CIIC no. 056

Location and history:

According to Macalister, CIIC I, 61, this stone was found by J. Windele and A. Abell in the souterrain of a fort called Ráith an Tóiteáin (`Fort of the Burning'). J.C. Coleman, JCHAS 3, 2.ser., 1947, 71 deals about two souterrains on the townland of Burnfort (parish Mourne Abbey). He does not indicate which one may be the fort the townland owes its name to.

A first draft of the stone was published by Oldham, PRIA 2, 1844, 516, as fig. 3, but without any attempt of reading. Coleman, JCHAS 3, 2.ser., 1947, pl. 4, to face p. 69 published a map of souterrain Burnfort no. 1 alone, but with no indication of the former position of the Ogham stone.

According to Macalister, CIIC, the stone was in 1835 "deposited in the museum of the Royal Cork Institution, from which it somehow disappeared a number of years afterwards, and has never been seen since".

Size according to Windele, quoted by Macalister, CIIC: 5'6" x 1'7" x 0'8"

Published illustrations:

Brash, OIM pl. IV fig. 1

Macalister, CIIC 1, 61 ("photostat of a drawing in the Windele MSS.").

Reading Macalister, CIIC:

SAGITTARI

Because of the "Latin suggestiveness of the inscription" it was the "storm-center of a hot controversy between `Paganists' and `Christianists' at a time when that dispute had significance; and the stone was, therefore, scrutinized with especial care by the combatants .. they are in complete agreement on the reading."

Additional literature:

PRIA 4, 1847, 176: Ch. Graves;

JRSAI 1, 1849-51, 142; 305 ff.: Windele / Graves (thus CIIC)

KilkennyArchJourn. 1849, 305-319: Windele / Graves (thus Epig. 3, 102)

Brash, OIM 118;

Ferguson, OI 87;

Macalister, Epig. 3, 102 ff.

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