Pages 1-12, 29-48, and 49-68 of the manuscript can all be associated through their marginalia with the Antrim MacDonalds or the Clanranald or both. Perhaps pages 1-12 were brought to Scotland on the occasion of the return from Ireland of Domhnall mac Iain Mhùideartaich and Iain, son of Brian MacMhuirich, circa 1650 (‘Reliquiae Celticae’, volume 2, page 206). As for pages 13-28, Martin Martin states (1703): ‘The life of Columbus, written in the Irish character, is in the custody of John MacNeil, in the Isle of Barry; another copy of it is kept by MacDonald of Benbecula’. (‘Description of the Western Islands of Scotland’, page 292; cf. Flower, ‘An Irish-Gaelic poem on the Montrose wars’, page 113.) James Macpherson, making his tour of 1760 (which included Benbecula, but not Barra), would have been well aware of the Martin reference. The sum of evidence therefore points overwhelmingly to the MacMhuirichs of Stadhlaigearraidh as the source of the manuscript in its present form, and it may also be conjectured that Seanchán mac Gille Críst mhic Eóin was connected with Gilcrist and John Makwerich, who held land in Bute circa 1496-1519 (‘Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness’, volume 43, pages 288-289, 294). At least one layer, (pages 49-68), is Scottish in origin.

The manuscript is described in John Mackenzie’s inventory for the Highland Society of London in 1803 as follows: ‘A Quarto Vellum Manuscript, about same size as No.1. all Prose, and chiefly written in two Columns on a Page, containing 42 leaves, of which four are loose. Several letters in the double column part of it are coloured red. The Binding is torn off, except a few tattered pieces of Vellum and Leather. Signed on the first and last leaves, London 5. Jan.ry 1803, John Mackenzie’. 'IV' appears at page 79, presumably part of the former front cover, with what appear to be Lewis Gordon’s initials and the later number 'XL'. Donald Smith described the manuscript for the Highland Society of Scotland Ossian Committee in their Report, Appendix, page 310. When Ewen MacLachlan had the manuscript he called it ‘the Deerskin Quarto’, and excerpted it as “Bianfhéidh” for the Highland Society of Scotland Dictionary. He described it in Adv.MS.72.3.4, page 95, and in two letters, Ingliston MS. A.i.3, numbers 4 and 6. Some of his transcripts may be found at Adv.MS.72.3.5, page 224. His hand appears at page 67, where he interprets the date in Seanchán’s colophon as 1536. Graves examined the manuscript in 1848, describing it in the ‘Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy’, volume 4, page 256. Meyer’s descriptions are in ‘Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy’, volume 26, page 344 (a brief notice) and ‘Celtic Magazine’, volume 12 (1887), pages 208-218.

The manuscript is written in the following hands.

(i) Text, pages 1-11; notes, pages 2, 73. Firgailli or Ferghal, writing apparently for Seaán Mac Céin (pages 2, 11, last line). His hand is like that of Eoghan Carrach Ó Siaghail, Adv.MS.72.1.29. At page 2 he seems to describe his work as ‘the book of the grey man of Berraman’; there are places of that name in Bréifne and other parts of Ireland (Hogan’s ‘Onomasticon’). See also note on covers below. (Page 1.)

(ii) Text, pages 10, 11. 1-9. Possibly Seaán Mac Céin? (Page 11, last line) A strong, confident hand. (Page 2.)

(iii) Notes, pages 1, 3; text, page 12, lines 1-30. Perhaps more than one hand. Resembles hand 8 of Adv.MS.72.1.27. (Page 3.)

(iv) Text, page 12, lines 31-35. Perhaps to be identified with hand 9. (Page 4.)

(v) Text, pages 13-28; notes, pages 17, 25. Grosjean suggested (‘The life of St Columba from the Edinburgh MS’, page 112) that the redactor of this text may have been working in Scotland. The fact that, uniquely, this hand also appears in the Kilbride Collection (Adv.MS.72.1.31, folios 6-7) increases the likelihood of its being Scottish. Neat, squarish; some rubrication in red at page 13. (Page 5.)

