Brash — On an Inscribed Pillar-stone at Monataggart. 175 



completion of this chamber. That it was a standing monument origi- 

 nally there can be no doubt, from its tapering form, and the fact that 

 nearly three feet of its base is uninscribed. The clean sharp character 

 of the letters gives us evidence of the great length of time that this 

 must have occupied its position on the chamber where it was preserved 

 from injury. 



I have in former Papers referred to the fact, that in almost every 

 case where Ogham-inscribed monuments have been found in the 

 souterrains of raths, a Keel, or the site of one, has been found in its 

 neighbourhood; this instance is not an exception, for on the adjoining 

 townland, and only a few hundred yards distant is a fine Keel, of an 

 oval form and large size, with other interesting remains of a pre-historic 

 character. The townland in question takes its name from this ancient 

 cemetery, and is called Kilcullen. There never was a church here, 

 either in memory or tradition. I have no doubt that the Monataggart 

 inscribed stone was removed from the Pagan Ceal I have described, 

 and was used as a building material in the construction of the cist. 

 At what period this appropriation took place, I leave others to conjec- 

 ture, but this I believe is certain, that the Christian Gaedhil never 

 practised cremation. I commend this inscription to the attention of Irish 

 scholars conversant with the language of our earliest MS. I would also 

 advise them not to be misled by ideas of inversion, concealed meanings, 

 phonetic puzzles, and such like. The ancient race who at Ballycrovane, 

 on the shore of Kenmare bay, procured a huge, rough monolith, 25 ft. 

 in length, and who inscribed on it in bold archaic characters the 

 simple memorial of a revered warrior or chieftain's death, and 

 who at immense labour reared this great monument, still standing 

 17-|-ft. above ground, a memorial for all ages, were not the people 

 likely to mock the memories of the death by such childish devices. 



