Provenance
Discovery: Discovered by Liam McQuillan in 2004 when directed to the stone by the landowner, Mr Robert Harkness. Located along the driveway to Gartree House and used as a gatepost into an orchard. Adjacent townland is Gortnagallon (Gort na nGallán ‘field of the standing stones’).
Findspot: Gartree (Gort Rí?), Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland (National Grid Reference: J 1054775774 )
Last recorded location(s): In situ, where it was examined and recorded by members of the OG(H)AM project in July 2022.
Support
Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record Number: ANT058:065
Object type: Pillar
Material: Basalt
Dimensions: H 1.06 × W 0.35 × D 0.20 m
Condition: Reused as gate post (holes bored for this purpose). IThe upper portion of the stone may have been shaped and some of the inscription lost. The lower portion of the stone has a layer of tar and this covers some of the inscription. It is also possible that more of the inscription is concealed below the ground surface.
Inscription
Text field: Up on the left angle but the interpretation is too uncertain to be sure of the direction and some of the inscription may be lost.
Letters: The strokes appear to have been chisel cut. The vowel strokes, if interpreted correctly, are mainly long.
Edition
Ogham text: ᚐ̣ᚒ̣ᚃ̣.. ? ..
Transcription: ẠỤṾ.. ? ..ḌN.. ? ..OCMỌS
Critical apparatus:
- Read by McQuillan (2003, 177) as: AEF NOCMS 2. The first few letters are particularly difficult to read due to damage to the arris and tar on this section of the stone. AUV could just as easily be AUU. There is a faint hint of a B-aicme stroke following and then an illegible section (damaged arris and H-aicme) with space enough for approximately 4 strokes. The D could be the remains of a T, C or Q, filling some of this gap. Following another illegible section (space enough for 3 strokes) after the N, the remaining letters are clearer, the O could be a straight G and there is a possibility of a short (wedge-shaped) A or O between the M and S but there is space for 3 strokes. It is tempting to see this as a MAC with the C strokes on the wrong side, as seen elsewhere (e.g. I-KER-012 Arraglen, Co. Kerry). It is unclear if the inscription once continued beyond this and is now lost through reshaping of the top of the stone.
References
- McQuillan 2003, 176-178