The manuscript contains a Watermark: ‘horn’ and I D M (watermark is of type Heawood 2718-2734, Dutch & English documents 1665-1721). It is written by Alexander MacDonald (Alasdair Mac Mhaighistir Alasdair). It contains no statement of scribal identity, but script and some distinctive orthographical features are as Adv.MS.72.2.13. Some sea-runs here (pages 2-4) are strongly echoed in MacDonald’s ‘Birlinn Chlann Raghnaill’. The language is a unique mixture of Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The text is the well-known Early Modern Irish tale, embellished and overlaid with Scottish forms. Spellings frequently reflect MacDonald’s dialect. ‘19’ and ‘11 JMcH’ (misread ‘J. Nott’ by Mackinnon) appear at page 1, cf. Adv.MS.72.1.43. There are ‘20 leaves at the end awanting’ (William Forbes Skene, ‘Scroll Catalogue of the Gaelic Manuscripts in the Library of the Faculty of Advocates’, compiled in 1861); in fact another 10 pages would have seen the text complete. The good condition of the last leaf, compared to the tattered and worn state of the first, is the only positive indication that the manuscript may have originally contained more, although the text certainly breaks off very abruptly.

The contents (text) are as follows.

Cath Fionntragha. No title. Beginning “Ardri cródha cennsguil(ti)ch trénmhor ainnagi allonta dhánath gruam(a)ch dhannirra ardbheacht(a)ch tennghlioc tiolicich bhorbfhearg(a)ch dhur dhíon fhuilicht(i)ch ghuinich naimhdoil thoruinnach lánbhuadhchathach ‘s gach hiorghilib, leis na ghabhasdar flaithis ⁊ forrasmacht ar an domin mor uile go h-iomlán, o nHinia ard oirragheirc iasglionmhor oirthireghleghil fhioraoibhinn go hEirinn iatghlais oilen(i)ch, dar b(a) comhainm Dáir Donnsgiath(a)ch mac Losg(i)nn Lomghluin(i)ch”. Ends “thainig san catha mar sin naoi uairin an dé cheile ⁊ do mharbadh nóchad fear leis ar gach cuart diu” = O’Rahilly, page 1, line 1112.