MacNeill — Notes on Irish Ogham Inscriptiom. 339 



In fine, the consonant-system in early Irish mss. was based on a modified 

 British pronunciation of Latin. 



This pronunciation never exerted the slightest influence ou Ogham 

 orthography. Thus there were two separate streams of literary culture in 

 early Ireland, and as one of these was Christian, the other was pagan. Only 

 the clearest and broadest social demarcation could have kept these two 

 streams from intermingling to some appreciable extent. I hold, therefore, 

 that the custom of Ogham epigraphy was a pagan custom while it lasted. 



There is one name which occurs five times in Irish Ogham inscriptions, 

 and tw'ice in British Latin inscriptions, and, by good fortune, the consonant- 

 framework of this name is such as to illustrate with minuteness the chief 

 distinctive features between the Irish Ogham values and the British Latin 

 values of the symbols, or rather the distinct devices employed by the Irish 

 Oghamist and the British Latinist to express the same consonant souuds. 



Ogham. 



16. Maqi-Decceda maqi Glasiconas. 

 36. Maqqi-Decedda maqi Catuvi ... 

 51. Maqi-Ddecceda maqi Marin. 

 9-4. Maqi-Deceda maqi ... 

 135. Maqi-Decceddas avi Turanias. 



Latin, 



Sarini fili Maccodeclieti 



(Buckland Monachorum, Devon). 

 Hie iacit Macciidec[c]eti 



(Penrhos Lligwy, Anglesea). 



The name common to these seven inscriptions is found also in Irish genea- 

 logies in the modern form Mac Deicluad} This name means "son of Deiche," 

 but clearly (see nos. 16, 36, 51 ) not in the ordinary or natural sense. Deiche was 

 a mythological personage, from whom were named Loch Dechet, Sliab Dechet, 

 Glenn Dechet. From him the tuath called Fir Maige Fene was also called 

 Fir Dechet. The name is a consonant-stem, Ddche < *Deceiis, gen, BcclLef, 

 modern Deichead, ogham Decedas < *Decentos. An early Brythouic form or 

 derivative may be represented in Decantae, arx Decantorum. 



' TJi Maic Deicliead, a sub-sept of Ui Liichtai, who were a main sept of the Ciarraighe (BB 159a). 

 Mac Teched of the sept Ui Toina (<'f. no. 135, above) is nampfl a little further on. 



