Inscribed stone (present location) in Inishmurray

This inscribed stone was discovered in 1997 during an archaeological excavation at a small complex of monuments, known as Trahanareear, which includes a hermitage (SL001-007001-), leacht (SL001-007002-) and an enclosure (SL001-007007-). The stone was found lying in shallow peat against the base of a possible leacht (SL001-007004-) located 2m S of the enclosure. Following the excavation it was moved to the Schoolhouse/OPW conservation store (O’Sullivan and Ó Carragáin 2008, 227). It was described by O’Sullivan and Ó Carragáin (ibid. 177) as follows: ‘Roughly dressed rectangular slab (H: 0.732 m, W: 0.405 m, Th: 0.04 m). Positioned in the upper left area appear three capital letters – J A W – and directly above them is a small incised cross. The letter forms and context of this stone indicate that it is of fairly recent date. It may commemorate John Andrew Waters, a notable character among Inishmurray's last generation of inhabitants and a brother of Michael Waters, the island's last 'King' (pers. comm. Mr Rodney Lomax, Mullaghmore).’ Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of revised upload: 26 January 2018

Dated to the early Christian period, the inscribed stone may have had a ritual or commemorative function, possibly linked to the nearby hermitage and religious monuments. Inscriptions of this type are sometimes associated with ogham, an early medieval script used in Ireland and the British Isles.