Catalogue of Gaelic Manuscripts in the National Library of Scotland
© Ronald Black, 2012
Adv. MS 72.2.7
(Gaelic MS.LVII). VERSE MISCELLANY
19th cent. Paper (watermarked 1798). 18 × 11 cms. Ff. 24. Commonplace-book (Bolg an t-Sholair) of Patrick Turner when a corporal in the Argyll Fencibles, dated Meath 1801 (f. 24v). The script is largely Roman, occasionally Gaelic, and the language of the text varies from Scotticised transliteration of Irish to pure Scottish Gaelic. Turner’s affidavit, Ingliston MS A.i.15 (g), states ‘that the manuscript in the Roman character and in his own hand writing, was transcribed from a manuscript in the possession of a Schoolmaster ten or twelve miles west of Kells in the county of Meath; that the manuscript from which it was copied was in the Irish character; and that this manuscript marked No. IV. consists of the poem of Dargo and the battle of Gabhra &c’. The manuscript was no. 4 of the four presented by Turner in 1809 to the Highland Society of Scotland through John Campbell JP, the Society’s Translator; f. 1r, in addition to being inscribed ‘No IV.’, is signed by Turner and initialled by Campbell. Deposited with Advocates’ collection in 1850. Corners tattered, stained. Brown paper cover. Foliated by present cataloguer in 1974. Previously catalogued: Mackinnon, Cat., pp. 171–72, 182, 188, 207–09; Mackechnie, Cat., pp. 221–23.
folio.side.column.line
1 r1 Insim caithriom an fhir mhóir, 67 qq. ‘Laoidh an Deirg’.
6 v1 Maluirt mu bhuil mi deurach, 10 qq. ‘Laoidhe air maluirt na h oige arson n h aoise’.
7 v1 [Feardorcha Ó Dálaigh]. Creud e n tost na n sprochd so th air ghaoidhile, 111 lines. ‘Aodhair do Dhoctuir Whealy air dha bhi moladh do n Pharlumaid reachd thoirt a mach gus na Sagairtean do spoth’.
10 r1 Gabh mo theagasg a bhean og, 11 qq. ‘Comhairle do na Mnai’.
11 r1 Innis sin a Oisin air h eineach ’s air h iongnadh, 138 lines. ‘Tuairisgeul chath Gabhradh mur fhuaradh e san t shean Ghailig Eirionnach’. Note (f. 10v, foot): ‘Gheabhar eachdrai cath Ghabhrai mur an ceadna ann sa 280 taobh duileig do eachdrai na hEirionn le O Hallaran’.
14 r16 A chleirigh a leigheas gach dubh ar a bhan, 6 lines.
14 v1 Caith ⁊ gheabhar o Dhia, 4 lines (proverb).
14 v5 Luigh agus eirigh air do laimh dheis, 32 lines. ‘Teagasg Righ Artuir do a chloinn mhac’. Subscribed ‘Padruig Tuarnair Coirpleir’.
15 v1 ‘Plearacach na Ruarcach’. Ff. 15v–17v are divided into two columns. Col. a throughout: Plearaca na Ruarcach, 96 lines. Col. b : ff. 15v and 16r, To you Laughlin O Enagan, 38 lines (translation of lines 38–72 of ‘Plearacach na Ruarcach’, scored out); ff. 16v and 17r blank.
17 v b1 List of languages headed ‘Na seachd cànaine Bhris a mach o n tùr’.
18 r1 A ghiolla na n seud s na n treud cuimhnigh ad bheachd, 4 lines.
18 r5 Och a mhuire nach truagh mo chas, 16 lines subscribed ‘Pauruig Tuarnair’.
18 v1 Cha rabh mi riamh ann san Triùcha, 11 qq. ‘Oran / Molamh na Triùcha’. This is Trough, McKenna’s country, Co. Monaghan, see Liag na mBeann, ‘The O’Laverty Manuscripts’, Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge / The Gaelic Journal, vol. 16 (1906), pp. 193–97: 195, where a song ‘Coillte Glasa an Triúcha’ is also mentioned.
19 v14 A chaile thùtach ’s olc do chliù, 1 q.
20 r1 Och mo nuar mo chor truagh sas bochd mo chaoi, 28 lines. ‘Rann Eimid Ui Cleirigh / An seana phoiteir air dha bhi bochd sa bhean a chall’. Followed by ‘⁊ air criochna na m briathra sin do, do thuit no threamachodalta ⁊ fhuair bas mur ni sinn. / Air a sgriobha le Pauruig Tuarnair Coirpleir’.
20 v11 §3 of ‘Bolg an t Shalair’ (f. 24v), beg. A leabhrain bhig bhain. Subscribed ‘Paruig Tuairneir’.
20 v15 Ceathrar feann feinn air thus, 4 qq. + explanatory note. Ossianic.
21 v1 Uaisle Eireann an àil, 24 qq. ‘Le Aodh buidh Mac Cuirtin / Ughdair an fhoclair Eirionnaich ghaoidhlig’.
23 v5 ‘The lords prayer in the Celtic language / No annsa n tshean ghaedhlig’, beg. Our narme ata ar neamb.
23 v15 Description of the Gaelic alphabet.
24 v1 Bolg an t sholair mainm gun gho, 3 qq. ‘Bolg an t Shalair’. Colophon (part of folio here torn away): ‘Sgriobhta le Paruig Tuarnair coirpleir ann an cath bhuidinn chois Earaghaedheal ann an Ce[an]n[anus Mór ] Mhidhe san bhliaghna [ ] 1801’.