Provenance
Discovery: Discovered in 1875 by Wakeman at the SW base of a carn on the summit of Topped Mountain (Macalister 1945, 303; Wakeman 1875, 532). ‘In a very conspicuous location on the summit of Topped Mt. commanding a magnificent view of the Erne Basin. This sub-circular cairn is 31.5m N-S x 34m E-W at base, with the steep sides rising 3m to form an irregular oval top 18.5m N-S x 17m E-W. There is a large central depression on the top with a smaller one to NE. The cairn was excavated NE-S in 1897. A small cist was found at the E edge containing a skeleton, a Irish Vase, a bronze dagger and a cremation’ (Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record: FER 212:028).
Findspot: Topped Mountain (also Toppid Mountain), Mulluknock (Mullach an Chnoic), Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland (National Grid Ref (Carn): H3114045750)
Current repository: Northern Ireland Ulster Museum, Belfast (inv. no. BELUM.A1335)
Last recorded location(s): Now on display in the Ulster Museum, Belfast, 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 (carn): FER 212:028
Object type: Pillar fragment
Material: Sandstone
Dimensions: H 0.43 × W 0.20 × D 0.09 m
Inscription
Text field: The remaining inscription is along one angle (L reading upeards).
Letters: The strokes are clearly cut and evenly spaced with medium length vowel strokes (not wedge-shaped).
Edition
Ogham text: ᚅᚓᚈᚈᚐᚉᚒ[ᚅᚐᚄ]
Transcription: NETTACU[NAS]
Translation
of Nad-Chú
Commentary
This is the start of a male name made up of two elements commonly found in ogham inscriptions: NETTA (O.Ir. nia, nad) ‘champion, warrior’ and CUNAS (O.Ir. cú) ‘dog, hound’, corresponding to later Old Irish Nad-Chon, genitive of Nad-Chú (McManus 1991, 109-110). Other examples of this name occur in inscriptions from Co. Tipperary (I-TIP-002 = CIIC 261. NETACUNAS) and, with the elements in reverse order, in Co. Waterford (I-WAT-043 = CIIC 300. CUN[A]NETAS).
References
- Macalister 1945, 303-304
- McManus 1991, 109-110
- Wakeman 1875, 529-542