(from Miles Dillon¹s Early Irish Literature )

    The oldest Irish Documents are in verse:

1. Leabhar na Huidre,  The Book of the Dun Cow - before 1106 - contains
heroic sagas.

2. Leabhar Laighin  Book of Leinster - before 1160 -  contains history,
geneology, sagas and poetry.

3. Dinnshenchas  History of Places   -found in leaves written in the 12th
century- contains legends in prose and verse explaining names of families,
places, rivers, lakes and hills.

4. Four great volumes written in the late 14th or early 15th century, in the
West;
    The Yellow Book of Lecan (contains ²Táin Bo Cualnge²)
    The Great Book of Lecan
    The Book of HyMany
    The Book of Ballymote

5. Three other folios:
    Lebor Brecc  Speckled Book of MacEgan  -late 14th century
    The Book of Fermoy  15th century
    The Book of Lismore 15th century

    The last professional scribe was Joseph Ó Longan who died in the 1880¹s.


    Keating¹s History of Ireland was c. 1640