The contents consist of three fragments from the Kilbride collection, but two of these (folios 1-5, Colum-cille poems, and folio 8, a MacDougall contract) are of very great independent value.

Folios 1-5 (Mackechnie’s ‘A’, ‘B’).

These fragments, ?15th century, contain an orderly sequence of poems illustrating the life of Colum-cille. The hand is that which inscribes the Colum-cille poem “Aingeal Dé dom dhín” on the fly leaf of British Library MS. Egerton 2899 (14th-century psalter, 15th- century calendar). From an inscription on the verso of the flyleaf, MS Egerton 2899 appears to have been the property of Colin Campbell, Laird of Glenorchy 1513-1523. It is a clear, formal hand with some unusual calligraphic and orthographic features, notably the following: tall ‘t’ crossed below the top, like the modern printed letter; ‘T’ consisting of three straight strokes, rather like ‘E’ without centre-stroke; elongated ‘Y’ (for ‘Iona’, genitive Ya); ‘k’ (in Colum-kille). The tall ‘t’ in particular seems to suggest a toying with renaissance forms. Elongated ‘y’ was used (dymond) over a century later in another poem formally inscribed for a Campbell of Glenorchy, apparently by Neil MacEwen, now Scottish Record Office RH.13/40 (see MacNicol’s ‘Remarks’, (1779 edition), pages 245-246, 269-270; and Innes, ‘Facsimilies of national manuscripts of Scotland, volume 3 (1871), number 96). It may perhaps be conjectured that the present hand is also that of a MacEwen. Another inscribes the alphabet and ‘et est autem’ at the foot of folio 1 recto. Kilbride number 20 by Major MacLachlan’s enumeration (‘20th (?)Poetry’, folio 3 recto). Folio 1 is Hugh Kerr’s number 28, folios 2-5 his number 29.

The contents (text) are as follows.

(i) ‘Inmain corp at...’ 5 quatrains. Imperfect. (Folio 1 recto, line 1.)

(ii) ‘Octor alaind Aengusa’. 4 quatrains. (Folio 1 recto, line 5.)

(iii) ‘Odhran mac Fialcholba find’. 4 quatrains. (Folio 1 recto, line 9.)

(iv) ‘Caradrad Colum-cille’. 4 quatrains. (Folio 1 recto, line 13.)

(v) Colum-cille. ‘A Choluim-cille roclos’, 5 quatrains. (Folio 1 verso, line 1.)

(vi) Colum-cille. ‘(A dh)une na creid don taegal’, 8 quatrains. (Cf. dúnadh.) (Folio 1 verso, line 6.)

(vii) Colum-cille. ‘(Ath)ghabail do...na...ric . arna salmaibh lith gan loct’, 4 quatrains. (Cf. dúnadh.) (Folio 1 verso, line 18.)

(viii) ‘Seacht sailm s[unn re haithrighe]’, 7 quatrains. Imperfect, but cf. Meyer ‘Mitteilungen aus irischen Handschriften’, volume 3, page 10, where quatrains 1-6 are printed from other sources. (Folio 2 (1) recto, line 1.)

(ix) ‘Urbairt na termeisg go brat’, 6 quatrains. (Folio 2 (1) recto, line 10.)

(x) ‘(Mairg) do-ni peta da colaind’, 5 quatrains. Imperfect, but cf. dúnadh; printed by Meyer in ‘Mitteilungen aus irischen Handschriften’, volume 12, page 395, from other sources. (Folio 2 (1) verso, line 1.)

(xi) ‘(A Bhae)thin, na ceil re cach’, 9 quatrains. (Folio 2 (1) verso, line 8.)

(xii) ‘Sgela Colaim comdhalaidh’, 14½ quatrains. Life of Colum-cille. Imperfect and incomplete, folio 3 being partly perished and folio 4 vestigial. A fresh ink is used from folio 4 verso, suggesting change of poem. (Folio 3 (2) recto, line 1.)

(xiii) ‘Cath...’ (thus dúnadh). On battle of Cúl Dremhne. Acephalous and imperfect; substantial portion beginning folio 5 recto, line 1, ‘Enbale rugud an breith’, 29 quatrains. (Folio 4 (3) verso.)

The manuscript is Kilbride number 30 by Hugh Kerr’s enumeration (folio 7 verso).

Folios 6-7 (Mackechnie’s ‘C’).

The text is written in bluish ink by hand 5 of Adv.MS.72.1.40, the ?Scottish scribe of a life of Colum-cille. Cf. also hand 31 of Adv.MS.72.1.2. Marginalia: at folio 6 verso the text-hand writes “mhael (?)nis niairba éduib isim rutlau” and others write “an fogn(adh) an gles” and “amen”. There is an illegible note at folio 7 verso, top.

Part of Caithréim Conghail Cláiringhnigh. Beginning (acephalous) “Is maith linn catair Muirne d’faicsin aml[aid] sud, ar se”. Ends incomplete “rolatha Ul[adh] ⁊ E[renn] ina fochair”. Cf. MacSweeney “Caithréim Conghail Cláiringhnigh: Martial career of Conghal Cláiringhneach”, pages 144-168, last line. (Folio 6 (1) recto, column a, line 1.)

Folio 8 (Mackechnie’s ‘D’).

The text is written in the hand of Eoghan Mac Pháill, cf. Adv.MS.72.1.34.

A contract, in Gaelic, between Duncan MacDougall (? i.e. chief of the MacDougalls, ?1590–1616) and his óglach or servitor. Acephalous, imperfect. Ends folio 1, line 11, ‘Iad so an fiaghnuise Eogan m[hi]c Eoin vich Eogain…’; below is added ‘Dunc...’ (Folio 8 recto.)

Blank save for pen-marks. (Folio 8 verso.)

The manuscript is Kilbride number 31 by Hugh Kerr’s enumeration (folio 8 recto).