In a message dated 5/21/2011 12:32:58 P.M. Central Daylight Time, jerrykelly@att.net writes: Did Gaelic scribes take shorthand? The answer is yes, but using their own system called nodanna. Gaelic scribes had to be able to copy a lot of manuscripts, and quickly. So they developed their own shorthand system using literally hundreds of symbols. That is very interesting, Jerry. I knew the used abbreviated words and names in their pedigrees but didn't realize it was a actual system. I put a copy of the MacSweeney pedigree from the Book of Lecan online. _http://clanmaclochlainn.com/McSweenyLecan.jpg_ (http://clanmaclochlainn.com/McSweenyLecan.jpg) This is a nice, clear copy. I used the spellings of the names from the O'Clery Book of Genealogies. In this graphic you can easily see the ab breviated names and cognomens. For example, Muircertaigh na ccocal ccroicenn (from O'Clery) appears as mct na c.c. with a few odd characters over the m and ct which Jerry probably can explain. I would look for something similar in the MS. 1467 transcription. The name Flaithbertaigh an trostain is also abbreviated. Trostan is tst with some more odd symbols. You could look for that in the MS. 1467 as well. I'm still looking for the Ballymote version and will do the same thing when I find it. Download this graphic and use a graphics program and you can zoom in quite a bit further than you can in a browser. John