Ogham stone in Dunbell Big

Prim (1872-3, 225) published a map of the raths in Dunbell, with one of the enclosures (KK024-010001-), annotated ‘D’ and described as, ‘the rath in which the Oghams were found’. Prim (1853-5, 403) records that two ogham stones (KK024-010003-; KK024-010004-) were found near the entrance to a souterrain (KK024-010002-), to the NNE, ‘standing nearly upright, but both inclining outwards from the mound of the rath’. The ringfort was being levelled at the time of discovery and according to Prim (ibid.), ‘the workmen said that the stones were so large that they were in the way, and, therefore, they had borrowed a sledge-hammer and smashed them to pieces’. The fragments, described as a ‘purplish-grey’ sandstone, were recovered and reconstructed (ibid. 404-5). According to Prim (ibid. 405), ‘No. 2 had suffered far greater injury than the first. Some of the fragments were minute in the extreme, and portions had been literally pulverized, so that it was impossible to recover them. We, however, obtained no fewer than forty-four pieces…The stone, thus reconstructed, measures, in length, 6 feet 3½ inches [1.9m]; in width 1 foot 1 inch [0.32m] at one end, narrowing to 11 inches [0.28m], to where there is a step within 8½ inches [0.22m] of the top, at which point the width decreases to 7½ inches [0.19m]. The depth is 11 inches [0.28m] at one end, gradually diminishing to 8 inches [0.21m] at the other. The inscription commences at 1 foot 10 inches [0.56m] from the larger end and extends to the other extremity. The frequent occurrence of the fractures has injured the scores in serveral, and obliterated them in a few places. The pieces are now in the National Museum of Ireland (DU018-402----; DU018-403----). The inscription was read by Macalister (1945, 35, no. 30) and McManus (1997, 65) as: NAVALL[O] AVVI GENITTAC . . . . See attached sketch in Prim 1853-5, 397-408 Compiled by: Jean Farrelly and Nora White Date of revised upload: 9 November 2021