It may be said in summary that the manuscript appears to be a product of a school conducted by An Giolla Riabhach Ó Cléirigh and Dubhthach Ó Duibhgeannáin, and that it circulated for a hundred years and more in Cowall. The Reverend William Campbell’s formalised note at page ii, giving the place Glenmasan and the date 1268, has provided the name by which it is generally known. In view of the difficulty Campbell experienced in the 1760s or 1770s in writing the date at page 29, one is entitled to suspect that 1268 is in error for 1768, as if he had omitted the D from MDCCLXVIII. If 1768 is the year he obtained the manuscript, his interest in it may be seen in the light of the controversy regarding Ossian raging at that time. He seems to have thought that MacTavish had written it (page 19).

The manuscript is written in the following hands.

Hand 1. Text; ‘Ihc’, ‘Maria’, etc. (passim). A simple, attractive hand tending to squareness. At pages 17, 31 and 37 a much finer point appears. Another part of page 37 is written with a broader point, differently sloped: perhaps by a different hand. A scored-out entry in fine point at page 17, column b, last line, reads ‘Is bocht muinter an livairsi .i. Gilla R. ⁊ Dubtach’, and this suggests some possible identities. In detail, if not overall, the hand resembles that of An Gilla Riabhach Ó Cléirigh, flourished 1512, illustrated in Flower, ‘Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in the British Museum’, volume 3, plate 9. It is also broadly similar to that of Dubhthach Ó Duibhgeannáin, died 1511: Bodleian MS. Rawl. B 512, folio 73 recto. Farther, there are some close correspondences to that of Tórna mac Tórna Uí Mhaol-Chonaire, died ?1532: British Library MS. Add. 30,512, folios 10 recto-15 recto. Elaborately decorated initial D at page 1; capitals and tailpieces in ‘Oidheadh Chloinne Uisneach’ coloured maroon. Cf. Adv.MS.72.1.15, hand 7.

Hand 2. Note, page 21.

Hand 3. Notes, pages 42-43.

Hand 4. Notes in reddish ink, pages ii, 9, 11, 17, 34, 48, 52. John MacTavish. His secretary hand is 17th century, and his Gaelic hand can be compared with Hugh MacLean’s. He may have been responsible for bringing the manuscript from Ireland. His surname is common in mid-Argyll and Cowall. A John MacTavish, M.A., was minister or assistant to the Reverend Donald Omey (died 1640), first charge at Campbeltown, ('Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae', volume 4, page 48).

Hand 5. Notes in Roman hand, pages 18, 51. Robert Campbell, Glensluan (near Strachur, Cowall). This may have been the learned Roibert Caimpbél Fear Foraiste mhic Chailin an Cómhal who wrote an ode in Gaelic script to Edward Lhuyd circa 1700, printed in the preface to the latter’s ‘Archaeologia Britannica’, volume 1. Cf. Trinity College Dublin MS. 1392, number 2, folio 8. He is said to have been of the Campbells of Skipness, and is associated by Dewar with Coir-an Tí, six or seven miles down Loch Eck-side from Glensluan (Mackechnie, ‘The Dewar manuscripts’, page 315; see also C. Ó Baoill, "Robert Campbell, Forsair Choire an t-Sìth", 'Scottish Gaelic Studies' xxiii, pages 57-84). He probably got the manuscript directly from MacTavish, cf. page 18.

Hand 6. Notes in a crude Gaelic hand at pages ii, 17, 19, 29, 33, 34, 51, and Roman hand at page 51, etc. William Campbell (1713-1793). Missionary at Strachur, 1743-1744; minister of Kilchrenan and Dalavich, 1745-1793. Grand-nephew of preceding (Mackinnon, page 159). His father, William, son of Dougal Campbell of Glensaddell, Kintyre, was minister of Kilmodan (Glendaruel).

Hand 7. Notes, page 17. Jean Campbell, wife of preceding; perhaps also their son Robert?

Hand 8. Notes, pages 13, 52; ?glosses, passim. James MacIntyre (? of Glenoe).

The manuscript is described in the Highland Society of Scotland’s Sederunt Book 3, pages 333-334, as ‘a curious ancient Gaelic M.S., consisting of many leaves, appearing to be wrote in the 13th Century. This was communicated by Mr. MacLeod Bannatyne, and appears to consist partly of Poetry, and partly of historical deductions’. It was examined for the Committee by Dr Donald Smith, and is described in their Report, page 91, and Appendix, page 296; the poem “Inmain tír an tír út thoir” is there cited and translated, with a facsimile of its beginning (plate 3, number 4). Ewen MacLachlan had the manuscript 1811-1813. His description is at Adv.MS.72.3.4, page 81, and his transcript at Adv.MS.72.3.5, page 164. He numbered the columns, and added notes on the order of leaves at the foot of pages 5, 7, 9 and 11.

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

(i) Numbers (hand 4); ‘...book’ (?); ‘Gleannamasain an Cuige la deug don...Mi : : : do bhlian ar Ssaorrse...Mile da cheud trichid sa hocht’ (hand 6). (Page ii (folio 1 verso).)

(ii) ‘Echtra so clan Uisnidh’ (visible under ultra-violet light, ?hand 4). (Page 3 (folio 3 recto).)

(iii) ‘Fechain glesa’ (hand 1). (Page 8 (folio 5 verso).)

(iv) Gaelic script in right margin, largely illegible (hand 4). (Page 9 (folio 6 recto).)

(v) Numbers (hand 4); “Ma Mary” (?). (Page 11 (folio 7 recto).)

(vi) ‘James MacIntyre his...’ (hand 8); ‘...who...’ (?). (Page 13 (folio 8 recto).)

