LYOR nah HWID-reh
Ireland's oldest surviving manuscript written entirely in Irish, compiled around 1106.
| Cycle | Entries here | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The Mythological Cycle | 17 | The oldest of the four cycles, telling of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the successive invasions of Ireland. |
| The Fenian Cycle | 6 | Tales of Fionn mac Cumhaill and his band of warriors, the Fianna, set generations after the Ulster Cycle in a world of hunting, romance, and roaming adventure. |
| The Ulster Cycle | 12 | The heroic tales of Conchobar mac Nessa's court at Emain Macha, centered on Cú Chulainn and the great cattle raid of the Táin Bó Cúailnge. |
| The Historical Cycle | 1 | Also the Cycle of the Kings — legendary and semi-legendary tales of Ireland's High Kings, treated by medieval scribes as genuine national history. |
Lebor na hUidre ("The Book of the Dun Cow") is the oldest surviving manuscript written substantially in Irish, compiled around 1106 AD at the monastery of Clonmacnoise, and a key source for the Ulster Cycle including an early version of the Táin Bó Cúailnge.
Tradition holds its vellum pages were made from the hide of a cow belonging to St. Ciarán, the founder of Clonmacnoise, giving the manuscript its distinctive name.
It survives only in fragmentary form — about 67 leaves — having been damaged and had material removed over its long history, yet it remains one of the most important surviving witnesses to early Irish literature.