Provenance
Discovery: Discovered during excavation at the site of Cillín Chormaic in 1929 (Macalister and Praeger 1929, 257). It was found almost completely buried, on the side of the mound just to the west of the entrance-gate. In total, seven ogham stones (or fragments) were found here. This is the largest collection of ogham stones found at a single site in Leinster. Four complete ogham stones and two fragments survive today. A geophysical survey carried out in the surrounding fields in 2012 revealed traces of a trivallate enclosure (max. diam. 205m) surrounding the burial ground, which occupies the centre of a much more extensive early medieval ecclesiastical site (Greene 2013, 37-40). In addition to the ogham stones, a number of other notable monuments (some of granite) have also been discovered at the site, including numerous (uninscribed) pillar stones and three probable cross slabs (Greene 2013, 33-36; Macalister and Praeger 1928-9, 253-61). One of the pillar stones (KD032-044016-), a slender earthfast stone (H 1.3m; L 0.35m N-S; Wth 0.25m), has a lightly carved bust on the upper N face: a head, with a very pointed chin, is shown with a possible hooded-cloak and the figure carries a cross over its left shoulder.
Findspot: Killeencormack (Cillín Chormaic), Colbinstown (Baile Choilbín) , Co. Kildare, Ireland (ITM Coordinates: 683113, 698258)
Last recorded location(s): This ogham remains in situ, where it was examined and recorded using photogrammetry for the Ogham in 3D project in 2018.
Support
Object type: Pillar
Material: Greywacke?
Dimensions: H 1.60 × W 0.48 × D 0.41 m
Condition: This stone is in reasonably good condition but ‘wear and some fractures’ have resulted in a partially surviving inscription (Macalister 1945, 26-27).
Inscription
Text field: The inscription runs up the dexter edge. Macalister (1945, 27) read further letters across the top but these are not now discernible.
Letters: The strokes are quite finely chisel cut (or possibly even scored in the Cork style), of medium length and spacing. The M-aicme strokes slope in the opposite direstion to usual.
Edition
Transcription: [---]EGNI KOI MAQI MUC̣[OI] Ạ[.]Ị[---]
Critical apparatus:
- Macalister (1945, 27) noted that ‘the letters before the present beginning must have been vowels and B consonants (BLVNS), for the H-surface is intact and shows no marking’. 2. Macalister (1945, 27) reconstructs the final name on the top of the stone as A[L]I[NI] ‘by considering the positions and widths of the fractures which have destroyed them’, but this is quite doubtful.
Translation
of […]ine? here, son of the descendant of A?
Commentary
‘KOI, which is invariably written with the first supplementary character (the X-forfid) and is alone among formula words in not being attested later, has been explained as a word defining locality, ‘here’, analogous to HIC IACIT in the British inscriptions though it is never used in these’ (McManus 1991, 119).
References
- Greene 2013, 26-47
- Macalister and Praeger 1928, 247-261
- Macalister 1945, 26-27
- McManus 1991, 118