Ferguson — Mullagh Ogham Inscription. 303 



XLVIII. — On an Ogham Inscription at Mullagh, Co. Catan. By 

 Samuel Ferguson, LL. D., Q.C., a Vice-President. 



[Eead 25th of January, 1875]. 



I first learned of the existence of this inscription from Dr. Norman 

 Moore, of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London; and, proceeding on the 

 indications given by him, found, and made a paper-cast of it, on the 

 26th December, 1874. Mullagh lies north-west from Kells, about 

 seven miles, in the extreme south-eastern angle of the Barony of 

 Castleraghan, and County of Cavan (Ordnance map, sheet 40). It is 

 known as the seat of a branch of the O'Beillys, and in Irish is 

 designated Mullagh laoghill, or Mullagh Lyle. The churchyard lies 

 to the left of the road leading northward from Mullagh to Virginia, 

 and occupies a knoll partly natural, but heightened by accumulations 

 of interments. The present church, a modern building, stands on more 

 elevated ground nearer to the road. The old burial ground of Temple 

 Kelly occupies the intervening space. In it formerly stood the inscribed 

 slab, the subject of this communication. Dr. Moore informs me that, 

 according to local report, it, together with other inscribed stones, was 

 brought thither from the adjoining lands of Bantavan. It now serves 

 the purpose of a headstone to a comparatively modern grave at about 

 a perch westward from the walls of a ruined, but not ancient, or even 

 ecclesiastical-looking building, on the summit of the knoll. It is a 

 small stone standing little more than three feet from the surface, about 

 fifteen inches in breadth, by four at its greatest thickness. The 

 characters exist on the eastern or right-hand arris, and read from left 

 to right downward : — 



osbbar [r?] 



The remains of the second r are faint, but sufficient to show that 

 they originally crossed the arris, and are not the n, which the analogy 

 of the name Osbarn would lead one, prima facie, to expect. What 

 further characters (an n being the most likely) may have existed 

 beyond this imperfect R, cannot now be determined. 



This is, I believe, the first instance of a genuine Ogham inscription 

 being found in the east of Ireland, north of the County of Wicklow. It is 

 also the firstthat seems possibly to record a Saxon name. Osbarn, how- 

 ever, if that be the name, may be the Irish Osbran, and in the present 

 state of our knowledge it would be premature to accept the idea of 

 a name more suitable for runic writing being expressed in this peculiarly 

 Irish and Scoto-British character, The double b will attract attention. 



If any reason existed for supposing the text to be introductory to 

 an independent name, it might be questioned whether Osbbarr be not 

 two words, super verticem. But this would be a novel formula in such 

 a context, and I refrain from further speculation, till the lower portion 

 of the stone shall be examined. The living of Mullagh being at 

 present vacant, this can only be done on some future occasion. 



a. I. A. PROC, SER. II., VOL. I., POL. LIT. AND ANTIQ. 2 U 



