Site

Small promontory fort with a single bank and ditch. 'Continuing out from the headland and cut off from it and from each other by narrow channels are two tiny grass-topped islands or stacks marked as Gully's Island on the map. These probably formed part of the interior of the fort but have been separated from it by the sea...The area within the bank is at present only 20m long but if the two islands were once part of the interior it would have measured at least 90m' (Manning 1989, 7).

Monument

'It is pointed at both ends and roughly lozenge-shaped in section. The inscription is only cut on the upper two thirds of the stone, the remainder presumably being below ground when the stone stood as a pillar'. 'A small portion of the top of the stone is missing, leaving the inscription incomplete'. 1.20m x 0.30m x 0.24m (Manning 1989, 9).

Text

Up down.' The ogham strokes, where undamaged, are clearly cut into the stone. The first word is complete and reads SENAQ. The second word begins with the letters MAC (or Q), after which the tip of the stone is missing. The first letter after the missing portion appears to be a Q, though, as the first stroke is damaged, it might be a C. After this there is a partly damaged section, 0.35m long, which appears to have had vowel strokes only, some of which are clear. The final two letters are clearly NA. The inscription with gaps and uncertainties therefore reads: SENAQ MAC (or Q)......Q (or C) 2--3 vowels NA. As the missing tip of the stone could not have accommodated much more than six to nine strokes the most likely reconstruction of the inscription would be: SENAQ MAQ(I MU)C(OI E)NA (SENAQ descendant of ENA). As the last gap contains vowels only the last word, no matter how reconstructed, would appear to be some form of the name Enna or Enda'. (Manning 1989, 9). This reading was generally confirmed on inspection of the 3d data. There is damage to the last score in both Qs so that it cannot be certain that they are not Cs. After the break only 4 scores are visible giving a C, which would be expected before the O if this is the remains of MUCOI. Regarding the E of ENA, three of the four notches are visible on the 3d model.

Found

lying in the ditch of the promontory fort against the field fence on the east side (Manning 1989, 7) in townland of Knockmahon and barony of Decies without Drum. The find location of this stone may be accessed via the National Monuments Service Historic Environment viewer on www.archaeology.ie. (GPS: -7.354360, 52.137783)

Original

Unknown

Last Recorded

On display with Knockmahon II at Bunmahon Geopark, c.600m from Knockmahon promontory fort. The present location of this stone may be accessed via the National Monuments Service Historic Environment viewer on www.archaeology.ie. (GPS coordinates -7.362347, 52.140285)

Websites and Online Databases

• CISP (Celtic Inscribed Stones Project): www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/cisp/database/