Brash — On an Ogham-inscribed Stone at Kilbonane. 27 



X. — On an Ogham-Insceibed Stom, at Kilbonane, County of 



Keeey. By B. E. Beash, Esq., M. B. I. A. (With Plate III., 



Pol. Lit. and Antiq.) 



[Read January 23, 187L] 



The ancient clinrch of Kilbonane stands on the townland and in 

 the parish of the same name, connty of Kerry, and about one hun- 

 dred yards off the right-hand side of the road leading from Killarney 

 to Kilorglin, being distant seven miles from the former place ; the 

 exact site will be found on sheet No. 57 of the Ordnance Map of the 

 county. Within the walls of this church the late Mr. Bichard Hitch- 

 cock, so well known for his labours in this branch of our national 

 archaeology, discovered a very remarkable and unique Ogham-inscribed 

 stone ; it was subsequently visited by the late Mr. Windele ; neither 

 of those gentlemen, however, published any description of it, so that 

 the only information I could procure respecting it was a vague idea of 

 its whereabouts. In August, 1869, I visited that part of Kerry, and 

 had the satisfaction of a personal inspection of this remarkable monu- 

 ment. The church is a plain, mediaeval structure, consisting of a sim- 

 ple nave, built of rude rubble masonry, the only noticeable feature 

 indicating its age being a couplet window of red sandstone in the east 

 gable ; it was probably erected in the fourteenth century. The walls 

 are, at present, entire, and its internal area, as well as the cemetery 

 around it, are literally choked with interments. I found the inscribed 

 stone lying horizontally, covering a vault immediately under the east 

 window, and within the church : it is in length six feet three inches, 

 and of variable breadth and thickness, being one foot four inches, by 

 seven inches at the centre. (See PL III., Pol. Lit and Antiq.) 



The material is the hard, close-grained clay slate, so generally used 

 for those memorials ; it is, unfortunately, broken across in an irregular 

 fracture at two feet six inches from the lower end. It bears a line of 

 Ogham characters on each angle, and two lines on the fiat surface, all 

 being on the same face, a portion of one of the latter exhibiting traces 

 of an incised stem-line. 



The inscriptions on the angles are much damaged, and it is pro- 

 bable that several of the characters are missing, as is evident by the 

 vacant spaces. The legend on the left-hand angle commences at one 

 foot four inches from the bottom ; it is true there is one score, six 

 inches from the bottom ; but as there are no traces of such for the ten 

 inches following, and no indications of injury, I am disposed to con- 

 sider that it was an accidental, or -trial score. The inscription is as 

 follows : — 



-H—rnn — /' ' ' IMI " ' "n")j|n 



There is a space between the and N which was probably filled by a 

 vowel, the angle being worn ; between the 1ST and M there is a space 

 of seven inches, much abraded, with traces of scores, but nothing 



