Ferguson — On the Calkin Ogham Inscription. 161 



any known authentic sepulchral legend of any age or country, and par- 

 ticularly unlike any Ogham formula hitherto observed. As might have been 

 expected, it has been received with very general distrust. This discredit 

 has, during our own times, extended itself from 0' Flanagan's speculations 

 to the subject of them, and it is now a common thing to hear the Callan 

 mountain inscription and the verses about Con an from the Cath Gabhra 

 treated as palpable forgeries, the disgrace of which is imputed, some- 

 times to O'Flanagan, sometimes to John Lloyd, author of an Account 

 of the County Clare, and sometimes to Michael Comyns, a gentleman 

 of the same county, who distinguished himself as a poet and romance- 

 writer in the Irish language, about the middle of the last century. 

 Much of the obloquy cast on O'Flanagan is divided with General Val- 

 lancey, to support whose speculations about the ancient Irish having 

 been sun-worshippers is supposed to have been O'Flanagan's object in the 

 fabrication of the impeached verses. These charges have been put 

 forward with much authority by the late John O'Donovan and Eugene 

 O'Curry. As they are contained either in printed publications or in 

 MSS. to which the public may have access, there will be nothing im- 

 proper, as affecting the reputations of any of the parties, in citing them 

 here. 



I shall first refer to what O'Curry has said on the subject, in his 

 abstract of the MSS. in the library of the Academy. Describing volume 

 No. 119, in the collection purchased from Messrs. Hodges and Smith 

 (H. & S. Cat., vol. ii., p. 415), he says : — 



" Page 114 begins the Fenian poem called the Battle of Gabra, ascribed to Oisin, 

 and containing 368 verses. I have closely examined every copy of this poem, that has 

 come under my notice, bearing date previous to the year 1770, and I can safely say 

 that in no copy of that or previous date have I found any mention of Conan's absence 

 from the battle of (Sabra, nor any allusion to his having been killed while paying ado- 

 ration to the sun, on the top of Mount Callan, in the county of Clare. I have little 

 hesitation in saying that the allusion above referred to (which is found in several 

 modern copies of this poem) was introduced into the poem to give countenance to Val- 

 lancey's doctrine of sun-worship in Ireland, and Theophilus O'Flanagan's nonsensical 

 and extremely roguish Four different Readings of the Ogham inscription on the stone 

 on Mount Callan. Mr. John O'Donovan and myself having minutely examined and 

 accurately copied the above celebrated inscription in the autumn of last year (1839), we 

 shall be enabled at the proper time to show the difference between what has been made 

 of it already, and what it really is.' 1 



Safaharmosaticuisog, Gosicuitasomrahafas." Windele himself makes it Catabar moco 

 fistiqonga, which nearly approaches the reading given by W. Williams and the transcript 

 made by Mr. George Du Noyer. He also cites a transcript ascribed to a former con- 

 tributor to our Proceedings, cbhdhhbhstmlebfmlhlngsmdbngf, and another published by 

 the same gentleman, cbhahhbhstmlcbfmlhhigsmdngf. I do not possess a cast of this legend ; 

 but have carefully examined it, and find it, as I believe, to be, Catabar moco firiqorb, 

 i. e. Cathbar son of Fercorb. It is a very fine monument ; and the names, if I have 

 rightly read them, maybe of any period consistent with their grammatical formation. 

 If this were determinable to any particular linguistic epoch, on trustworthy grounds, 

 it would seem to be the only key to the probable age of the inscription. 



