Lebor Na hUidre

The Lebor Na hUidre , or Book of the Brown Cow ( Book off the Dun Cow ), is a Manuscrit Irish which dates from the beginning of the 12th century, container of the documents on the mythical origin of Ireland. Its title refers to the animal of a monk of the abbey of Clonmacnoise, Saint Ciarán. It includes/understands stories of the Cycle of Ulster (of which the oldest version of the Táin Bó Cúailnge ), the Cycle of Fenian , the mythological Cycle and the historical Cycle of the Irish Celtic Mythologie, as well as religious and historical texts. It belongs to the Royal Irish Academy since 1844, after being preserved in a private library. It is in bad condition: there remain about it only sixty-seven pages and of many texts are incomplete.

This manuscript was written with the monastery Clonmacnoise, in the county of Offaly, and it is the work of three scribes. Máel Muire mac Célechair (called “M”) and a second scribe (called “has”) wrote the original manuscript, working to two. Máel Muire is known in Irish annals to have perished at the time of the raid Viking on Clonmacnoise in 1106, which makes it possible to establish that this text is former to this date. A third scribe, called “H”, added a certain number of texts and passages sometimes on new pages, erasing certain pieces of the original. These additions and withdrawals date from the end of the 12th century or the 13th century, and undoubtedly before 1359, date on which the manuscript was used as ransom to release several family members O'Donnell of Donegal, imprisoned under the orders of Cathal Óg O' Connor of Sligo.

External bonds

the text of the manuscript published by R.I. Best and O.J. Bergin
matters of the manuscript, with translation of the majority of the texts
Royal Irish Academy

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