342 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



symbols, E, requiring five scores, has a ratio of duplication twice greater than 

 M, requiring one score. In the other two series, T, requiring three scores, is 

 far more frequently doubled than D, requiring two ; V, with three scores, is 

 much more often doubled than B, with only one. 



In the B-series as a whole, the ratio of duplication is 108, in the H-series 

 242, in the M-series 86. These figures' suggest that duplication was originally 

 associated for some reason with the H-series. 



Aspiration does not appear to have influenced the general custom. 

 Although the aspirable consonants T and D head the list, C merely reaches 

 the average, G is far below the average, and M is the least frequently 

 duplicated of all. 



Macalister has observed that duplication is much more frequent m Kerry, 

 especially in Corcaguiny, than elsewhere. In Corcaguiny, the average index 

 of frequency of duplication is 280. The indexes of the symbols are : — T 1750, 

 D 1000, Q 679, B 500, C 310, G 177, S 125, Y 118, Pt 97, K 83, L 77, M 0, Kg 0. 

 Here it is to be noted that all the aspirable consonants except M precede the 

 unaspirable consonants ; secondly, that all the H-series are above the average, 

 and no other consonant except B, which, however, occurs in all only six 

 times, in duplicate twice. Corcaguiny was the chief centre of the Ogham 

 epigraphic cult ; and its usage is perhaps of more weight than that of other 

 places. 



On the whole, the evidence points to (1) either a phonetic origin of 

 duplication or (2) an origin connected with the writing of the H-series. 

 Whatever ^dew may be taken, it seems clear that the practice was older than 

 the extant oghams, and serves in them no practical pu.rpose.^ 



IV.— ACCIDENCE. 



The accidence of Ogham Irish is almost wholly confined to the declension 

 of nouns, and mainly to nouns in the genitive singular. There are a few 

 examples of the nominative singular and of the genitive plural. A number 

 of forms have been described by ]\Iacalister and others as dative singular. 

 They always occur in the title name of the inscription. The dative in this 

 position would seem more appropriate to dedications than to memorials of 

 the dead, and the earliest MS. usage would, I think, require a preposition 

 before the dative used in this way. 



1 I think that probably man)' early inscriptions on wooden staves were preservi'd in the 

 professional schools of Ogham writing, especially in Corcaguiny. It would have attracted notice 

 that, in these older inscriptions, certain consonants were often phonetically dnplicated. Such 

 spellings would have ceased to express their original values, but would have appealed to the Irish 

 love of archaism ; and on this motive, I suggest, they were employed in the extant inscriptions, the 

 usage being extended, but not so frequently, to the other consonants. 



