Brash — On Battycrovane Ogham Inscription. 199 



A drawing of it illustrates a paper contributed by him to the first 

 vol. of " The Ulster Journal of Archaeology." The drawing is not 

 very correct, and the inscription less so. He gives it (as may be seen 

 at page 43), omitting the second score of the fifth letter (d), as also 

 the double d and the final s, with other errors. 



In Mr. Gr. V. Du Noyer's collection of Drawings, in the Aca- 

 demy's library, Vol. I. ISTo. 38, will be found a drawing of this monu- 

 ment, from a sketch by the Right Rev. Dr. Graves, Bishop of Limerick, 

 the inscription on which is substantially the same as my own copy, 

 the only differences being that I have given the vowel value e to the 

 ninth character, and the value of i to the sixteenth, the reasons for 

 which I have already stated. The difference of the reading given by 

 the Bishop is scarcely of any moment ; he gives deccodda for my 

 deccedda, and safa for my safi. 



Decced became a great tribe-name in Munster. Our bardic 

 Annals gives us the forms Deag and Deagad. The Clanna Deagaid 

 became a powerful people in West Munster, and gave two kings, 

 Ederscel and Conaire Mor, to the throne of Tara. I have much to 

 say on this interesting subject, but must defer it for the present. 

 This much we must admit, that this remarkable and warlike tribe 

 have left their venerable monuments rather plentiful in the south of 

 Ireland, particularly in their native seat, Munster. 



I should have before remarked, that this name has been found in 

 several other localities in a slightly different form. Thus, in that 

 wonderful megalithic library in the Cave of Dunlo, near Killarney, 

 we find a lintel stone 9 ft. long, having a lengthened inscription, 

 which gives us dego maqj mtjcot, &c. Upon a great monolith, 12 ft. 

 long, now standing near St. .Olan's "Well, county Cork, we find no 

 haqi dego. This fine pillar-stone was taken out of a rath-cave on the 

 townland of Coolineagh, parish of Aghabullog. Again, the great 

 find in the cave at Drumlohan, county Waterford, present us with an 

 inscription, which gives us deago maqi muco(i). The old scribes 

 we know used c and g commutably. 



By the help of these last three examples we can trace the Degacli 

 from their first landing in the extreme south-west of Munster, 

 through the counties of Kerry, Cork, and "Waterford, up the valley 

 of the Suir, into Kilkenny, and from thence to the borders of Wick- 

 low, at Killeen-Cormac. So far we can identify their progress by 

 their Ogham- inscribed memorials ; but we can trace them still farther. 

 We find them on the sea coasts of Wicklow, as we know that 

 the mouth of the Vartrey river was anciently named Inhher Degaid ; 

 and that two tribes named Ui Deagha Mor and Ui Deaghct Beg, were 

 located on the same shores. Did they not cross into Anglesea, and 

 cannot we thus account for the inscription at Penrhros Lygwy ? 



There can be no question as to this great and truly venerable 

 monument having been erected to perpetuate the memoiy of some 

 very remarkable personage. The feelings of affection and veneration 