(vi) Text, pages 29-48. Heavily seriffed. Fine decorative initials. Capitals coloured red, yellow, green. Coloured initials D and T from pages 37, column b, line 26 and 45, column b, line 30 respectively are reproduced in ‘Ossian Report’, frontispiece. A portion of text from page 46a is in plate 3, number 2, of the same work. (Page 6.)

(vii) Text, pages 49-68; notes, pages ?42, 53, 67. A good bold hand written with split point. Seanchán mac Gille Críst mhic Eóin, Minaird, 1537 (page 67). Meyer (‘The Edinburgh Gaelic manuscript XL’, page 215) points out that there is a Minard in County Kerry, but it seems much more likely, as J C Watson suggested (‘Mesca Ulad’, page ix), to be Minard in parish Glassary, Argyll, by then in possession of Archibald, 4th Earl of Argyll: a not unlikely patron. Seanchán expressed the 7 of 1537 by writing ‘v’ and placing one minim on top of another; MacLachlan read these minims as ‘i’, Graves correctly as ‘ii’, Meyer and Watson as ‘3’. Initial capital and some rubrication in red and green, pages 49-53. Seanchán seems to have possessed pages 29-48, see hand 11. (Page 7.)

(viii) Text, pages 69-75. A good careful hand. (Page 8.)

(ix) Note, page 12. Domhnall Ó Dálaigh, flourished 1634-1645; hand x of Adv.MS.72.2.2. His hand also appears at: Bodleian MS. Wood F 50, folios 14-15 (Antrim MacDonald poems, see Flower, ‘An Irish-Gaelic poem on the Montrose wars’, page 113); Trinity College Dublin MS. 1337 (H.3.18), part ii, pages 780-785 (MacDonalds’ descent from Colla Uais, published by Skene, ‘Celtic Scotland’, volume 3, page 462, Knott, “Bardic poems of Tadhg Dall Ó Huiginn”, volume 2, page 228, and Ó Donnchadha, ‘Leabhar Cloinne Aodha Buidhe’, page 50); Trinity College Dublin MS. 1363 (H.4.22), section XVI, two slips - in the Reverend John Beaton’s transcript from Adv.MS.72.1.1 – bearing MacDonald poems, one of which is on Domhnall mac Iain Mhùideartaich and is signed “Domhnall O Dal[aigh] do roinn an da rannsa”. Cf. hand 4. (Page 9.)

(x) Note, page 12 (secretary hand). John Grey? (Page 10.)

(xi) Some of emendations to text at pages 29-37. Others seem to be by hand 7. (Page 11.)

(xii) Emendations to text, page 32. (Page 12.)

(xiii) Part of alphabet and other scribbles, pages 48, 68, ?69. Almost certainly the hand of Domhnall MacMhuirich, cf. Adv.MS.72.2.2, Adv.MS.73.2.20. (Page 13.)

(xiv) Notes, pages 49, 51. (Page 14.)

(xv) Note, page 75, referring to Saint Ciarán [mac in tsaeir] of Clonmacnois, cf. Stokes, ‘Lives of saints from the Book of LismLismore’, page 117. (Page 15.)

(xvi) Note, drawings, page 75. (Page 16.)

(xvii) Notes, page 76. Resembles hand on cover of Adv.MS.72.1.39. (Page 17.)

(xviii) Note, page 76. Donald? (Not, however, the hand of Domhnall MacMhuirich as it appears in his signature in Scottish Record Office GD 201/2/4 and 201/5/1257/5.) (Page 18.)

(xix) Note, page 76. (Page 19.)

The manuscript contains the following marginalia (the number of the hand is given in brackets after entries).

(i) ‘L(e)b[a]r fh( )r glaisi Berramain ⁊ fuil meoir Fhirgailli .i. m[a]c rig Er[enn]’ (hand 1). (Page 2 (folio 1 verso).)

(ii) ‘Misi Domhnall O [Da]l[aigh] sg...us’ (hand 9).

(iii) ‘Johne Grey’ (hand 10). (Page 12 (folio 6 verso).)

(iv) ‘...beannachtsa’ (?). (Page 48 (folio 24 verso).)

(v) ‘Cinnus sin’ (hand 14). (Page 49 (folio 25 recto).)

