Provenance
Discovery: Found in 1806 by a peasant digging at Hill of Ballyspellan (Macalister 1945, 32)
Findspot: Ballyspellan (Baile Uí Spealáin), Co. Kilkenny, Ireland (approximate)
Current repository: Ireland National Museum of Ireland (inv. no. R89)
Last recorded location(s): National Museum of Ireland, where it was examined and recorded by the OG(H)AM team in November 2023.
Support
Object type: Penannular brooch
Material: Silver
Dimensions: × diam. 11.49 cm
Decoration: A silver, bossed, penannular brooch with two triangular expansions, with four lines of ogham on the reverse, dated typologically to the 9th century AD.
Inscription
Text field: In four lines on the reverse sides of the triangular expansions of the brooch. Neatly traced on cut stem-lines — three lines on one terminal and the fourth on the other (Macalister 1945, 32). All stem-lines begin at a rivet and all but 4 (which runs past the rivet and continues after the text finishes) also end at a rivet. Lines 1 and 2 are roughly parallel (converging a little at end), running roughly horizontally L-R towards lowest rivet. The two stem-lines are the same length (aligned so start at same level), though the lower text (2) is shorter. The stem line extends all the way to the rivet but only ¾ ends up used. Line 3 rises vertically from the top of this same rivet. Line 4 (on the opposite terminal) starts at the lower rivet near the edge and runs roughly horizontally L-R towards the rim of the ring.
Letters: As noted by Macalister (1945, 32), ‘the X-forfid is used for all the E’s except the first, and a feather-mark is prefixed to every word’. Lines 1 and 2 appear to be both by the same hand, more lightly incised than 3 and 4, and more delicate letters. 3 has slightly larger and bolder lettering, 4 has distinctive, stubbier letters and a more deeply carved stem-line. The feather-mark (᚛) is used for indicating the start and direction of reading but also to indicate word/name division in 1 and 2 (but not in 4, the longest inscription, where you’d expect it). The X-forfid is used to write E in all but the first occurrence (CNAEMSXCH).
Edition
Ogham text: ᚛
Transcription: ᚛CNAEMSECH ᚛CELLACH ᚛MINODOR ᚛MUAD vac. ᚛MAELMAIRE ᚛MAELUADAIG MAELMAIRE
Translation
Cnáimsech Cellach Minodor Múad Máel-Maire Máel-Úadaig Máel-Maire
Commentary
There is extensive alliteration among the names in the inscription. Some of the names occur in royal pedigrees of the Osraige, in whose region the brooch was discovered.
‘Cnáimsech Ceallach’ in the first line is unlikely to be ‘Cnáimsech (son) of Ceallach’ as Cellach is in the nominative case rather than the expected genitive. The feather-mark (᚛) between the two also suggests that perhaps these should be taken as individual names. Cnáimsech is not attested in the early period. The meaning ‘midwife’ is unexplained and not attested in the earlier period. Although -sech is a feminine name suffix, it clearly refers to a male where it is attested in the Osraige genealogies. The name Cellach is quite common and also appears in the Osraige genealogies . However, Cellach is one of three names identified which can be used for males or females .
‘Minodor Múad’in line 2, also separated by a feather-mark (᚛), is also difficult to interpret. Neither word is attested as a name (Minodor a compound of min ‘small’ and odor ‘brown’? and múad an adjective of uncertain though possibly complimentary meaning (‘noble’?), confined to poetic style). Múad and Minodor could theoretically be female names, but this is still being investigated. Although the name Máel-Maire is commonly attested (Index of Names in Irish Annals), Máel-Úadaig is not. Furthermore, the úadaig/úadach element makes no sense and no parallel has been identified.
References
- Macalister 1945, 32-33
- Ryan and Youngs 1990, 103-104