Provenance
Discovery: Discovered in the NW quadrant of a large rath or ringfort (CO055-007001-) at Castle farm (also site of Ballyknock castle CO055-007004-). According to Barry (1891, 518), the stone was ‘found loose in the cave’ (souterrain CO055-007003-) where fourteen other ogham stones were also found acting as lintels (I-COR-032 - I-COR-045). A high percentage of ogham stones in Ireland are found reused in souterrains, particularly in Co. Cork but this is the highest number from a single souterrain.
Findspot: Ballyknock North (Baile an Chamhaicigh Thuaidh), Co. Cork, Ireland (ITM Coordinates: 594327, 586954)
Last recorded location(s): This stone was retained by the farmer when 13 others were removed to University College Cork and Lismore Castle (CO055-007013-) in the early 20th century (Power 1932, 11; McManus 2004, 10-11). Macalister (1945, 85) saw the stone in 1907. However, when he returned to examine the stone before 1945, the farm was deserted and there was no trace of the stone (Power et al. 1994).
Support
National Monuments Service SMR ID: CO055-007002-
Object type: Pillar
Material: Sandstone
Dimensions: H 1.17 × W 0.28 × D 0.13 m
Condition: This stone was last seen on site in 1907 but its current location is unknown. Barry (1891, 518) and Macalister (1945, 85) recorded a fracture on the top of the stone which had resulted in the loss of some of the ogham strokes.
Inscription
Text field: According to Barry (1891, 518) ‘the inscription begins on a left arris, is interrupted at the top, and is completed on the right arris’.
Edition
Ogham text: ᚋᚐᚔᚂᚐᚌᚒᚏᚑ ᚋᚐᚊᚔ̣ [.. ? ..
Transcription: MAILAGURO MAQỊ [.. ? ..]VILEBỤ
Critical apparatus:
- Barry (with input from Rhys, 1891) reads: MAILAGURO MAQ[A AI]LILA
Commentary
Ziegler (1994, 203) suggests taking MAILAGURO as a name consisting of máel ‘crop-headed, tonsured, devotee’ with augra ‘strife, battle’.
References
- Barry 1891, 514-535
- Macalister 1945, 84-85, no. 82
- Power and et al. 1994, no. 4215
- Ziegler 1994, 203