to the old Irish laws and sometimes there was dispute over the leadership. One means of avoiding conflict was by the selection of a Taoiseach-elect, called a Tánaiste (). This term is now used for the Irish Deputy Prime Minister. The election and inauguration was presided over by the ollamh (), or professor of the Mac Firbis family of scholars. The Ó Dubhda is unique in having a detailed account of the inauguration ceremony of their Taoiseach preserved in an ancient manuscript of the aforementioned Mac Firbis scholars. This manuscript, known as the Great Book of Lecan, was written near Enniscrone in Tireragh between A.D. 1397 and 1418, and now is carefully preserved as one of the Irish national treasures in Dublin. One of the most generous sponsors of the Mac Firbis scholars was Tadhg Riabhach Ó Dubhda (Dark Teige), who became Taoiseach of Tireragh in A.D.1417. He is particularly remembered in this manuscript in which his death is recorded at Enniscrone Castle. The unique treasure preserves much of ancient Irish heritage. It contains information relating to the history of hundreds of different Irish families. Its existence is a testament to both the Mac Firbis bardic scholars, who wrote it, and the Ó Dubhda rulers, who supported them. O'Dowda and O'Dowd, Dowd and Doody, etc. The ancient laws of Ireland, known as the Brehon Laws, continued in use until the early 1600s. The last Taoiseach to be elected under these was Tadg Buí Ó Dubhda (Blonde Teige) who was inaugurated in 1595. He led his army south to the Battle of Kinsale in 1601 and never came back. Tradition states he survived the battle and settled in County Kerry, where his family later became known as Doody. During the 17th Century, the rest of the Ó Dubhda ruling family was displaced from their homeland, where they had owned 24 castles and 52 towns, including Enniscrone. They split into two main branches, and these settled in County Mayo. In dealings with government officials using the English language several different spellings of the surname were introduced, one branch using the spelling of O'Dowda, while the other branch became known as O'Dowd. Two centuries earlier a third branch had left and settled near Dublin, where they became known as Dowd. Although there are more than 40 other variations, Dowd and O'Dowd now are the most common versions of the surname. There are many