Brash — Monataggart Ogham, No. 1. 213 



XXXY Further Bemarks on the Monataggart Ogham Inscrip- 

 tion, No. 1. By Bichard Bolt Brash, M.B.I. A. 



[Eead November 9, 1874.] 



Dr. Samuel Ferguson having, with, his usual consideration and 

 courtesy, forwarded me a copy of his intended observations on the 

 Monataggart Ogam inscription (p. 207) — an account of the discovery 

 of which I had the honour of laying before the Academy last year 

 (see p. 172) — I have availed myself of the opportunity afforded by 

 his kindness to make a few remarks thereon. 



I give that gentleman every credit for his detection of the true 

 reading of the inscription, which I had most certainly missed, not 

 having, like him, looked at both sides of it, as I believe this is only 

 the second instance on record .of an undoubtedly ancient Ogam in- 

 scription reading from right to left. This fact will, I am sure, not 

 be forgotten in the future investigation of apparently unreadable 

 legends. Dr. Ferguson's proposed reading I believe to be the true 

 one — 



FEQREQ MOQOI GLUNLEGGET, 



that is — " (the stone of) Fiachra son of Grlunlegget." 



Feqreq, is evidently the genitive case of Fiachra : genitives in ac 

 and eac being frequent in archaic names. 



Moqoi, I believe to be a form of Maqi, as this genitive has been 

 found in various forms in Ogam legends as Maqqi, Mocui, Mage. 

 Indeed, from its position in the legend, there can be no question as to 

 its being the usual key- word. 



Dr. Ferguson hazards a conjecture that this form maybe analogous 

 to the word Ifucoi, found so frequently in these inscriptions ; but I 

 should think not. Firstly, because it would not give a fair and distinct 

 reading, or indeed any reading but a speculative one. Dr. Ferguson 

 proposes " Fiachra' s Glunlegget (lies here);" the word Ifucoi being 

 understood to be a designation of Ghmlegget (who thus becomes the 

 person commemorated), and not the patronymic, as in the former 

 reading. This formula appears to me overstrained and contrary to the 

 almost universal structure of these legends. In the second place, out 

 of fourteen instances of the use of this term in Ogam inscriptions, 

 the form is Mucoi, with the exception of one, where it appears as 

 Moccoe. In the third place, I am not aware of its occurrence in any 

 Ogam legend unless preceded by the genitive Maqi. This curious 

 name or title, as the case may be, occurs both as a proper name and 

 as a title on one of the Drumloghan find, where we have, " Dego 

 Maqi Mucoi.' 1 '' On a stone from Laharan, " Maqi Mucoi Cuerai." On 

 one from the county of Cork, " Dgenu Maqi Mucoi Curitti." In the 

 latter instance it is evidently a title of Curitt, and one I believe of 

 honour or distinction. 



