_The Book of Ballymote_, a large folio volume of five hundred and two pages of vellum, was written, as stated on the dorse of folio 62, at Ballymote, in the house of Tomaltach oig Mac Donogh, Lord of Corann, during the reign of Torlogh oig, the son of Hugh O’Conor, King of Connaught. It appears to be the work of different hands, but the principal scribes employed in writing it were Solomon O’Droma and Manus O’Duigenann, and it was written at the end of the XIVth century. It contains an imperfect copy of the _Leabhar Gabhala_, or _Book of Invasions_, a series of ancient chronological, historical, and genealogical pieces in prose and verse; the pedigrees of Irish saints, and the histories and pedigrees of all the great families of the Milesian race, with their collateral branches, so that, as O’Curry remarks, there is scarcely any one whose name begins with “O’” or “Mac” who could not find out all about his origin and family in this book; then follow stories and adventures, lists of famous Irish names, a Gaelic translation of Nennius’ _History of the Britons_, an ancient grammar and prosody, and various other tracts. Six pages have been selected. The first four contain the dissertation on the Ogham characters, and the last two the genealogy of the Hy Nialls, showing their descent from Eremon, one of the sons of Milesius. The volume belongs to the Irish Academy. The last in Mr. Sanders’ list of the great volumes of Irish History is the _Book of M’Carthy Riabhac_, a compilation of the XIVth century—in language of a much earlier date—now also known as the _Book of Lismore_, to which a very curious story attaches. It was first discovered in the year 1814, enclosed in a wooden box together with a fine old crosier, built into the masonry of a closed‐up doorway which was reopened during some repairs that were being made in the old Castle of Lismore. Of course the account of its discovery soon got abroad and became a matter of great interest, especially to the antiquarian class of scholars. Among these there happened to be then living in Shandon Street, Cork, one Mr. Dennis O’Flinn, a professed Irish scholar. O’Curry says that he was a “professed but a very indifferent” one; but at any rate his reputation was sufficiently well grounded to induce Colonel Curry, the Duke of Devonshire’s agent, to send him the MS. According to O’Flinn’s own account, the book remained in his hands for one year, during which time it was copied by Michael O’Longan, of Carrignavan, near Cork; after which O’Flinn bound it in boards, and returned it to Colonel Curry. From that time it remained locked up and unexamined until 1839, when the duke lent it to the Royal Irish Academy to be copied by O’Curry, and O’Curry’s practised eye and acumen soon discovered that much harm had come to the volume during its sojourn in Shandon Street. The book had been mutilated, and, what was worse, mutilated in so cunning a way that what remained was