-Norman section is published separately by
A. O’Sullivan as volume 6. Finally, the Ó Longáin
family produced a lithographic copy in 1880.
Content
The manuscript contains an extensive collection of
seminal texts, including An Leabhar Gabhála(a large
collection of genealogies), Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib,
Sanas Chormaic,Tecosca Chormaic, the metrical
Banshenchas, and the metrical Dinnshenchas. There are
over one hundred prose texts, including many famous
Heroic Cycle sagas: Táin Bó Cúailnge,Scéla Muicce
meic Dathó,Aided Cheltchair,Aided Chonchobair,
Aided Meidbe, Do Fallsigud Tána Bó Cúailnge,
Loinges Mac nUislenn,Mesca Ulad,Scéla Chonchobair,
Talland Étair,Brislech Mór Maige Muirthemne,Táin
Bó Flidais, andTáin Bó Fraích.There are some spe-
cifically Leinster sagas such as Fingal Rónáin, Orgain
Dind Ríg,Esnada Tige Buchet, and the Bóroma. The
translation of To gail Traí appears along with Cath
Maige Muccramaand the wisdom text Audacht
Morainn. The large collection of metrical material
includes many that refer specifically to Leinster—
Fianna bátar in Emain,Cúiced Lagen na Lecht Ríg,
andTemair Breg—but others are general historical
poems such as Hériu ardinis na ríg,Can a mbunadas
na nGael, and the Banshenchas. Flann Mainistrech has
thirteen poems in the book, by far the largest collec-
tion. Other poets, such as Cináed Ua hArtacáin, Dallán
mac Móre, and Gilla-Coemáin, have only three poems.
There are also poems relating to the Fenian cycle,
includingOenach indiu luid in rí.
The material is not purely secular, however. The
ecclesiastical content includes the genealogies of the
saints, along with lists of Irish bishops; the mothers,
sisters, and daughters of Irish saints; the martyrology
of Tallaght; and a collection of stories about Mo-Ling.
Some scholars have noted the untrustworthy nature of
some of the texts, particularly E. J. Gwynn and T. Ó
Concheanainn in reference to the Dinnshenchas.
Scribes and Decoration
One scribe claims the manuscript as his own, signing
his name on page 313 as Áed mac meic Crimthaind ro
scríb in leborso 7 ra thinóil a llebraib imdaib(Áed
son of the son of Crimthainn wrote this book and he
collected it from many volumes).
Further evidence for the involvement of Áed mac
Crimthainn as a scribe is found in the short letter
written to him on the margins of fol. 206 by Finn
bishop of Kildare. He describes Áed as the “foremost
historian of Leinster for his wisdom and learning and
knowledge of books and intelligence and scholarship
and let the end of this little story be written for me... ”
This Finn has been recognized as Finn Ua Gormáin
of Kildare, who died in 1160 and was himself a poet,
but E. Bhreathnach identified a Finn Ua Cíanáin as a
possible candidate, and his collaboration in the manu-
script might explain the inclusion of the poem, Clanna
Ralge Ruis in Ríg, that praises the Uí Fáilge above all
other families in Leinster.
Áed makes two historical observations. On page 49,
he mentions the death of Domnall son of Congalach
Ua Conchobhair-Fáilge in 1161, and he also records
his name and manner of his death in the list of Uí Fáilge
kings on page 40 d 38. Secondly, he refers to the
banishment of Diarmait Mac Murchadha in the year- The writing of the text did not begin until after
1151, the year of the Battle of Móin Mór, which is
mentioned by Bishop Finn in the additions that he
makes to the poem of Cináed Ua hArtacáin. According
to O’Sullivan there were additions made to the writing
through 1189, when Cathal Cróbderg took the kingship
of Connacht, and in 1198, when Ruairí Ua Conchobair
died.
The leaves of the book have been numbered on
different occasions. O’Curry made two attempts, one
at the bottom of the page and another on the top, and
this is used virtually throughout the manuscript. The
first set of numbers may indicate the order in which
O’Curry found the book, and the second set of foliation
is still used as the pagination. There is also evidence
that he attempted a second reading of the original
pagination but failed to use this system.
R. I. Best recognized only one hand in the manu-
script and identified the scribe as Áed mac Crimthainn,
but O’Sullivan distinguishes four main hands: A, F, T,
and U. They come from the same school, which
explains the similarities that led Best to his conclusion.
The main scribe is A, referring to Áed mac Crimthainn;
F stands for the hand who wrote as Bishop Finn in the
letter to Áed; T stands for the style used in both To gail
Traíand the Táin Bó Cuailnge; finally, U stands for
the scribe using the uncial ain the medial position. He
also identifies two lesser hands: M, who wrote Mesca
Ulad, and S for the scribe whom Áed employed to
copy pages ccvii-ccxvi at Bishop Finn’s request.
Áed’s hand is formal and rounded with little con-
trast between thick and thin strokes, but the best hand
is that of F, which may have been written by the Bishop
himself or more likely by his scribe. Despite the fact
that his hand has been re-inked, it is clearly a fine hand