Drumlohan souterrain and ogham stones, known locally as the Ogham Cave, is a
souterrain
''Souterrain'' (from French ''sous terrain'', meaning "under ground") is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure associated mainly with the European Atlantic Iron Age.
These structures appear to have been brought north ...
with
ogham
Ogham ( Modern Irish: ; mga, ogum, ogom, later mga, ogam, label=none ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish langu ...
stones forming a
National Monument located in
County Waterford,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
Location
Drumlohan souterrain and ogham stones are located in farmland 4 km (2½ mi) east of
Lemybrien.
History
The ogham stones were carved between 400 and 700 AD.
The souterrain is believed to have been constructed around the 9th century AD and is aligned WSW, facing the setting sun. Souterrains were storage sites and places of refuge.
In July/August 1867 a local farmer rediscovered the souterrain and ogham stones. In 1936 part of the souterrain was dismantled and some of the ogham stones re-erected above ground.
Description
Souterrain
This souterrain gallery is about 4.9 m (16 ft) long and 1.3 m (4 ft) wide, with a roof height of up to 1.2 m (4 ft). It is constructed of
orthostat
This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic (Stone Age) structures.
Forecourt
In archaeology, a forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb. Forecourts ...
s roofed with
lintels, and ten
ogham
Ogham ( Modern Irish: ; mga, ogum, ogom, later mga, ogam, label=none ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish langu ...
stones were used as lintels and sidestones (some of them being installed upside-down). One of the roofstones bears
cup marks
Cup and ring marks or cup marks are a form of prehistoric art found in the Atlantic seaboard of Europe (Ireland, Wales, Northern England, Scotland, France (Brittany), Portugal, and Spain (Galicia) – and in Mediterranean Europe – Italy (in Alp ...
.
Ogham stones
The stones (CIIC 272–281) vary in size. All are
greenschist
Greenschists are metamorphic rocks that formed under the lowest temperatures and pressures usually produced by regional metamorphism, typically and 2–10 kilobars (). Greenschists commonly have an abundance of green minerals such as chlorite ...
, except for two of
slate and one of
conglomerate. The inscriptions are:
*MANU MAGUNO GATI MOCOI MACORBO (of Manu the boy of Gáeth, of the tribe of Macorbo) — perhaps the
Dál Maic-Cuirp, one of the
Déisi Muman
The ''Déisi'' were a socially powerful class of peoples from Ireland that settled in Wales and western England between the ancient and early medieval period. The various peoples listed under the heading ''déis'' shared the same status in Gaeli ...
*CALUNOVIC
MAQI MUCOI LIT
N»Š (of Culann, son of the tribe of Litenos)
*MAQI-INI ̣ ̣ ? ̣ ̣ MAQI(?) QE(?)]TTEAS (of Maqinni, son of Qetteas)
*CUNALEGEA MAQI C
... ALAR CELI AVI QVECI (of Conlaoi son of C ... salar, follower of the grandson of Cuach)
*BIGU MAQI LAG ... (of Bigu, son of Lag ... )
*BIR MAQI MUCOI ROTTAIS (of Bir, son of the tribe of Rottis) — referring to the Rothrige, a subject tribe of the DéisÃ
*
... MAQI NE
ACUNS ( ... son of Netacunas). The name Netacunas means "Hound's champion."
*DENAVEC
MUOI MEDALO (of Denaveca of the tribe of Medalo) — maybe the Dál Mo Dala
*BRO
NIONS (of Broinionas)
*DEAGOS MAQI MUCO
cNI92TG7lrM
National Monuments in County Waterford
Ogham inscriptions
5th-century inscriptions
6th-century inscriptions