Provenance
Discovery: Discovered in June 2012 by Joseph Egan of Bord na Móna, in the Lemanaghan Bog complex. ‘As the object was discovered some months prior to reporting, it was not possible to establish any further details of its exact find spot or context’ (Sikora and Moore 2020, 63).
Findspot: Leabeg (An Liath Beag), Co. Offaly, Ireland (approximate location only)
Current repository: Ireland National Museum of Ireland (inv. no. 2012:263)
Last recorded location(s): National Museum of Ireland
Support
Object type: Weaver’s weft-beater
Material: Yew wood
Dimensions: H 25.50 × W 13.00 × D 2.50 cm
Condition: From single piece of yew (the wood is a bright red-orange colour with a smooth surface), some damage but what survives is in good condition with geometric motifs on both faces and an ogham inscription on one side of the rounded handle. ‘It is clear that the object was used as a tool, perhaps a type of beater used in textile production’ (Sikora and Moore 2020, 63-65)
Inscription
Text field: The inscription is on a stem-line which is positioned lengthways along the handle. It appears to commences at the base of the handle which measures 8cm in length. ‘The inscription is 4cm in length but the stem-line extends beyond that, suggesting a longer inscription may have been intended’ (Sikora and Moore 2020, 78-79).
Letters: The inscription is very delicately incised or scored with shorter strokes for the vowels. The X-forfid is used, probably to represent E rather than K.
Date: Possibly tenth century AD (material context)
Edition
Ogham text: ᚁᚐᚅᚋᚐᚉᚐᚔᚂ̣ᚕ
Transcription: BANMACAIḶE
Critical apparatus:
- The letter before the X-forfid could be read as V, with 3 rather than two strokes.
Commentary
Moore (Sikora and Moore 2020, 78) suggests that ‘the reading Ban Macaile could mean fair, pure, holy or blessed Macaile’ and that historically MacCaille, who features in the lives of St. Brigid, is associated with Croghan Hill (Cruachu of Brí Éile) in Offaly which overlooks Lemanaghan Bog. However, this interpretation is not entirely straightforward.
References
- Sikora and Moore 2020, 63-89