A review of the origin of Ogham in Ireland, its use, spread into Wales and Scotland, its magical and cryptic use, modern usage. Examples of Ogham inscriptions are explained.

1. ᚛
᚛᚛᚛᚛᚛᚛᚛᚛
Foxrock Local History Club
᚛
Ogham
Origin, Meaning and Use
19th November 2013

2. Agenda

What is Ogham?

How was it used?

Ogham outside Ireland

Ogham in modern use

4. Ogham

Oldest writing system in Ireland, 400-1600AD

Ogham is just the script – any language can be
written in Ogham…
 Used for Middle Irish, Latin & Pictish

Spread overseas by Irish migration
 Devon, Cornwall, Wales, Isle of Man, Scotland

5. Ogham – Origins

Just about every possible
source has been suggested
over the years
 Phoenician
 Hittite
 Old Norse
 Aramaic
…Even Atlantis!

6. Origins




Probable origin in Kerry (Corcu Duibne)
C. 500AD
Centered on Dingle & Iveragh Peninsula
Area ruled by O'Shea, O'Falvey, O'Connell

7. Origins

Probably Origin area
based on surviving
stones

BUT many Ogham
inscriptions would
have been on wood
or wax tablets &
have not survived

Created in local
monasteries

8. Distribution

Ireland (~325 inscriptions)






Kerry (130)
Cork (84)
Waterford (48)
Kilkenny (14), Mayo (9), Kildare (8)
Wicklow (5),Meath (5)
Carlow (4)

Wales (40)

England (11)

Isle of Man (9)

Scotland (30)

9. Language Distribution

Green = Mainly QCeltic (Goidelic) areas

Blue = Mainly Pictish
areas

Red = Mainly P-Celtic
(Brythonic) areas

10. The script





Similar to Nordic Runes
Called Beithe-Luis-Nin (after the
first, second and fifth symbols)
25 symbols (eventually)
No word division or punctuation
No letter „p‟

11. 
All characters have names
associated which have the
same initial sound as the
letter
Associated with tree or
plant names
Tree
Name
B
Beithe
Birch
Luis
Rowan
F

Ogham
Name
L
The script
Letter
Fern
Alder
S
Sail
Willow
N
Nion
Ash
H
Huath
Hawthorn
D
Duir
Oak
T
Tinne
Holly
C
Coll
Hazel
Q
Quert
Apple
M
Muin
Vine
G
Gort
Ivy
NG
Ngetal
Reed
STR
Straif
Blackthorn
R
Ruis
Elder
A
Ailm
Fir
O
Onn
Gorse
U
Ur
Heather
E
I
Edad
Idad
Aspen
Yew

12. Ogham - inscriptions



Followed lines of a stone
Chiselled in
sandstone, limestone, slate, even
granite
Inscriptions sometimes written in
„boustrophedon‟ fashion

13. Ogham – inscription formula







Name
ANM name
Son MAQI father (maic = son, ab in Welsh)
Grandson AVI grandfather (aui = grandson)
Nephew NETA uncle (nia = nephew)
Name CELI patron (céle = companion)
Name MAQI MUCOI forefather (maccu = descendant)

14. Grave Marker


Example
from
Greenhill
Cork
C. 500 A.D

15. Grave Marker

Basic name stone

CATTUBUTTAS
"(Stone of) Cathub"

16. Standing Stones

Example from
Rockfield (Adare)

C. 550AD

17. Standing Stones


More informative
Translates as
MAQIRITTE MAQI COLABOT |
MAQI MOCO QERAI
"(Stone of) Mac-Rithe, son of Coílub,
son-descendant (of the tribe) of the
Ciarraige"

18. Christian or Pagan?

Mass rock, Maumanorig, Co. Kerry

19. Christian era

Mass rock, Maumanorig, Co. Kerry

20. Christian era

Mass rock, Maumanorig, Co. Kerry
ANM COLMAN AILITHIR
"(Inscription in the) name of Colmán, (the)
pilgrim"

21. Viking use

Bilingual cross shaft
inscription in Killaloe
 Norse in Runic
 Irish in Ogham

22. Viking use

Runic Inscription
[Þ]URGRIM RISTI [K]RUS ÞINA
"Þorgrim engraved your cross"

23. Viking use

Separate Irish Ogham
inscription

24. Overview

Irish Ogham inscription
BEANDACHT [AR] / TOROQR[IM]
"Blessing upon Þorgrim"

25. Pictish Ogham

Pictish inscription at
Brandsbutt, Aberdee
nshire

26. Pictish Ogham

Pictish isn‟t well
understood
IRATADDOARENS
“Lord (of) Arens?"

