Ogham Stone - Ballymorereagh (AN BAILE RIABHACH), Co. Kerry

myminifactory

Description Teampall Mhancháin (Templemanaghan), also known as Teampall Geal, boasts a commanding view across Dingle Harbour. The site's remains include a dry-stone oratory standing up to 2.75 meters tall in some places, foundations of dry-stone huts, a souterrain called Poll na Sagart ('the Priests' Hole'), a burial ground, and the remnants of a sub-circular enclosure. Several cross-inscribed boulders are scattered throughout the burial ground, while in front of the oratory stands a large ogham-inscribed pillar (Okasha and Forsyth 2001, 138). This pillar is said to mark the grave of St Manachán (Bennett and Uí Shíthigh 1995, 13). Monument The monument measures 1.68 meters by 0.46 meters by 0.28 meters (Macalister 1945, 163). A cross with equal arms is cut on the face of one side of the inscription, while another cross with expanding terminals is cut on the opposite face. A grafitto reads FECT QUENILOC followed by a word too defaced to read (Macalister 1945, 163-4). However, the 3D scan of this stone revealed no trace of the grafitto. Here, Macalister sees the crosses on this stone as a later attempt at Christianisation. However, McManus (1991, 54-61) presents a valid counter argument to this theory. Text The top of the inscription has been broken and battered away... So far as it goes, the inscription is perfectly clear, though some vowels are damaged (Macalister 1945, 163). This reading was confirmed upon inspection of the 3D data. Regarding the C of MUC[OI], three out of four scores are visible on the 3D model. Transcription QENỊLOCI MAQI MAQI-AINIA MUC̣[OI] Translation Of Cellach son of Mac-Áine? descendant of? Commentary QENN- (OI cenn 'head'): ... QENILOCI (Cellach) (McManus 1991, 103). It is tempting to equate the name MAQI-AINIA with the goddess Áine but, as McManus (1991, 109, 115, 179 n. 47) points out, 'if so AI must be an error for A as the first syllable does not contain the diphthong ai' and palatalisation is not written in ogham. The retention of the -I in QENILOCI combined with the loss of -S in MAQI-AINIA suggests dating this inscription to the first half of the sixth century (McManus 1991, 95, 97).