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CIIC 36. Lamoge I, Co. Kilkenny

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© 2017-04-15

© 2020-07-22

National Monuments Service Record Number: KK034-013003-

Site Type

Ecclesiastical

Description

Site

Lamoge graveyard (KK034-013002-) is surrounded by a high, square-shaped enclosing wall with a wrought iron gate. Inside are four mature yew trees and headstones mainly dating from the 1700s as well as smaller unmarked headstones and two ogham stones lying horizontally in the middle of the graveyard. The square enclosure is indicated on the 25" ordnance survey map (1890s-c.1915) and labelled 'church (site of)'. The earlier 6" map (1838-42) shows no such enclosure and is labelled 'church (in ruins), Grave Yd.', suggesting that the enclosing wall was constructed in the latter half of the 1800s, perhaps re-using stone from the ruined church. There is the site of a holy well to the north of the graveyard which also destroyed in the 19th century. This may have been an early ecclesiastical site and is possibly associated with St. Brigit (monasticon.celt.dias.ie)

Monument

One of two ogham stones at this site. 'Greenish sandstone' (Barry 1896, 122). 1.37m x 0.66m x 0.30m (Converted from Macalister 1945, 40). The top of the stone is damaged resulting in the loss of a presumed formula word such as MAQI or MUCOI.

Text

The inscription reads up-top-down starting at the bottom left hand angle of the exposed face. 'The letters are punched and rubbed except the initial SE, which is chiselled ' (Macalister 1945, 41). McManus (1991, 68) classifies this as a 'restored inscription', and consequently untrustworthy, but perhaps he is referring to Lamoge II (CIIC 37) which does appear to have been erased and re-cut but possibly by the original carver or soon afterwards.

Transliteration

SEVERRIṬ/[  ̣  ̣ ?   ̣  ̣ MAQI]/ [RO]ṬṬAIS

Translation

'of Severus(?) son of [Roth(a)]'

Commentary

  • The name of the person commemorated, SEVERRIT[..., may be related to the Latin name Severus, meaning 'strict, stern' (Ziegler 1994, 232, 91). Damage to the top of the stone makes the final letter(s) of this name unclear. We would also expect a formula word to follow, most commonly MAQI 'son of'.

  • On the second angle, only the end of the father's/ancestor's name survives: TTAIS. Macalister (1945, 277), noting the similarity with the final name in CIIC 227. Drumlohan VI: BIR MAQI MUCOI ROTTAIS, suggested the same name here. The -AIS/-AI genitive ending, of which there are a dozen or so examples, seems to belong to i̯o-stem or perhaps i-stem nouns, but we still do not have a fully satisfying explanation (Ziegler 1994, 55-58).

Locations

Found

Discovered serving as a modern headstone in the graveyard in the townland of Lamoge and the barony of Kells. The find location of this stone may be accessed via the National Monuments Service Historic Environment viewer on www.archaeology.ie. (Private land. Approximate GPS coordinates -7.365943, 52.446598).

Original

Find location possibly original site.

Last recorded

On site in the position in which it was discovered, although no longer upright.

History of Recording

According to Macalister (1945, 40) first mentioned in 1891 by Shelley. Barry (1896, 122) notes that he first heard of these ogham stones from Rev. Denis Murphy in 1891 and then again in 1892 from Mr. John Cummins. Barry visited the site and saw the stones in 1892 and again in 1893, when photographs were taken of both ogham stones standing upright. This stone was discovered shortly after the first, which was lying close by. Both stones were recorded in 3d (in collaboration with Digital Heritage Age) in June 2020 as an action of the County Kilkenny Heritage Plan Programme, funded by the Heritage Office of Kilkenny County Council and the Heritage Council.

References

Websites and Online Databases

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