Ogham Stone, Aghascrebagh

Image: © Kenneth Allen Taken: 14 Jul 2006

It is located near Greencastle in County Tyrone. The ancient carvings are difficult to make out, but I am informed that the linear incisions on one corner of the stone read "DOTELLO MAQI MAGLANI" Maqi has the same meaning as the modern Mac meaning "son of" (i.e. Dotello son of Maglani) An attempt to protect the stone has been made with the surrounding rocks as cattle may have scratched their backs against it. Ogham (pronounced "Oh-m") is a script invented, according to the medieval Irish "Book of Ballymote", by Ogma, Celtic god of literature and eloquence, and consists of a series of notches and strokes placed adjacent to or crossing a midline to represent twenty letters of the alphabet. The inscription usually consists of personal or tribal names and is said to be the earliest form of the Irish language. It is usually carved along the edge(s) of a large upright stone, beginning at the base and running upward to, and over, the top, if necessary. The inscription at this site has become weather-worn and the stone was probably erected a few centuries after the birth of Christ, in the late Iron Age. Examples of Ogham markings are rare in the north of Ireland, but there are hundreds of them in the south-west of the country. The townland name of Aghascrebagh,"the field of the writing" (locally pronounced Aghascribba), probably gets its inspiration from the markings on the stone More at http://www.ballybegvillage.com/ogham_stones.html

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