Provenance
Discovery: The lower (and largest) fragment of the stone was discovered ‘beneath the clay cliff under the ruins of St. Bricane’s Church’ in 1845 by Mr Hugh Nevin of Waterford ‘in the course of some geological researches on the promontory of Hook’ (Graves and Nevin 1854, 179). The second fragment (most of the top) was discovered almost 100 years later ‘near the church’ by Rev. Thos. Cloney, P.P., Templetown, Fethard (Macalister 1930, 54). The third small fragment was recovered in the 1987 excavation (Breen 1988, 30-31). Although Macalister (1945, 50) names this stone ‘Houseland’, the find site is actually in the townland of Portersgate. ‘The (ruined remains of the) early church (WX054-003002-) known as St. Brecaun’s church is situated at the edge of a low clay cliff (H c. 5m) on the E side of the low-lying and narrow part of the Hook peninsula. The graveyard was regarded as eroded away long ago by the sea (Redmond 1898, 32-33), and archaeological excavation in 1987 found [fragments of human bone but] no burials anywhere. However, evidence of an enclosing ditch feature is confirmed in a fosse (Wth c. 2m) partly excavated c. 12m WSW of the church (Breen 1988). This feature (Wth c. 3m; D c. 0.8m) can also be seen in the cliff-face c. 25m N of the church’ (Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Field Report 2017). Most of the church has now also been lost through coastal erosion.
Findspot: Portersgate (Geata an Phóirtéaraigh), Co. Wexford, Ireland ()
Current repository: Ireland National Museum of Ireland (inv. no. 1930:67)
Last recorded location(s): National Museum of Ireland (seen and recorded in 3D in Jan 2015).
Support
National Monuments Service SMR ID: WX054-004----
Object type: Pillar
Material: Sandstone
Dimensions: H 1.18 × W 0.30 × D 0.20 m
Condition: Three fragments of this reddish, medium-grained sandstone pillar survive. As pointed out by Macalister (1945, 50-51), the break between the two larger fragments ‘must have been of long standing as the broken surfaces are weathered and waterworn’. The third, smaller fragment shows less signs of weathering and may have been buried for some time. The surviving inscription is quite legible except the R, where the fifth stroke and part of the fourth are lost at the break in the stone, and the following C, which is spalled away except the distal ends. Based on the space available and what might be reasonably expected, Macalister (1945, 50, including illustration) suggested a restoration of the inscription. The third fragment discovered in 1987 is too small to confirm Macalister’s restoration but, with four identifiable scores and the remains of a probable fifth, it could be a Q of his suggested MAQQI.
Inscription
Text field: The inscription is on the rounded sides running up-top-down. It begins and ends at roughly the same position on each side, approximately a third of the way up the stone.
Letters: The ogham strokes appear to have been v-cut with a flat chisel and are generally clear and evenly spaced without word division.
Date: late sixth or early seventh century AD (linguistic)
Edition
Ogham text: ᚄᚓᚇᚐᚅ[ᚔ ᚋᚐ]ᚊ̣[ᚔ ᚉᚐ-ᚈ]ᚈ̣ᚐᚁᚁᚑ-ᚈᚈ ᚐᚃᚃᚔ ᚇᚓᚏ̣ᚉ̣ᚋᚐᚄᚑᚉ
Transcription: SEDAN[I MA]Q̣[I CA-T]ṬABBO-TT AVVI DEṚC̣MASOC
Translation
of Sétnae son of Cathub Uí Dercmossaig
Commentary
AVVI DERCMASOC ‘descendants of Dercmossach’ appears to be the Uí Dercmossaig kin group. However, according to later genealogical sources, this group were located further North in the Dublin area.
References
- Breen 1988, 30-31
- Graves and Nevin 1854, 179
- Macalister 1930, 52-55
- Macalister 1945, 50-51
- McManus 1991, 96-97
- Redmond 1898, 21-35, 96-104, 164-185, 220-227