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The Yellow Book of Lecan (YBL; Irish: Leabhar Buidhe Leacáin), or TCD MS 1318 (olim H 2.16), is a late medieval Irish manuscript. It contains much of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, besides other material. It is held in the Library of Trinity College Dublin.

Overview

The manuscript is written on vellum and contains 344 columns of text. The first 289 were written by 1391; the remainder were written by 1401. It is written in Middle Irish. Lecan was the site of the Mac Fhirbhisigh school of poetry in the territory of Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe, now Lackan in Kilglass parish, County Sligo (54°14′31″N 9°04′19″W / 54.242°N 9.072°W / 54.242; -9.072). The manuscript is currently housed at Trinity College Dublin. It should not be confused with the Great Book of Lecan.

The book contains nearly the whole of the Ulster Cycle, including a partial version of the Táin Bó Cúailnge which is a compilation of two or more earlier versions, indicated by the number of duplicated episodes and references to other versions in the text. This incomplete Táin Bó Cúailnge overlaps with the partial version given in the Book of the Dun Cow; the complete text known today was derived from the combination of these recensions. The version of Fergus mac Róich's death tale in the Yellow Book of Lecan is the oldest one that survives. The Yellow Book of Lecan also contains parts of the Táin Bó Flidhais or the Mayo Táin, a tale set in Erris, County Mayo.

In addition to that material which would be placed with certainty within the Ulster Cycle, the book has a later version of The Voyage of Máel Dúin, a collection of Irish triads, and the same ogham tract as is recorded in the Book of Ballymote. Also of note is Suidiugud Tellaich Temra ("The settling of the manor of Tara"). It contains a story of the life of Saint Patrick as told by Fintan mac Bóchra that contains the account of Trefuilngid Tre-eochair, a giant at the Hill of Tara who is first to hear about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

History

Edward Lhuyd obtained the book from one of two sources; Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh about March 1700 at An Pháirc, An Spidéal; or from Dáithí Óg Ó Dubhda of Bunnyconnellan, County Sligo, in the same year. Ó Flaithbheartaigh and Ó Dubhda would have obtained them from Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh, whose family created and preserved the book. Lhuyd bound together seventeen manuscripts as a single volume and dubbed them The Yellow Book of Lecan.

Some of the manuscripts were written by Giolla Íosa Mór Mac Fhirbhisigh between c.1398 and c.1417. Nollaig Ó Muraíle calls it

a great composite manuscripts. Ninety-nine folios of Giolla Isa's survive (which may be termed, for convenience, 'Leabhar Giolla Íosa' – LGÍ), containing some of the most important Irish literary texts from the Old and Middle Irish periods, including the only (virtually) complete copy of Rescension I of Táin Bó Cúailnge. Two colophons by Giolla Íosa indicate 1392 as the date of writing, though the work may not have been brought to completion for some years after that

Giolla Íosa was assisted by his student, Murchadh Ó Cuindlis. Ó Cuinnlis penned an excellent manuscript in east Ormond (now County Tipperary in 1398–99) which is now part of YBL.

Giolla Íosa wrote that he "wrote this book for himself and for his son after him", and elsewhere, that it was "for himself and his family after him."

Ó Muraíle further states: "That is one index of Giolla Íosa Mac Fir Bhisigh's importance; to his scribal labours we owe the preservation of the most celebrated of medieval Irish tales, Táin Bó Cúailnge." (p. 23) YBL also contains Aided Nath Í, Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, Táin Bó Fraích, Longes ma nUislenn; Dá Brón Flatha Nime and Mesca Ulad by his son, Tomás Cam Mac Firbhisigh.

In 1986 (see below) Professor Tomás Ó Concheanainn stated his belief that much of the Yellow Book of Lecan/Leabhar Giolla Íosa was derived from Leabhar Gleann Dá Locha (The Book of Glendalough) and Lebor na Nuachongbála now The Book of Leinster.

A fragment of the Yellow Book is in the hand of Solamh Ó Droma, one of the three scribes of the Book of Ballymote.

Lhuyd derived the title from a note by Ciothruadh Mac Fhirbhisigh:

ar an Buide Leacain anim an leabhair so; mise Cirruaidh mac Taidg Ruaidh

The Yellow Book of Lecan is the name of this book; I am Ciothruagh son of Taidg Ruaidh

Contents

The numbering for the texts given below is both by column (as in the manuscript) and by number of pagination (as in the facsimile edition). The titles here do not necessarily refer to the titles given in the manuscript (if any), but conform to those of the main recensions.

