515 



the cuts or grooves which form them being quite smooth and 

 even, notwithstanding the very unfavourable texture of the 

 stone, composed as it is of pebbles varying in size, compo- 

 sition, and hardness. Some of these markings or letters are 

 imperfect, from injuries which the stone has received, or 

 from wear by exposure, but the drawing (fig. 1) gives a 

 tolerably accurate idea of its present state. 



This Ogham differs in some respects from any with which 

 Mr. Oldham was acquainted. There is no combination of 

 more than four letters or grooves in it, and if the corner of 

 the stone be considered the centre line, to which these let- 

 ters should be referred, several of them do not come up to 

 that line, and in one case two appear interrupted or discon- 

 tinued in the centre; that is, there are portions of the cut 

 or groove corresponding to each other at both ends, but they 

 do not pass over the corner or central line. Mr. Oldham's 

 object was, however, more particularly to add another to the 

 collection of Ogham inscriptions, and thus increase the data 

 from which some clue to these now unknown quantities might 

 perhaps be obtained. He was the more anxious to do this, 

 as this stone had been altogether omitted on the Ordnance 

 Mdps of the County of Waterford recently published. 



This stone is mentioned by Ryland in his History of Wa- 

 terford, who merely notices the existence of some defaced 

 markings. He alludes to the occurrence of caves in the 

 fields adjoining. Ballyquin is also the name of the town- 

 land in which the stone stands. 



Mr. Oldham also presented drawings of some Oghams now 

 in the Cork Institution, and remarked how very desirable it 

 was that they should be published at once, the originals 

 being so liable to injury, either from accident or design. 

 Fig. 2, is a block of sandstone, very rough and unhewn, the 

 surface on which the letters or marks are cut being the only 

 flat one on the stone. It is about four feet six inches in 



