Macauster — Notes on Certain Irish Inscriptions. 85 



come to the cross-roads beyond Gastlecor, instead of going straight on take 

 the road to the right, towards Mount Prospect. At the next cross-roads turn 

 again to the right, and the stone will be seen in the field to the left, a few 

 yards from the road. 



The stone is a sandstone, standing 5 feet 3 inches above ground, measuring 

 in cross-dimensions at the bottom 1 foot 7 inches by 1 foot 2 inches, tapering 

 almost to a point at the top. There are two plain crosses cut on the south face, 

 another on the west face, and yet another, of small size, on the north face ; 

 the east face is uninscribed. These crosses are simply two lines, one vertical, 

 the other horizontal. 



There are scores on all the angles, but these are of no purport except on 

 that to the north-west. Here there is a short inscription, so carelessly and 

 rudely cut in the first instance, and so polished with the nibbing of cattle 

 ever since, that it is difficult to make anything out of it. My reading is 



OVOJIAIs^I, 



but with considerable doubt as to the last two letters. The Ji is reversed, and 

 the initial ov damaged by a hole weathered in the stone. At a distance of 

 4 inches, in front of the first score of the initial 0, is a faint scratch like 

 another M ; there would be room for five more scores between this and the 0. 

 But, on the whole, I was inclined to reject this, and to confine the letters to 

 those above given. I cannot with any certainty offer a parallel to the 

 name. 



5. MullaCtH, Co. Catan. 



This inscription was described in 1875 by Sir Samuel Ferguson in a short 

 paper published in the Proceedings of this Academy.^ Since then I cannot 

 find that anyone has seen the stone. In fact, I heard that it was lost. It was, 

 however, re-discovered by Mr Alphonsus O'Parrelly, of the Eoyal CoUege of 

 Science, who told me of it ; and, being at Oldcastle in August, I made a 

 pilgrimage to Mullagh in search of it. After spending two hours in a hunt 

 through the luxuriant growth of nettles in the neglected old graveyard, I 

 found it at last. The monument is of limestone, 2 feet 1 inch above ground, 

 and in cross-dimensions lOJ- inches by 4J inches. It is in perfect order ; the 

 scores are neatly made, and read without the smallest doubt, in a downward 

 direction 



OSBBAK 



which is Sir Samuel Ferguson's reading. He added a faiat second R, however, 



which is nothing but some casual scratches low down on the stone, and 



' Ser. II, vol. i, p. 303. 



