Commonplace-book (watermarked 1798) of Patrick Turner when he was a corporal in the Argyll Fencibles, dated Meath 1801 (folio 24 verso). 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 contents (text) is as follows.

(i) “Insim caithriom an fhir mhóir”, 67 quatrains. ‘Laoidh an Deirg’. (Folio 1 recto, line 1.)

(ii) ‘Maluirt mu bhuil mi deurach’, 10 quatrains. ‘Laoidhe air maluirt na h oige arson n h aoise’. (Folio 6 verso, line 1.)

(iii) [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’. (Folio 7 verso, line 1.)

(iv) ‘Gabh mo theagasg a bhean og’, 11 quatrains. ‘Comhairle do na Mnai’. (Folio 10 recto, line 1.)

(v) “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 (folio 10 verso, foot): ‘Gheabhar eachdrai cath Ghabhrai mur an ceadna ann sa 280 taobh duileig do eachdrai na hEirionn le O Hallaran’. (Folio 11 recto, line 1.)

(vi) ‘A chleirigh a leigheas gach dubh ar a bhan’, 6 lines. (Folio 14 recto, line 16.)

(vii) ‘Caith ⁊ gheabhar o Dhia’, 4 lines (proverb). (Folio 14 verso, line 1.)

(viii) ‘Luigh agus eirigh air do laimh dheis’, 32 lines. ‘Teagasg Righ Artuir do a chloinn mhac’. Subscribed ‘Padruig Tuarnair Coirpleir’. (Folio 14 verso, line 5.)

(ix) ‘Plearacach na Ruarcach’. Folios 15 verso-17 verso are divided into two columns. Column a throughout: ‘Plearaca na Ruarcach’, 96 lines. Column b: folios 15 verso and 16 recto, ‘To you Laughlin O Enagan’, 38 lines (translation of lines 38-72 of ‘Plearacach na Ruarcach’, scored out); folios 16 verso and 17 recto blank. (Folio 15 verso, line 1.)

(x) List of languages headed “Na seachd cànaine Bhris a mach o n tùr”. (Folio 17 verso, column b, line 1.)

(xi) ‘A ghiolla na n seud s na n treud cuimhnigh ad bheachd’, 4 lines. (Folio 18 recto, line 1.)

(xii) ‘Och a mhuire nach truagh mo chas’, 16 lines subscribed ‘Pauruig Tuarnair’. (Folio 18 recto, line 5.)

(xiii) “Cha rabh mi riamh ann san Triùcha”, 11 quatrains. ‘Oran / Molamh na Triùcha’. This is Trough, McKenna’s country, County Monaghan, see Liag na mBeann, ‘The O’Laverty manuscripts’, pages 193-197: 195, where a song “Coillte Glasa an Triúcha” is also mentioned. (Folio 18 verso, line 1.)

(xiv) “A chaile thùtach ’s olc do chliù”, 1 quatrain. (Folio 19 verso, line 14.)

(xv) ‘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’. (Folio 20 recto, line 1.)

(xvi) §3 of ‘Bolg an t Shalair’ (folio 24 verso), beginning ‘A leabhrain bhig bhain’. Subscribed ‘Paruig Tuairneir’. (Folio 20 verso, line 11.)

(xvii) ‘Ceathrar feann feinn air thus’, 4 quatrains + explanatory note. Ossianic. (Folio 20 verso, line 15.)

(xviii) “Uaisle Eireann an àil”, 24 quatrains. ‘Le Aodh buidh Mac Cuirtin / Ughdair an fhoclair Eirionnaich ghaoidhlig’. (Folio 21 verso, line 1.)

(xix) ‘The lords prayer in the Celtic language / No annsa n tshean ghaedhlig’, beginning ‘Our narme ata ar neamb’. (Folio 23 verso, line 5.)

(xx) Description of the Gaelic alphabet. (Folio 23 verso, line 15.)

(xxi) ‘Bolg an t sholair mainm gun gho’, 3 quatrains. ‘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”. (Folio 24 verso, line 1.)