[ 329 ] 







CONTENTS. 



I. 



Geographical Distribution, . . 



. 329 



VI. 



II. 



Non-Christian Character, . 



. 331 





III. 



Orthography, 



. 334 





IV. 



Accidence, 



. 342 





V. 



Syntax, .... 



. 344 





XV. 



NOTES ON THE DISTEIBUTION, HISTOEY, GEAMMAE, AND 

 IMPOET OF THE lEISH OGHAM INSCEIPTIONS. 



By JOHN MACNEILL. 



Read April 26 ; Ordered for Publication April 28 ; Published July 24, 1900. 



VI. Examples Classified and Discussed : — 



A. Relations of Ogham and ms. 

 Orthography and Word-for- 

 mation, .... 344 



B. Declensions, , . . . 354 



C. Exceptional Cases and Forms, 361 



D. Customary Terms and Formulae, 365 



Note Ogham words are printed in clarendon type, thus : mucoi. The accompanying numbers 



are those in Macalister's collection. "J " with year refers to the annual volumes of the Journal of 

 the Royal Societ_y of Antiquaries of Ireland. "Holder" denotes his Altkeltischer Sprachschatz 

 (where words cited are in dictionary order). " L. Arm." = Book of Armagh, Hogan's Glossary. 

 " Onoraasticon " Goedelicum, bj' Rev. E. Hogan, s.j., about to be published by the Royal Irish 

 Academy. In many instances, I have not found it possible to insert references to Irish texts and 



MSS. 



The publication of Mr. E. A. Stewart Macalister's Studies in Irish Eyigrayhy 

 (vol. i, 1897, vol. ii, 1902, vol. iii, 1907), containing his own and previous 

 readings of about five-sixths of the Ogham inscriptions known to exist in 

 Ireland, has rendered it not only possible but imperative that systematic 

 study should be brought to bear upon this material. A considerable number 

 of Irish inscriptions not as yet dealt with by Macalister, but subjected to 

 revision by the late Eev. Edmond Barry, m.e.i.a., and Sir John Ehys, will 

 be found in the volumes of the Journal of the Eoyal Society of Antiquaries 

 of Ireland for the last twenty years. The records of Ogham inscriptions in 

 Great Britain appear to be scattered in a number of publications, and the 

 time at my disposal has not been sufficient to trace them up. The following 

 paper is an initial effort to analyse and interpret the available facts. 



I.— GEOGEAPHICAL DISTEIBUTION. 



Ogham inscriptions have been found only in Ireland, the Isle of Man, 

 Scotland, Wales, and the south-west of England. More than five-sixths of 



K. I. A. PROG., VOL. XXVII., SECT. C. [49] 



