Ogham Stone - Arraglen - Ireland

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CIIC 145. Arraglen Monument Artist: Unknown Date: Unknown Medium: Sandstone Dimensions: 1.91 x 0.38 x 0.20 meters Accession #: National Monuments Service Record Number - KE025-002001 Credit: Ogham 3D Site Type: Unassociated Description: This ogham stone stands proudly in the elevated and exposed gap between Masatiompan and the steep north slopes of Brandon mountain, commanding a dramatic view to both sides of the mountain range. It is situated on the Mount Brandon pilgrimage route. Monument: The sandstone monument measures 1.91 x 0.38 x 0.20 meters (converted from Macalister 1945, 140). Note that it stands at 1.97 meters in height above ground (Fionnbarr Moore). Both faces of the stone are inscribed with crosses and display a deliberate dressing to prepare surfaces for carvings. One face bears a Maltese cross with a hook-like expansion at the right side of the upper arm, representing a monogram form of the chi-rho symbol (XP). The opposite face features a Maltese cross within a circle; the lower arm is linked to the circle by a short, straight stem. McManus notes that this ogham stone is discussed by Henry (1937, 376 and 1940, 29) where it is described as an imitation of the Brito-Roman type of funerary monument. Text: From top to bottom, the inscription reads: "in pocked scores, now rather worn...The turn of the angle has confused him [the carver], so that on the sinister edge he has inverted the side-scores" (Macalister 1945, 141), yielding MAN SOMOGAQQ where presumably MAQ COMOGANN was intended. The top right-hand corner is damaged, and the inscription is partially legible. Locations: Found: The stone was discovered upright on Mt Brandon but buried in peat up to within two feet of the top (Macalister 1945, 141) in the townland of Arraglen and barony of Corkaguiney. GPS coordinates: -10.249772, 52.257546. Original Location: Find location probably original site. Last Recorded: Re-erected in the 1980s just a few meters from the find spot (personal comment from Fionnbarr Moore) on Mount Brandon. The present location of this stone may be accessed via the National Monuments Service public map viewer on www.archaeology.ie. History of Recording: Discovered by Hitchcock in the 1840s (Macalister 1945, 141). References: Cuppage, J. et al (1986): Archaeological Survey of the Dingle Peninsula. Ballyferriter, pp 248-50. Macalister, R.A.S. (1945): Corpus inscriptionum insularum Celticarum, pp 140-1. McManus, D. (1991): A guide to ogam. Maynooth Monographs 4, pp 56-57, 65, 78, 89, 90, 91, 96, 107, 117, 118. Websites and Online Databases: CISP (Celtic Inscribed Stones Project): www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/cisp/database/ https://ogham.celt.dias.ie/stone.php?lang=en&site=Arraglen&stone=145 http://ogham.celt.dias.ie/ Ogham stones are among Ireland's most remarkable national treasures. These perpendicular cut stones bear inscriptions in the uniquely Irish Ogham alphabet, using a system of notches and horizontal or diagonal lines/scores to represent the sounds of an early form of the Irish language. The stones are inscribed with the names of prominent people and sometimes tribal affiliation or geographical areas. These inscriptions constitute the earliest recorded form of Irish and, as our earliest written records dating back at least as far as the 5th century AD, are a significant resource for historians, linguists, and archaeologists.