178 



which this fact suggests, some of the antiquaries who main- 

 tain the Pagan origin of the Ogham character have boldly 

 pronounced the supposed crosses to be Pagan symbols. Others 

 have conjectured that the crosses were inscribed at a compa- 

 ratively recent period on Pagan monuments previously erected. 

 In reply to the former assertion, which is unsupported by any- 

 thing like proof, it is enough to state that the crosses are un- 

 doubtedly Christian, being perfectly similar in form to those 

 occurring on early Christian monuments in this country and 

 elsewhere. The latter hypothesis fails to account for the 

 presence of the cross on the stone of Marianus above men- 

 tioned, that name being decidedly Christian. Moreover, there 

 seem to be not the slightest grounds for doubting that the 

 crosses on many of the stones are of the same date as the in- 

 scriptions which they bear. If it be asked why these monu- 

 ments do not all bear the sign of the cross, supposing that they 

 all belong to the Christian time, it is answered that some of 

 them, for what we know, may have been the monuments of 

 Pagans, seeing that Paganism survived in Ireland for centuries 

 after the coming of St. Patrick. But it seems much more 

 probable that they are the sepulchral monuments of Christians, 

 on which the cross was not placed, either for special reasons, 

 having reference to the individuals, or because it was not the 

 custom of the time or place. There are similar pillar-stones 

 in Cornwall and Wales, undoubtedly Christian monuments, 

 on which the cross is wanting. 



Another significant fact in connexion with the use of the 

 cross on Ogham monuments is their general occurrence in lo- 

 calities where there yet remain traces of ancient ecclesiastical 

 or monastic institutions. Thus, not to mention instances 

 where Ogham monuments are found in the burial grounds at- 

 tached to existing churches, the site of a group of Ogham 

 stones, on the shore of Smerwick harbour, still retains the name 

 of a church, Kilvickillan. So, again, the remarkable cave 

 at Dunloe, which contains several inscribed stones, has in its 



