Provenance
Discovery: Although known of previously, the first publication of this inscription was by Rhys in 1898 (Cochrane 1898, 406). A second inscribed stone (I-COR-L06) was also noted from this location, but it was broken up and reused in building a nearby house (Rhys 1898, 397-398).
Findspot: Aultagh (Alltach), Co. Cork, Ireland (ITM Coordinates (approximate): 524750, 558081)
Last recorded location(s): In situ on a W-facing slope in Aultagh Wood (Power 1992, 124). Visited and recorded in September 2022 for the OG(H)AM project.
Support
National Monuments Service SMR ID: CO094-073----
Object type: Boulder
Material: Stone type unknown
Dimensions: H 1.10 × W 0.70 × D 0.30 m
Condition: Mostly in good condition but there is some damage to one of the star-like characters on the face. The stone can be difficult to locate as it is flat on the ground and covered by vegetation in a wood.
Inscription
Text field: The inscription is unusually on the flat face of an irregular boulder (embedded in the ground), left of centre and on two carved stemlines, both roughly parrallel with two variously angled edges of the stone.
Letters: The inscriptions appear to have been chiselled. The ogham strokes are not all of the same length (vowels generally approx. 9cm and consonants on one side only approx. 4cm) and it appears as if one extra long vowel stroke (13-17cm) may be marking the end or beginning of each series. There are no obviously slanted strokes from the M-aicme(aicme muine). Two star-shaped characters (resembling an x carved over an ᚐ stroke) are also on the stone. When looking at the more centrally positioned stemline (L 34cm) vertically, the first star shape is at the top of this stemline with the second, larger and partially damaged star shape, directly to the left and close to the edge of the stone. The second stemline (L 27cm) is above and at a different angle. There is also what looks like a feathermark between the first two characters reading upwards on the main stemline. It is unclear how to interpret these characters but the presence of a stemline, long vowel strokes and a possible feathermark suggest ‘reformed ogham’ (previously termed ‘scholastic’) dating from the 8th century onwards.
Edition
Ogham text: ᚔ᚛
Transcription: I᚛UHE VHO vac. ADVAS
Critical apparatus:
- Reading upwards from the lower line, followed by the second line above and reading left to right. 2. Macalister (1945, 77) reads from the feathermark (in the middle of the lower line) but retroversely to avoid reading a H: UBEDABO ALTASI.
Commentary
No interpretation has as yet been suggested and this inscription remains a mystery.
References
- Rhys 1898, 397-398
- Cochrane 1898, 406-407
- Macalister 1945, 75-77, no. 72
- Power, Byrne, Egan, Lane, and Sleeman 1992, 124, no. 1031