(vi) ‘Cionnus sin a duiph so am laimh ⁊ ni me a gcunntap[ar]t’ (?) (legible under ultra violet light; hand 14) (Page 51 (folio 26 recto).)

(vii) ‘Fuil meoir na hingeni duibi do tairingead tre nim a seirce’ (hand 7). (Page 53 (folio 27 recto).)

(viii) Part of alphabet (hand 13). (Page 68 (folio 34 verso).)

(ix) ‘...ai in t-oglach Ciar[an] m[a]c in tsoir gen shaint gen uaill gen...gen egn...ihc.m’ (hand 15).

(x) ‘Bnocht is...’, with rough trials of decorative initials (hand 16). (page 75 (folio 38 recto).)

(xi) ‘...lair cruinn dubh ⁊ lair maol bhuidhe...nach grisen liath’ (hand 17). ‘Donald’ (hand 18).

(xii) ‘braighdhe’ (hand 19). (Page 76 (folio 38 verso).)

The contents (text) are as follows.

(i) Aided Chonchubair. Beginning, illegible ‘...⁊ do cuirethar imarb[ag] ⁊ comr... ⁊ Loeg[air]i mBu[adh]ac’. Ends ‘conid hi ad[aid] Conc[hubair] conuici sin’. See ‘Death-Tales of the Ulster Heroes’, page 4, Cf. Adv.MS.72.1.5, folio 7 verso, column b, line 1. (Page 1 (folio 1 recto), line 1.)

(ii) “Goire Conaill Chernaig i Crúachain” and ‘Aided Ailella ocus Conaill Chernaig’. Beginning, ‘Bai f[er] amnus do Ult[aib], Con[all] C[er]nach m[a]c Aimairgin, loech is dech ro bai a nEr[inn]. Ends “Adaid Ail[e]l[la] ⁊ Con[aill] C[er]n[aig] conuici sin”. See “Goire Conaill Chernaig i Crúchain ocus aided Ailella ocus Conaill Chernaig”, page 102. (Page 3 (folio 2 recto), line 8.)

(iii) “Aided Fergus Maic Róich”, beginning ‘Cid dia ta ad[aid] F[er]gusa m[aic] Roich? Ni [ansa]. Bui F[er]gus f[or] luinges i Conachtaib’. Ends ‘Conid hi ad[aid] F[er]gus conuici sin’. See ‘Death-tales of the Ulster heroes’, page 32. (Page 5 (folio 3 recto), line 8.)

(iv) ‘Aided Medba’, beginning ‘Cid dia ta ad[aid] Medba Cr[uac]han .i. i[ngen] Ech[ach] Feidl[ig] o Temr[aig]?’ Ends ‘Adaid Meidbi ⁊ Clotrainni [et] r[e]l[iqua]’. See Hull, ‘Aided Meidbe: The violent death of Medb’, page 52. (Page 6 (folio 3 verso), line 7.)

(v) “Aided Ceit Maic Mágach’, beginning, ‘Cid dia ta ad[aid] Ceit m[ai]c Mag[ach]? Ni [ansa]. Luidh Cet fecht ann a crich nUl[ad]’. Ends ‘Conid hi ad[aid] Ceit ⁊ B[el]c[hon] B[refni] cona m[a]caib in sin’. See ‘Death-tales of the Ulster heroes’, page 36. (Page 7 (4 recto), line 10.)

(vi) “Aided Lóegairi Búadaig’, beginning, ‘Cid dia ta ad[aid] Loeg[airi] Buad[aig]? Ni [ansa]. Aed m[a]c Ainninne doc[o]mr[ai]c re MuMughain Aitincairchech’. Ends ‘Conid hi adaid Loegairi conuici sin’. See ‘Death-tales of the Ulster heroes’, page 22. (Page 8 (folio 4 verso), last line.)

(vii) ‘Aided Celtchair Maic Uthechair’, beginning ‘Cid dia ta ad[aid] Cealtc[air] m[aic] Uithech[air]? Ni [ansa]. Fer amra do Ult[aib] .i. Bl[ai] Brug[a]. Ends ‘Conid hi sin ad[aid] Blai Br[ugad] ⁊ Congonc[nis] ⁊ Celt[chair] [mai]c Uith[echair]. Finit’. See ‘Death-tales of the Ulster heroes’, page 24. (Page 9 (folio 5 recto), line 12.)

