CIIC no. 215

Location and history:

Whitefield is not present on today's maps. The grave of the Macgillicuddy is in Churchtown, half-way between Killorglin and Killarney. Is this the same locality as Whitefield?

The present stone and three other ones ({216}, {217}, {218}) were "exhibited by The MacGillicuddy of the Reeks at the Dublin Exhibition of 1853, and were presented by him to the Royal Irish Academy in the following year" (Brash, OIM, 189 sq.; Macalister, Epig. 2, 109; Macalister, CIIC I, 208). As Macalister reports (ib.), this and a second one ("no. II", {216} "certainly, and all four probably, came from a souterrain in the townland of Whitefield" (thus CIIC; a litle bit more cautiously in Epig. 2). In Brash, OIM, where the stones are named by their RIA collection numbers only (p. 189 sqq.), an indication of the original location is only given for "Whitefield: RIA no. 11" ({217}); but cf. Rhys, JRSAI 16, 1884, 314 sq. who guessed that they all might have come from one locality. Ferguson, OI, 107 (177.) states that "at Whitefield there was formerly assembled a collection of Ogham monuments from the adjoining district." According to him, it was only "two of these" that "are now in the Museum of the RIA"; he mentions the present one and {217}.

The present stone was "no. 9" in the RIA collection. It could not be identified when visiting the basement of the Dublin N.M. in 1988.

Size according to Brash, OIM 190: 4'4" x 12" x 5"

Size according to Macalister, CIIC: 3'9" x 1'0" x 0'5"

Published illustrations:

Brash, OIM, pl. XVIII ("RIA no. 9") ( draft;

Macalister, CIIC 1, 209 ( draft).

Reading Brash, OIM 189 sq. ("Royal Irish Academy, No. 9"):

ᚐᚂᚐᚈᚈᚑᚉᚓᚂᚔᚋᚐᚊᚔᚌᚑᚊᚔ

ALATTOCELIMAQIGQI

ALATTOCEL THE SON OF CUCUI

"There appears to be one [character] missing between G and Q. On the turn of the angle, on the top of the stone, at the right side, is an abraded space, which must have once shown a vowel, probably either A, O, or U. - Similar names are found as "Aladchu, Ailghcamam, Aildebhair"; cp. Ailluattan on the "Mount Music stone, Knockourane" {135}. The patronymic could have been "Gacua, Gocua, or Gucua"; cp. Guc "on an inscribed stone at Island, county of Waterford" {300: Old Island} or Cacua on the "principal stone at Ardmore" {263}, "identical with Gacua, the C and G being commutable".

Reading Ferguson, OI 107 (177. [B]):

Alatto celi battigni

"It was customary, and after the sixth century, for pious persons to designate themselves as celi, or devotees of certain saints, and of God, as the celide." Alatto is "the genitive apparently of the archaic name Alott"; Battignus is to be found in the Irish calendar many times as Boithin. "We have .. here an Ogham record presumably of a late date, and eminently Christian, though without cross or other symbol".

Reading Macalister, Epig. 2, 109 (106.):

               left¬top

ᚐᚂᚐᚈᚈᚑᚉᚓᚂᚔᚁᚐᚈᚈᚔᚌᚅᚔ

ALATTOCELIBATTIGNI

"The shift of the inscription to the head of the stone .. confused the engraver, who wrote q instead of n". Alatto is "a characteristic name of the district; it occurs in two other Kerry Oghams". "Celibatt must be a form of Colabot with the attenuation of the first vowel carried to its utmost limit", cp. the inscriptions from Rockfield {243, 244}. "This is the best and most certain example in Ogham of the patronymic use of the suffix -gni". - In Epig. 3, 24, Macalister accepts the interpretation "first proposed by Ferguson (`Rhind Lectures' = OI p. 107 ..), and adopted by Principal Rhys" of Alatto celi Battigni "`of Alattus devotee of Battignos'".

Reading Macalister, CIIC:

ALATTO CELI BATTIGNI

"The writer has been confused by the turn of the angle, and he has, consequently, written Q instead of N. But his intention cannot be doubted."

Interpretation Korolev, DP 85:

ALATTO CELI BATTIGNI

The inscription is preserved complete. It can be dated into the end of the 5th cent.

No new reading is available.

Additional literature:

PRIA 6, 71: Ch. Graves

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