The chief hand is number 1 of Adv.MS.72.1.6 - medium to large in size, with a lack of curves and a downward tendency of many strokes, particularly noticeable in ‘g’ and ‘t’. Two hands without these characteristics relieve it at folios 3, 6 verso and 7 recto. Marginalia are mainly by these secondary hands: ‘amen’ (passim), letters of alphabet (folio 1 verso, 3 verso), ‘abair’ (folio 5 recto, 6 recto), ‘ma beandacht’ (folio 5 verso), ‘cenn’ (folio 6 recto), ‘comaimsir’ (folio 6 recto).

The contents (text) are as follows.

(i) Poem (?acephalous) of about 7 quatrains. Appears to end ‘ni iagh m’aineol’, with dúnadh Maine. (Folio 1 recto, line 1.)

(ii) Synchronisms of Irish Kings. Beginning ‘Comaimser righ nEirenn and seo ⁊ righ na coicedh iar crei(tim)’. See Boyle, ‘The Edinburgh synchronisms of Irish kings’, page 169. (Folio 1 recto, line 10.)

(iii) ‘Enna dalta Cairpri cruaidh’, 46 quatrains. Folio 3 verso (margin): ‘da roinn anadhaid [acht] rann’. (Folio 2 verso, line 7.)

(iv) Calendar notes. Beginning ‘In blia[dain] .i. v. laithe ⁊ viii. xx. dec indti ⁊ vi. huaire ⁊ la imarcaidh sa blia[dain] bis ind tosach ar cailendtoir’. Lists saints’ days, followed (folio 3 verso, line 25) by golden Fridays. (Folio 3 verso, line 8.)

(v) See folio 4 verso, line 17 for folio 1 recto, line 1. Alliterative passage on the prosperity of Ireland during a certain reign, preceded by abbreviations. Beginning ‘G.m.m. ⁊g. ⁊ c.m. ⁊ da Art ⁊ d.d. ⁊ 1. ⁊ druim 1.b.ach brrderg c. G.G.b.b.m.s.s. ⁊ f l.f.b.m. ⁊ gl.d.d.f. ⁊ n.d.con.ll.eoch.en.f. dainghamh robsad boga biadhcomorda blaithledmara breithcerta’. (Folio 4 recto, line 10.)

(vi) ‘A liubair ata ar do lar’, 18 quatrains. (Folio 4 verso, line 1.)

(vii) ‘Ata sunn sencas nach suaill’, 17 quatrains. Ends folio 4 recto, line 10. (Folio 4 verso, line 17.)

(viii) Cairpre Cindchait and the Aithechtuatha. Beginning ‘Righ arnaidh uramanda edrochair da gab righe nErend ar eigein’. See Craigie, ‘Cairpre Cindchait and the Athach Tuatha’, page 335. Cf. Adv.MS.72.1.50, folio 7 verso, line 7; Ó Raithbheartaigh, ‘Genealogical tracts’, volume 1, pages vi-vii, 107-132; Adv.MS.73.1.16, folio 61 recto. (Folio 5 recto, line 1.)

(ix) Lamentation of Oilill Ólom. Beginning “As ann sin doriacht Anraigh gilla Oilella go sgelaib an catha leis do go faisneis a uilc ⁊ a imnig d’Oilill”. Followed (folio 7 recto, line 13) by ‘Beir mo sgiath fa sgiath re huath’, 11 quatrains. See Dillon, “The lamentation of Oilill Ólom”, page 1. Folio 7 verso largely illegible. (Folio 6 recto, line 1.)