(viii) The scribe fills up 2¼ lines remaining after the last text as follows. “Fuicarlan mac Fici Fáici”, 1 quatrain, (cf. Adv.MS.72.2.9, folio 11 verso). “Oroid sunn d’ fir in liup[air]si .i. [Sean] (monogram) m[a]c [Cein] (monogram). Misi pod g[an] seir 7 F[er]g]al] atamc[o]mnaic”. (‘I am a ?boot without a heel and I am F’., cf. Royal Irish Academy Contributions, under the word, 1 ad-cumaing.) See ‘The Edinburgh Gaelic manuscript XL’, page 213. (Page 11 (folio 6 recto), bottom of the page.) ‘(A buiden?)...tum . leis nach ail comann aonfhir’, 23 quatrains. Illegible at beginning and elsewhere; dúnadh is ‘A b u’. (Page 12, (folio 6 verso), line 1.)

(ix) Gnomic text on bad traits: 7 items, the first being ‘I n-as mesa do rioghaibh, a mbeith drochsmachta do uirigill’. Hand 4 writes “cionus rom beó” and repeats items 1-4. (Page 12 (folio 6 verso), line 25.)

(x) ‘Betha Colum-Chille’. Beginning, ‘(E)xi de t[er]ra tua ⁊ de cognatione ⁊ domu p[at]ris tui ⁊ uade t[er]ram q[uam] t[ibi] mostrau[er]o .i. faguibh do thir’. Ends page 28(folio 14 verso), column a, line 20 ‘Ailim trocaire De tre impighdhi C.C. gu roisi[um] uili an aentoigh sin, g[urus] airaill ⁊ g[urus] aittreabam in s[e]c[u]la s[e]c[u]loorum. Amen’. (Text of page 20(folio 10 verso), column b, lines 16-26 then repeated). See Grosjean, ‘The life of St Columba from the Edinburgh MS’, in ‘Scottish Gaelic Studies’, volume 2, page 111, and ‘Supplementary note to SGS. II. 154 (Life of St Columba)’, volume 3, page 84. Cf. Skene, ‘Celtic Scotland’, volume 2, page 467. (Page 13 (folio 7 recto), column a, line 1.)

(xi) ‘Mairg nach teid fo g(uth clui)g’, 1 quatrain. Cf. Uí Maine, page 10 (46) verso, column b, line 22 (attributed to Colum-Cille). (Page 28 (folio 14 verso), column b, line 2.)

(xii) ‘Gebe techtus i n-egluis n-ur’, 2 quatrains. (Page 28 (folio 14 verso), column b, line 6.)

(xiii) ‘Eglus fuar . ⁊ cleirech tana truag’, 1 quatrain. ‘The life of St Columba from the Edinburgh MS’, page 170. Cf. Meyer, ‘Mitteilungen aus irischen Handschriften (Fortsetzung)’, page 297; Uí Maine folio 10 (46) verso, column b, line 28 (attributed to Senán). (Page 28 (folio 14 verso), column b, line 14.)

(xiv) ‘Fuil treighi . diana buighech ri greine’, 2 quatrains. ‘The life of St Columba from the Edinburgh MS’, page 170. Cf. Leabhar branach, 225. (Page 28 (14 verso), column b, line 17.)

(xv) ‘Bairin arain eorna ain’, 1 quatrain. Cf. ‘The life of St Columba from the Edinburgh MS’, page 171. (Page 28 (folio 14 verso), column b, line 23.)

(xvi) ‘Oiged Guill Maic Garbada Ocus Oiged Gairb Glinde Rige’. Beginning, ‘Geasa et ilb[er]ta nobidis for Chon Cul[aind]’. Ends ‘Conad hi sin’ with title as above. ‘Finid. Amen. Finid’. See ‘The violent deaths of Goll and Garb’, page 396, with variants from present text at page 432. Cf. Edinburgh University Library Carmichael-Watson MS.56 (Watson’s transcript). (Page 29 (folio 15 recto), column a, line 1.)

