The Book of Ballymote (Leabhar Bhaile an Mhóta, RIA MS 23 P 12, 275 foll.), named for the parish of Ballymote, County Sligo, was written in 1390 or 1391.
It was produced by the scribes Solam Ó Droma, Robertus Mac Sithigh and Magnus Ó Duibhgennain, on commission byTonnaltagh McDonagh, in the possession of whose clan the manuscript remained until 1522, when it was purchased by Aed Óg O’Donnell, prince of Tír Conaill, for 140 milch cows. In 1620 it was given to Trinity College, Dublin, but was subsequently stolen from the library, and only returned to the Royal Irish Academy upon its foundation in 1785 by Chevalier O’Gorman who allegedly purchased it from a millwright’s widow in Drogheda for 20 pounds.
The first page of the work contains a drawing of Noah’s Ark. The first written page is lost, and the second page describes the ages of the world. After this follows
- a description of the history of the History of the Jews (2r)
- a life of Saint Patrick (6r)
- a copy of the Lebor Gabála Érenn (8r)
- Tecosca Cormaic ”The Instructions of King Cormac” and other stories concerning king Cormac mac Airt
- Triads of Ireland
- stories of Fionn Mac Cumhail and Brian Borumh
- various genealogies of clans and kings
- Christian kings of Ulster (34v)
- Christian kings of Leinster (35v)
- Christian kings of Connaught (37v)
- of the Munster families (97r)
- Dál gCais (102v)
- rules of the different measures of Irish versification (157r)
- the only known copy of the Auraicept na n-Éces, or “scholars’ primer”(169r)
- the Lebor na gCeart (Book of Rights) (181r)
The book ends with various Greek and Latin fragments on the fall of Troy, including a fragment of the Aeneid.
(Source: irish-history)