27. Maglocunus Stone

Bilingual inscription of Nevern, Pembroke

Originally 5th Century, reused in church

28. Maglocunus Stone

Bilingual inscription of Nevern, Pembroke

29. Maglocunus Stone

Both Latin and Irish
Latin (Roman script):
MAGLOCVNI FILI CLVTOR
Irish (Ogham script):
MAGLICUNAS MAQI CLUTAR
"(Stone of) Maélchú, son of Cluthar"

30. Scholarly Ogham



Developed manuscript
based literature
Book of Ballymote
(1390) noted example
Describes mythical
origin of Ogham

31. Mythical Origins




Auraicept na n-Éces ("the scholars'
primer")
 C650 AD, written by
Longarad, provides origin myth for
Ogham
Credits the invention of Ogham to Ogma
Grian-ainech mac Elatha mac
Delbaeth,'a man well skilled in speech
and poetry'.
He invented it ‘as a proof of
his ingenuity, that this speech should
belong to the learned alone'.
Word Ogham derived from Greek ογμος
(ogmos) meaning a row or furrow, also
Celtic name for Greek god Heracles

32. Scholarly Ogham


St Gallen Grammer
 C. 845AD
Over 9000
glosses, including
marginal notes in
Ogham including
“LATHEIRT”
“Hungover!”

33. Ciphers



Ogham used for secret
codes & ciphers
Tally sticks
(animals, crops)
Easily used for hand
signals
From the story of Fionn mac
Cumhaill and his servant
Lomnae.
Lomnae tells Fionn of his wife
Sadhbh‟s infidelity by cutting an
inscription on a four sided rod and
handing it to Finn. The message
does not directly accuse Finn‟s
wife, but is instead a series of
Ogham metaphors:
„An alder stake in a fence of
silver, hellebore among gorse &
heather on the hill‟.
Finn understands the
message, but Sadhbh has
Lomnae‟s head cut off in revenge.

34. Magical Ogham


Magical uses include
 Divination
 Curses
Viewed with suspicion
by church
A charm to cure a man of impotence
by writing his name in Ogham on an
elm wand and striking him with it
Cursing someone by carving their
name on a Fé
Using Ogham sticks to determine the
sex of an unborn child
Tristan engraved his name in Ogham
on sticks of wood, putting them in a
stream so that they would flow down
to where Iseult could see them, but
no-one else could understand them.

35. Development of family names

Ogham allows us to trace surnames
Ogham Irish
Old / Middle Irish
Modern
MAQ AMMLLOGADO
mac amalgado
Mac Awley
MACI BROCANN
mac bróccan
Mac Brohan
MAQI CORRBRI
mac cairpre
Mac Carbery
MAQI DUMNOVALI
mac domnaill
Mac Donal(d)
MAQI VERAGOSO
mac fergoso
Mac Fergus
MAQI OINAGOSO
mac óengoso
Mac Guinness
AVI CELACI
ua cellaig
(Ó) Kelly
AVI CORRE
ua cuirre
Ó Corry
AVI CUNACOBRO
ua conchobor
Ó Connor
AVI QENAVIDO
ua cinaída
(Ó) Kennedy
AVI MURACADO
ua murchada
(Ó) Murphy

36. Ogham – renaissance

Appropriated for tourists?

37. Local Modern Ogham

“Newman‟s Razor”
(1970), by Brian
O„Doherty

Beside UCD Restaurant

3.3m high

Inscribed with a
progressive series of
Ogham numbers on
stainless steel

38. Thank you

39. Additional material

Detailed Ogham distribution maps

40. Distribution

41. Distribution

42. Distribution

43. Distribution