Notes

1. Reference is made to the fragmented nature of the story in a related tale, Do Fhallsigud Tána Bó Cuailnge ("The rediscovery of the Táin Bó Cuailnge"), in the Book of Leinster, which begins: "The poets of Ireland one day were gathered around Senchán Torpéist, to see if they could recall the Táin Bó Cuailnge in its entirety. But they all said they knew only parts of it." Thomas Kinsella (trans., 1969), The Táin, Oxford University Press.
2. Trefuilngid's contradicts the well-known story death tale of Conchobar mac Nessa (also contained in the Yellow Book of Lecan) that states the king knew of Christ's death when it happened and dropped dead because of the fact.
3. The list of contents here follows Abbott, T.K.; Gwynn, E.J., eds. (1921), Catalogue of the Irish manuscripts in the Library of Trinity college, pp. 94–110
4. The poem is also cited in § 6 of Vita Sancti Moling '. Eugene O'Curry dates the poem's composition to the period of Diarmait Mac Murchada, but before his banishment - ie 1137-1367 Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, 1860, pp. 420–1
5. For further information, see Wiley, Dan M., The Cycles of the Kings

References

1. ^ Jones, Mary (2003), "The Yellow Book of Lecan", Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia
2. ^ Stokes, Whitley, ed. (1891), "Life of St Féchín of Fore", Revue Celtique, 12: 318–353
3. Reeves, William, ed. (1873), "On the Céli Dé, commonly called Culdees", Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, 24
4. Meyer, Kuno; Stern, L. Chr., eds. (1901), "Das Apgitir des Colmán maccu Béognae", Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie (in German and Irish), 3: 447
5. O'Keeffe, J.G. (1931), "Dál Caladbuig and reciprocal services between the kings of Cashel and various Munster states", Irish Texts, I: 19–21
6. Hull, Vernam (1930), "How Finn made peace between Sodelb and Glangressach", Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, 18: 422–4, doi:10.1515/zcph.1930.18.1.422, S2CID 162590101
7. Stokes, Whitley, ed. (1905), "The Colloquy of the Two Sages", Revue Celtique, 26: 4–64
8. Stokes, Whitley, ed. (1905), "The Adventure of St. Columba's Clerics", Revue Celtique, 26: 130–70
9. Hull, Vernam (1930), "The four jewels of the Tuatha Dé Danann", Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, 18 (1): 73–89, doi:10.1515/zcph.1930.18.1.73, S2CID 162561947
10. Ferguson, Samuel (1879–1888), "On the legend of Dathi", Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 2nd, 2: 167–184
11. Maniet, Albert (1953), "Cath Belaig Dúin Bolc", Éigse, 7: 95–111

Sources

• Ó Muraíle, Nollaig (1996), "The Celebrated Antiquary: Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh (c.1600-1671) - His Life, Lineage and Learning", Maynooth monographs, Maynooth An Sagart, pp. 16 and 23
• Ó Concheanainn, Tomás (1986), "The manuscript tradition of two Middle Irish Leinster tales", Celtica, 18: 13–33
• Ó Concheanainn, Tomás (1986), "A personal reference by Giolla Íosa Mór Mac Fhirbhisigh", Celticia, 18: 34
• Ó Concheanainn, Tomás (1980), "The YBL fragment of Táin Bó Flidais", Celtica, 14: 56–57
• Abbott, Thomas Kingsmill (1900), Catalogue of the manuscripts in the library of Trinity College, pp. 328–37
• Abbott, Thomas Kingsmill; Gwynn, E.J. (1921), Catalogue of the Irish manuscripts in the Library of Trinity college, pp. 94–110
• "Leabhar Buidhe Lecain", www.maryjones.us , list of contents of work by pages

Manuscripts

• "The Yellow Book of Lecan and Miscellanea (H.2.16 1318)", Irish Script on Screen (ISOS), scanned images with catalogue description

• 1391 books
• 1401 books
• 14th-century manuscripts
• 15th-century manuscripts
• Irish-language manuscripts
• Literary illuminated manuscripts
• Táin Bó Cúailnge
• Library of Trinity College Dublin