(vii) ‘Gersum liath ni haithes damh’, 1 quatrain (hand 1); ‘Is bocht muint[er] an livairsi .i. Gilla E. ⁊ Dubt[ach]’ (hand 1); ‘Eoin mac Tavish’ (hand 4, upside-down); ‘Eoin mac Tavis’ and part of text copied (hand 6); ‘Jean Campbell’, ‘Robert Cam’ (hand 7). (Page 17 (folio 10 recto).)

(viii) (?)‘Bhid olc an toisg’, 1 quatrain (hand 1); ‘Robert Campbell at Glensluan / John McTavis’ (hand 5, upside-down). (Page 18 (folio 10 verso).)

(ix) ‘Leabar eachdra’ and part of text copied (?hand 6); ‘Leabhar Echdra ata ann so ar a scriobha le Eoin mac Tavis’ (hand 6). (Page 19 (folio 11 recto).)

(x) ‘Nasarenus’ (hand 1). (Page 20 (folio 11 verso).)

(xi) ‘Ihc’, ‘Nasarenus’, ‘Rex Iudiorum’ (hand 1); ‘amen dico vobis’ (hand 2, upside-down). (Page 21 (folio 12 recto).)

(xii) Gaelic script in right margin, illegible. (Page 23 (folio 13 recto).)

(xiii) Letters of alphabet (hand 4 or 6). (Page 25 (folio 14 recto).)

(xiv) Part of text transcribed (?hand 6). (Page 26 (folio 14 verso).)

(xv) Part of text transcribed (?hand 6). (Page 27 (folio 15 recto).)

(xvi) “Maist[er] Uilliam Caimbeull Minist[er] an Tsoisgeul ann a Cilleachreanan ⁊ ann an Dailaithich Maist[er] an leabhir so (?)aon an m(h?)ile Seacht c. 2(?) trichid ⁊ ...” (hand 6). (Page 29 (folio 16 recto).)

(xvii) Erasure (longhand). (Page 30 (folio 16 verso).)

(xviii) Illegible scrawl in left margin (visible under ultra-violet light). (Page 32 (folio 17 verso).)

(xix) Part of text copied (hand 6). (Page 33 (folio 18 recto).)

(xx) ‘Eridh Uaithi a Dhubhghoine re chur acha Concubhair’ (hand 4); part of text copied (hand 6). (Page 34 (folio 18 verso).)

(xxi) Erasure. (Page 35 (folio 19 recto).)

(xxii) Part of text (folio 37, column b, line 30) transcribed (?hand 6). (Page 37 (folio 20 recto).)

(xxiii) Erasure (hand 3); monograms ‘R’, ‘JC’? (Page 42 (folio 22 verso).)

(xxiv) ‘Muire’ (hand 3). (Page 43 (folio 23 recto).)

(xxv) Illegible word. (Page 44 (folio 23 verso).)

(xxvi) ‘Banntigerna dar badh comhainm Cliramond’ (hand 4); letters of alphabet (hand 4 or 6). (Page 48 (folio 25 verso).)

(xxvii) ‘...others...by me Robt C...Campbell at Glen...Glensluain...Robert Campbell of Glensluan...' (hand 5). See also text. (Page 51 (folio 27 recto).)

(xxviii) Notes, largely illegible, in various hands, Gaelic and Roman, including; ‘...Tavis is the owner of this book and noe other bodies and them that shall Steall this book he shall be hanged on a tree’ (hand 4); “James McIntyre aught this book” (hand 8); ‘Anna’; ‘...Campbell’. (Page 52 (folio 27 verso).)

The manuscript contains the following text.

(i) Oidheadh Chloinne Uisneach. Beginning ‘Do comoradh fledh morchain moradbal la Conchobar mac Fachtna Fhataigh’. Correct order of pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8. Ends incomplete, due to missing bifolium, “In fir sin, ar Conall. Is fír ón”. See Stokes, ‘Irische Text mit Wörterbuch’, volume 2:2, page 122; Cameron, ‘Reliquiae Celticae’, volume 2, page 464; Mackinnon, ‘Celtic Review’, volume 1 (1904), pages 3, 104. Cf. Thurneysen, “Die irische Helden-und Königsage bis zum siebzehnten Jahrhundert”, page 327; Dillion, ‘Irish sagas’, page 60. (Page 1 (folio 2 recto), column a, line 1.) (Column 1).

(ii) Táin Bó Flidais, recension 2. Beginning (acephalous) ‘Secht muca marbta, miad ngle’. Correct order of pages: 9, 10, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 etc. At page 44 (folio 23 verso), column a, line 25 (in column 87) is sub-heading ‘Toraigecht Tana Bo Fl[idais]’. Ends page 51 (folio 27 recto), column a, line 15 “Gurub hi Tain Bó Flid[ais] cona Toruighect go ruici sin. Finit. Amen”. See Mackinnon, ‘Celtic Review’, volume 1, pages 208, 296; volume 2, pages 20, 100, 202, 300; volume 3, pages 10, 114, 198, 294; volume 4, pages 10, 104, 202. Cf. Dobbs, “On Táin Bó Flidais”, page 133; Thurneysen, “Die irische Helden-und Königsage bis zum siebzehnten Jahrhundert”, page 334. (Page 9 (folio 6 recto), column a, line 1.)(Column 17.)

(iii) (Hand 6). Attempted transcript of page 51a, lines 1-2, and page 50a, lines 26-27, 30-31. Headed in Gaelic script “Muir[eda]ch Menmach m[ac] O[ilella] F[ind]”. (Page 51 (folio 27 recto), column b, line 1.)

(iv) See Notes and Marginalia. (Page 52 (folio 27 verso).