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, 526), this roofing flag was ‘next to No. 8’ in the souterrain (CO055-007003-) where fourteen other ogham stones were also found (I-COR-031 - I-COR-045), all but one (I-COR-031) acting as lintels. 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)
Current repository: Ireland University College Cork (inv. no. 16)
Last recorded location(s): The stone is currently on permanent display in the Stone Corridor (‘Rúin na gCloch / Stories in Stone’ exhibition), University College Cork, where it was examined and photographed for the OG(H)AM project in May 2024.
Support
National Monuments Service SMR ID: CO055-007012-
Object type: Pillar
Material: Sandstone
Dimensions: H 1.22 × W 0.38 × D 0.20 m
Condition: Reused in a souterrain, the inscription is in reasonably good condition, although there is a small fracture at the end of the inscription. Barry (1891, 526) noted that the stone was 1.22m (48in.) in height. All of the ogham stones in the UCC collection underwent conservation in 2006. The stones are currently in display cases and held in position by brackets. The current visible extent above the display case is 1.15m (45in.).
Inscription
Text field: The inscription begins 0.58m (23in.) from the bottom and ends 0.18m (7in.) from the top (Barry 1891, 526).
Letters: The inscription is cut in fine, though relatively short strokes.
Edition
Ogham text: ᚉᚏᚑᚅᚒᚅ ᚋᚐᚉ ᚁᚐᚔᚈ
Transcription: CRONUN MAC BAIT
Critical apparatus:
- As noted by Barry (1891, 526), after the N, there are three short and lightly-cut vowel strokes. However, there is space for one or two more strokes between the N and the surviving three.
Translation
of Crónán son of Báeth
Commentary
The inscription is morphologically late with no case endings present. CRONUN corresponds to Old Irish Crónán (crón ‘(reddish-)brown’ with the individualising suffix -án), although the U in the second syllable is unusual. The name is found elsewhere in the ogham corpus in inscriptions from Derrygarrane South, Co. Kerry (I-KER-090, now lost) and from Poltalloch in Scotland (S-ARL-002). The father’s name comes from the Old Irish word báeth ‘foolish’, which is attested elsewhere as a personal name (McManus 2004, 19, Ziegler 1994, 134-5, 157).
References
- Barry 1891, 514-535
- Macalister 1945, 89, no. 90
- Power and et al. 1994, no. 4223
- Ziegler 1994, 134-135; 157
- McManus 2004, 19, no. 16