Bishop Graves — On Cahirciveen Ogham. 159 



buna . . . the daughter of Dunadach. I only know of two other names on 

 Ogham monuments, beginning thus with mael. But when we consider 

 what this form is, and what inferences are to he drawn from it as regards 

 the age of the inscription, we cannot fail to recognize the importance of 

 the testimony which I am now producing. 



Now let us look at the next word, Gbmaci. I take this to be an- 

 other formula added to our small stock. It appears in different forms : 

 as Otmacui, or Attmacui, on two of the stones in the Cork Institution, 

 and as Eattmocui on the famous Camp Stone. I take this ot or att to be 

 a prefix like the napa of the Greek, indicating something false or 

 wrong. For this I shall be able to allege reasons founded on philo- 

 logical considerations. 



It remains for us to notice the final name Feachimean. The sub- 

 stantive pel ch earn meets us repeatedly in the Brehon laws, meaning 

 one of the parties or pleaders in a suit. The proper name TCeochcnb 

 mac pachemam occurs in the Tain Bo Cuailgne. 



I lament to say that this remarkable monument no longer stands 

 in the place where I found it. It is now set up in a garden attached 

 to an Institution in the town of Caherciveen. The removal of it was not 

 called for on the ground that it was exposed to injury in the place 

 where it originally stood. It was the sepulchral monument of a 

 Christian in an ancient grave-yard, where it seemed safe from injury. 

 It is now severed from local associations of an interesting kind. Against 

 this stone O'Connell often leaned whilst his pack of Kerry beagles hunted 

 the long brown valley which runs up from Carhan Bridge to the foot of 

 Pehill mountain, — so at least I heard from the old people of the place, 

 who told me, that they had themselves often seen him sitting there 

 with his back against the stone. 



Postscript. — On looking at the drawing which illustrates this letter 

 you will observe some things which deserve notice : — 



1. There is a considerable interval between the word Anm and the 

 name Moeleagoemir. 



2. The vowel strokes after the finalrin thelattername are indistinct. 



3. From the shape of the stone, it appears nearly certain that the 

 partbearingthe inscription was intended to have been buried in the earth. 

 This falls in with the notion thatthe inscriptionintimatedsomethingthat 

 was not to the credit of the person of whom the stone was a memorial. 



4. You will remark that there are grooves on the sides of the 

 pillar-stone, just above the cross. As to the cause or use of them it 

 might be rash to offer any conjecture. Perhaps they mark the place to 

 which was fastened a chain, worn by some one who did penance in this 

 lonely spot, for some great crime ; and occupied a small stone cell, the re- 

 mains of which are still to be seen within a few yards of the monument. 



Dr. Ferguson, on reading this letter, expressed a difficulty in accept- 

 ing the formula anm as the equivalent ofanima, owing to what seemed 

 to him to be its association with nouns not in the genitive. 



