Ogham stone

On a grassy verge, at the NW corner of the Bishop's House, Killarney. An upright ogham stone (H 1.4m; 0.51m x 0.13m) of sandstone, oriented NE-SW. This stone is not in its original position and though its precise provenance is unknown, it is said to have been found in the bed of a stream in the townland of Ballyeightragh (see KE043-250----), on the Dingle peninsula (see Cuppage 1986, 253, no. 796). The inscription is on its SW corner, with strokes extending onto the NW face. It begins c. 0.34m from the present ground level, continuing around the apex and down the NE corner. It was read by Macalister (1945, 162-3) as 'M A Q I - L I A G M A Q I E R C A, SON OF LIAG SON OF ERCA' though Cuppage (ibid.) noted that the final A could no longer be read and that the first I had been damaged where a notch had been cut into the edge of the stone. There is a small notch (H 0.12m), 0.36m from the base of the stone and possible sharpening marks on the NW and SE faces. It was recorded in the 1940s that this ogham stone was presented to the Bishop of Kerry in 1919 and moved to St. Brendan's seminary, Killarney (ITA). According to local information, it has since been moved a short distance to its present position. Compiled by: Elizabeth Byrne, Ursula Egan and Sheila Ronan, Archaeological Survey Unit, University College, Cork. Date of upload: 31 January 2011