Liz Gabay wrote:

> BB
> 
> Luid Tadg na ndiaig iar ngliaid gona
> im marbusiaid dar brega

Rather: 'immar briaid. dar brega'

The letters you read as 'bus' are rather 'b' + an 'r' which tacks onto 
the circular part of the b and looks a litle like a backless wersion of 
our own capital R. You may have noticed it used a couple of times in 
'coRmac'.

Note the fullstop in the middle of line (b). Lec regularly uses the 
fiullstop at the end of the first couplet, but for some reason BB 
inserts in here. Presumably it is just a mistake.

> rob dar faebraig i frais foga

Or perhaps 'robdar' (= robtar: 3rd pl pret copula, DIL I 320.52f).
Both MSS write 'frais' as 'fis' with a superscript open 'a' for 'r+a'. I 
am more used to 'r+a' being written as a superscript 'n' (does anyone 
know why it is written as an 'n'?). This 'open a' is also used a lot in 
Lec in place of the regular triangular 'A' - but for some reason mostly 
(only?) in final syllables it seems.

> coglais naemnaig ndara.

Rather 'co Glais nAemnaig nDara' (though Lec.'s spelling is preferable). 
For Glais Nera (sometimes Glais Dara) see our work on Cath Crinna §10. 
It was the most northerly point reached by Tadg on his foray against the 
Ulstermen.

> Lec
> 
> Luid Tadc na ndiaig iar ngliaid gona
> im marbriaid dar biega 

The last word is 'Breaga' (cf 'Brega' in BB). The 'r' is again the 
backless, tack-on, 'R' (and you omitted the glide vowel).

So:

BB = Book of Ballymote (RIA MS 23 P 12) 108 r col a

Luid Tadg ’na ndiaig îar nglîaid gona
immar briaid. dar brega
robdar fâebraig i frais foga
co Glais n-Âe(m)naig nDara.

Lec = Book of Lecan (RIA MS 23 P 2) fol 221 v col a

Luid Tadc ’na ndiaig îar nglîaid gona
immar brîaid dar breaga.
robdar fâebraid i frais fola
co Glais n-Âenaig Nera.

Neil