Despite conflicting reports regarding the find site and circumstances (see History of Recording below), investigations in 2006 established that this ogham stone was found in a rath (KE039-070----) in Garraundarragh townland (SMR file). As there is no townland of the name 'Gurrane' in the area, it is possibly a corruption of Garraundarragh. Macalister's (1945, 246) claim that it was 'found in a souterrain' is questionable as he only cites Lynch (1894, 291) and Graves (1895, 1), who do not mention a souterrain in their reports.

Monument

'An irregular stone, thickening upward in the manner of a clumsy club', 1.19m x 0.32m x 0.41m (converted from Macalister 1945, 246-7).

Text

'The inscription runs up one angle and turns at the top to the dexter side, running half round the edge of an oblique plane surface on the summit of the stone; then resumes at the bottom angle adjacent to the first of the sinister side, and again runs up to the top' (Macalister 1945, 247). The O (2 notches) preceding the final R is unclear and could well be an A (a single notch), as noted by Graves. There is also a single vowel notch occuring after the -R, which is difficult to interpret as a fracture occurs here and extra vowel notches may have been lost.

Transliteration

DUMELI MAQI GLASICONAS NIOTTA COBRANỌRẠ

Translation

'of Dumel? son of Glaisiuc nephew (sister's son) of C?'

Commentary

With DUMELI 'we appear to have a masc. o- or yo-stem corresponding to 351 DALLVS DVMELVS (Welsh Dyfel). The later genitive Duimle (Ó Riain, 1985, 150 = 707.747), however, points to either a yo- or a (y)a-stem and the latter is suggested by 198 -DDUMILEAS [Coolmagort, Kerry], which seems to contain the same element' (McManus 1991, 180, n.50).
The persosnal name GLASICONAS is a compound of GLAS- 'light green, grey' and -CUNAS 'dog, hound, wolf' (McManus 1991, 102, 105).
McManus (1991, 109-10) gives a full discussion of the forms NIOT(T)A and NET(T)A 'nephew (sister's son), champion'. He also states that in case of this stone 'it has been suggested (see Charles-Edwards (1971, 120) and Ó Cathasaigh (1986, 144-145)) that the NIOTTA has the status of a formula word and serves to indicate the kindred membership of Dumel(i)as who, as son of a cú glas (witness the name GLASICONAS), an immigrant from outside Ireland, would have belonged to the kindred of his mother's brother. The theory is an attractive one though the equation of GLASICONAS with cú glas is tentative and the construction is isolated'.

Locations

Found

Probably found in a rath in the townland of Garraundarragh, barony of Trughanacmy. The probable find location of this stone may be accessed via the National Monuments Service Historic Environment viewer on www.archaeology.ie. (GPS coordinates -9.569440, 52.212276)

Original

Unknown

Last Recorded

National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. The present location of this stone may be accessed via the National Monuments Service Historic Environment viewer on www.archaeology.ie. (GPS coordinates -6.254558,53.340408)

History of Recording

According to Lynch (1894, 291) the stone was found in June 1893 by a Mr M’Quin of Gortatlea 'on an outlying farm of his at Gurrane'. There is no townland by the name of Gurrane in this area and the closest possible candidate is Garraundarragh which lies immediately to the south of Gortatlea. Graves (1895, 1) states that this stone was found in the 'outer ring of a rath . . . When found, it was projecting inwards from the western side of the embankment. But there is every reason to suppose that it originally stood upright'. Macalister (1945, 246), however, records that it was found in a souterrain in the townland of Gurrane but does not cite a source for this. Subsequent investigations in 2006 established that it was found in the rath (KE039-070----) in Garraundarragh townland (SMR file). Macalister noted that it had been moved to a garden at Gortalea near Tralee and subsequently transferred to the National Museum of Ireland (Summary from ASI database, www.archaeology.ie).