(xvii) Táin Bó Fraích. Beginning, “Tain Bo Fraich ann so. Fraeach m[a]cc Idhaig do Chonnachtaib, m[a]c side do Bé Finn a sidaib”. Ends “Conad luid la hO[ili]ll ⁊ Meidb do thain na mbó a Cuailgne. Finid am[e]n”. Edited from this text, Anderson, “Táin bó Fráich”, page 127. Editions which include variant readings from the present text: Meyer, ‘Mitteilungen aus irischen Handschriften (Fortsetzung)’, page 32; Meid, “Táin Bó Fraích” ; Meid, ‘Die Romanze von Froech und Findabair’ ; Meid, “Táin Bó Froích: Editio minor”. (Page 37 (folio 19 recto), column b, line 26.)

(xviii) Peannaid Ádaim. Beginning, ‘Do roine Dia talum do Adum ⁊ do Eba iar n-imarbus a parrthus’. Headed ‘Peannaid Adaim ann so sis’. Ends Page 48 (folio 24 verso), column b, line 10 ‘Finit am[en]’, followed by blank. See Anderson, “Táin bó Fráich”, page 243. (Page 45 (folio 23 recto, column b, line 29.)

(xix) Mesca Ulad. Beginning, ‘Ri firen foirgl[idhe] ro gabust[ar] flathas ⁊ f[or]rlamhus f[or] Er[inn]. Ends “Conad e baotrem Ul[ad] co Team[ra] Lucra conige sin. Finid, am[en]. Ocus a Minaird [do] graibneadh ⁊ [do]b e aos an tig[er]na an tan sin .vii. bl[iadn]a .xxx. ⁊.v. c. ⁊ mile .b. Mksk sfbnchbn mbc gkllcrkst mkc fpkn” (Misi Seanchan mac Gill[e] Crist mic Eoin). Edited with variant readings from this text, Watson, ‘Mesca Ulad’ translation, ‘Scottish Gaelic Studies’, volume 5, page 1. See also Sims-Williams ‘Thought, word and deed: and Irish triad’, page 95. (Page 49 (folio 25 recto), line 1.)

(xx) ‘Mithi dhamh cuma Chelbe’, 16 quatrains. Ends illegible: incomplete? Cf. Gwynn, ‘The metrical dindshenchas’, volume 3, page 54. (Page 67 (folio 34 recto), line 20.) (Page 67 (folio 34 recto), line 20.)

(xxi) Cennachind Rúanado from Fled Bricrend. Beginning ‘Fecht n-aen di Ult[aib] ind Emain...r sgis oinaich ⁊ cluichi’. Headed ‘...an ruanado’. Ends “...⁊ ceandac an ruanado ind Eamuin Maca ⁊ totem nOl[ad] do Chruachnaib Aiea. Finitt’. See “The Edinburgh version of the Cennach in Rúanado”, page 450; Henderson, ‘Fled Bricrend’, page 116. Cf. Slotkin, “The structure of ‘Fled Bricrenn’ before and after the Lebor na hUidre interpolations’, page 64. (Page 69 (folio 35 recto), line 1.)

(xxii) Cáin Domnaig. Beginning ‘Soire Dom[nuig] o trat esparton Dia Shath[airn] g[o] fuin[edh] maitni Dia Luain’. Ends page 75 (folio 38 recto), line 8 “⁊ no-duinfitis flaith nime ma chotistais connacon biad cumsanadh indi do gres”. See Hull, “Cáin Domnaig”, page 151. cf. also MacLean, “The Law of the Lord’s Day in the Celtic Church”. For entries at pages 75-76 see marginalia. (Page 72 (folio 36 verso), line 10.)

(xxiii) Covers, see above. (Pages 77-90.) The text-hand is uncial, and displays some remarkable similarities to the capitals employed by hand 1. Note especially the two types of A in CID DIA TA, page 5, line 8, one of which is characteristic of page 82 and the other of page 87. The text is probably devotional, though apparently not biblical: it is arranged in verses similar to those of the Psalms, with large coloured initials (red, yellow, brown) in left margin on alternate lines. Three or four other hands appear, all Gaelic in style. The smallest (pages 82, 84-85, 87) adds interlinear glosses and what appears to be extensive commentary in Latin. The others are only visible at page 82: ‘comortus...’, ‘amen ...finis’.