Studies the A and B versions of the story found under the heading De gesta re, and argues that they are composition exercises of Irish origin which show the influence of Irish secular narratives.
Discussion of the origins of the phrase co nómad n-ó and of its application in (1) Críth gablach and Cóic conara fugill; (2) Audacht Moraind and the Rule of Mochuta; and (3) Ces Noínden and the metrical Dindshenchas.
Examines evidence from legal, genealogical, narrative, and annalistic sources for the use of the term tánaise ríg, and proposes this signified ‘the second in rank to a king’, while arguing that this institution was only a political ideal in early medieval Ireland and was not put into practice (and only partially) until later times.
On the influence of Ailerán’s poem on the elaboration of the arcaded canon tables in the Book of Kells. Includes an excursus on the professional status of scribes.