Provenance
Discovery: At the site of two previously known ogham stones (I-COR-005 and I-COR-006), a souterrain (SMR ID: CO052-061001-) containing two further ogham stones was (re-)discovered when the ground collapsed during silage cutting in 2005 (McCarthy 2005). This ogham stone is one of four pillars (SW upright) supporting the roof. The NE pillar stone also bears an ogham inscription (I-COR-007).
Findspot: Ballynabortagh (Baile na bPórtach), Co. Cork, Ireland (ITM Coordinates: 570210, 583188)
Last recorded location(s): In situ in souterrain. Visited and 3D recorded for the OG(H)AM project in September 2022.
Support
National Monuments Service SMR ID: CO052-061003-
Object type: Pillar
Material: Sandstone
Dimensions: H 1.50 × W 0.24 × D 0.35 m
Condition: This is an irregularly-shaped, rough, sandstone pillar, subrectangular in section, that was reused as a roof support in a souterrain. Only 6 or 7 letters of the worn ogham inscription survive.
Inscription
Text field: Inscribed (reading up) on the right angle of one of the narrower faces. The inscribed face of the stone widens towards the top and the ogham inscription, in so far as it survives, is confined to the narrower lower part of the stone (Ronan 2009, 152-153).
Letters: The ogham strokes appear to have been pocked. The surviving consonant strokes (all from the aicme húatha) are slanted rather than straight.
Edition
Transcription: [---]ḌCA[.. ? ..]CIOT
Critical apparatus:
- Reading supplied in Ronan (2009, 153): vac. L[.. 14 cm ..]CA[.. 14 cm ..]CIOT 2. The first relatively clear letter is C but there appeared to be a single stroke from the same aicme (húatha) visible just above ground level (and just below the 4 C-strokes) on examination (and in imagery) from 2022. An earlier photograph of the stone by the National Monuments Service shows signs of 2 strokes here, which would make a D or, if more strokes survive below ground, a T, C or Q. However, this is not mentioned in the Archaeological Inventory description (Ronan 2009, 153). What is mentioned here is two strokes to the right of the stemline (aicme beithe) 4cm above then ground level, probably an L, followed by a gap of 14cm before the 4 C-strokes. Therefore, ground level must have been almost 20cm lower than in 2022. 3. Moore (Ronan 2009, 153) suggests interpreting CA[…]CIOT as the remains of MAQI MUCOI, taking what looks rather more like IO to be OI and the CA to be the remains of a QI. Perhaps the two possible strokes (D) before the C are the remains of a double Q ([MAQ]Q̣Ị). While worth noting the possibility, unfortunately the evidence is not very strong. Reading in the opposite direction doesn’t give a likely reading (SOIV…ASL?).
Commentary
Unfortunately, this inscription is too fragmentary to identify a name or even part of a name.
References
- Ronan, Egan, and Byrne 2009, 152-153, no. 16163