Provenance
Discovery: Discovered in 1846 by Cork antiquarians Windele, Abell, and Hawkes in a souterrain (CO085-067002-) in the SW quadrant of a ringfort (CO085-067001-), with five other ogham stones: I-COR-046, I-COR-047, I-COR-048, I-COR-050 and I-COR-051. In 1849 Windele removed five of the stones, including this one, to his own residence (Blair’s Castle, Cork) but they were later moved to the museum of the Royal Irish Academy (Brash 1879, 140; Macalister 1945, 92-93).
Findspot: Ballyhank (Baile Sheanc), Co. Cork, Ireland (ITM Coordinates: 557971, 564534)
Current repository: Ireland National Museum of Ireland (inv. no. 1872.21)
Last recorded location(s): All six stones from Ballyhank are now in the collection of the National Museum of Ireland. This stone was recorded in 3D in 2010 as part of the Ogham in 3D project in collaboration with the Irish Inscribed Stones Project.
Support
National Monuments Service SMR ID: CO085-067006-
Object type: Slab
Material: Sandstone
Dimensions: H 1.30 × W 0.63 × D 0.20 m
Condition: Reused as a lintel in a souterrain. The inscription is in good condition, despite some flaking on the stone. According to Brash (1879, 143) it was 1.65m (5ft. 5in.) in length. Macalister’s (1945, 97) 1.30m (4ft. 3in.) is the height above the display stand.
Inscription
Text field: There is a short inscription on one angle commencing at 1.02m (3 ft. 4 in.) from the bottom (Brash 1879, 143). Macalister (1945, 97) read two extra letters preceeding the rest by a space of 13.6cm (5 3/8in.). As noted by McManus (1991, 66), it ‘is not very deeply cut and there is ground for considerable doubt as to whether it should be considered part of the inscription’
Letters: The ogham strokes appear to be chisel cut. The initial AB, however, looks more shallow pocking, which is perhaps another reason to doubt that it belongs with the rest of the inscription. otherwise, the consonant strokes are quite long and sloped rather than perpendicular to the arris and the vowel strokes are similarly executed and shaped but shorter.
Edition
Ogham text: ᚐ̣ᚁ̣ vac.
Transcription: ẠḄ ULCCAGNI
Critical apparatus:
- Macalister (1945, 97) interprets AB as ‘Abbot’, but McManus (1991, 61) suggests that the AB ‘is best ignored’.
Translation
of Olcán
Commentary
This personal names consists of the word olc ‘evil’ and the individualising suffix -án, i.e. ‘evil one’. The same name appears in a biscriptal/bilingual inscription from Lewannick, Cornwall (E-CON-003, ULCAGNI with single C and in Latin letters VLCAGNI) and two further British inscriptions in Latin only (CIIC 370. VLCAGNVS - in nom. after HIC IACIT and CIIC 472. VLCAGNI FILI | SEVERI), dating from the latter part of 5th century following Jackson’s chronology of British inscriptions (McManus 1991, 64, 97). Here, the -AGNI ending (later -ANN and eventually -án) of the ogham inscription suggests a relatively early date (McManus 1991, 107).
References
- Brash 1879, 140, 143
- Macalister 1945, 97
- McManus 1991, 61, 64, 107
- Power, Byrne, Egan, Lane, and Sleeman 1997, no. 7951