Brash — On Ballycrovane Ogham Inscription. 197 



dated, but in some portions showing work of a good character. About 

 the centre of the internal area we found an entrance to underground 

 chambers, but, having no lights, we were unable to examine them. 

 Turning off the Kenmare road, about half a mile below the fort, we 

 took a narrow, rugged trackway, scarcely passable for a car, leading 

 down to the coast-guard station, which stands at the extremity of 

 the bay ; and, as we descended, we had our first view of the great 

 monument, an engraving of which, from my drawing, is given on the 

 opposite page. 



It stands on a flat-topijed, rocky knoll, about a furlong from the 

 shore, and which has an elevation of about 40 ft. The stone is in 

 height 17-g- ft. above ground; breadth, near bottom, 3 ft. 6 ins. ; 

 thickness, 1 ft. 6 ins., tapering to 1 ft. 10 ins. by 6 ins. at top. It is 

 a rough, unhewn monolith of hard compact clay-slate. One of the 

 coastguards, a most intelligent man, named Fox, who procured us 

 ladders and assisted me in measuring, assured me that he had dug to 

 the bottom of the stone and found that it was eight feet under ground, 

 and resting on the natural rock. Around its base are several loose 

 stones. At present it leans considerably out of the perpendicular ; its 

 inscribed face looks towards the bay, the point of the compass being 

 S. S. W. 



The legend, which is cut on the left hand angle of the same face, 

 commences at 3 ft. from the ground level, and occupies a length of 

 8 ft. 3 ins. The characters are, with two exceptions, quite legible ; 

 and, though much weather-worn, they appear to have been originally 

 deeply cut, and are as follows : — 



MAQ I DE C CEDDASAF I TOE AN 



The first four characters are perfectly distinct. The second score 

 of the fifth (d) is faint, but legible. Letters 6, 7, and 8 are also 

 distinctly marked. Two of the vowel digits of the 9th are much 

 weather-worn, and scarcely discernible ; but as the space exists for 

 them, and as that space could be occupied by no other letter than an 

 e, which also is necessary in the proper orthography of a name which 

 we at once recognise, I am fully justified in restoring it to its original 

 value. Letters 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 are perfectly legible. Be- 

 tween 15 and 17 is a space of eight inches, at present occupied by two 

 vowel digits. Five inches of the angle next 1 5 is rounded and weather- 

 worn. This space would exactly contain the three missing digits of 

 the vowel i. That this was the value of the character there can be no 

 doubt, for the vacant space could not have been occupied by a con- 

 sonant, as the angle is so slightly worn that such could not have been 

 obliterated ; and also, where we find i repeated on other parts of the 

 angle it occupies exactly the same space. Besides the value I have 



SER. 11., VOL. I., POL. LIT. AND ANT1Q. 2 F 



