Provenance
Discovery: The stone was found repurposed as a gate-post for a farm wall by Rev. Canon Power in 1914 (Macalister 1945, 65). The precise original location is unknown. McManus (2003, 11) notes that the stone was brought to University College Cork by Canan Power (UCC Professor of Archaeology 1915-1934).
Findspot: Bishop’s Island (Oileán an Easpaig), Co. Cork, Ireland (Approximate location)
Current repository: Ireland University College Cork (inv. no. 24)
Last recorded location(s): Now on permanent display in the Stone Corridor (‘Rúin na gCloch / Stories in Stone’ exhibition), University College Cork, where it was examined and photographed for the OG(H)AM project in May 2024.
Support
National Monuments Service SMR ID: CO053-072----
Object type: Pillar
Material: Sandstone
Dimensions: H 0.97 × W 0.28 × D 0.15 m
Condition: The stone is damaged at both ends leaving the inscription fragmentary. According to Macalister (1945, 65) the height of the stone was 0.97m (3ft. 2in.) but only 0.89m (2ft. 11in.) are currently accessible. All of the ogham stones in the UCC collection underwent conservation in 2006. The stones are currently in display cases and held in position by brackets.
Inscription
Text field: The inscription reads up on one angle, to the right of one of the faces.
Letters: The inscription is pocked and rubbed with large, well-spaced strokes (e.g. the two G strokes are 13cm long, with 3.5cm space between them).
Edition
Ogham text: ᚑᚂᚐᚌᚅᚔ ᚋᚐᚊ̣[ᚔ.. ? ..
Transcription: OLAGNI MAQ̣[I---]
Critical apparatus:
- As there is damage to both ends of the stone, we cannot be certain that there isn’t something lost before the O of OLAGNI. As noted by Macalister (1945, 65), the H-surface is flaked away as far as the L. 2. Only three strokes of the Q of MAQI survive before the break at the other end.
Translation
of Ollán son of …
Commentary
OLAGNI (OLAGNAS in the nominative) may correspond to Gaulish Ollognus, containing the element attested later in Irish as oll ‘great’ (McManus 2004, 22).
References
- Macalister 1945, 65, no. 61
- McManus 2004, 11, 21-22, no. 24
- Power 1932, 22