177 



Another, found at Ballyneesteenig, bears that of Moinuna, 

 a distinguished disciple of St. Brendan. Many are marked 

 with crosses of an ancient form. 



The conclusion to which Mr. Graves has arrived, as re- 

 gards the age of the Ogham writing, is, that it does not be- 

 long to the period antecedent to the introduction of the Latin 

 language and Christianity into Ireland : in short, that it is 

 an invention of the early monkish period. 



That the alphabet is not a very ancient one is sufficiently 

 manifested by the arrangement of the letters. 



The five vowels, a, o, u, e, i, are formed into a group ar- 

 ranged in that order ; thus manifesting the art of the gram- 

 marian in distinguishing vowels from consonants, and again, 

 in dividing the vowels into the two classes of broad and slender. 

 It may be added that the steganographic character of the 

 Ogham presupposes the existence of an older alphabet of the 

 ordinary kind. 



A comparison of the Ogham alphabet with the Persepo- 

 litan and Phoenician alphabets, manifests that the pretended 

 relationship between it and them has no existence. 



The single fact of the Ogham inscriptions indicating an 

 acquaintance with the Latin language might be considered 

 sufficient proof that they are not remnaiUs of a Pagan civi- 

 lization anterior to the introduction of Christianity into Ire- 

 land. For, whatever may have been asserted with respect to 

 the influence exercised by Phoenician merchants or colonists 

 upon the religion, learning, and arts of Ireland, it has never 

 been pretended by writers on our antiquities that there existed 

 here, in the remote Pagan times, any active element of ci- 

 vilization, derived from Roman sources. But, in addition to 

 this use of the Latin language in Ogham inscriptions, there 

 are other circumstances relating to them which manifest 

 their connexion with Christian times and usages. A consi- 

 derable number of the Ogham monuments bear crosses of dif. 

 ferent forms. In order to got rid of the obvious inference 



VOL. IV. i> 



