Ancient Irish Inscriptions (1859)

Tomás Ua Baíghell, composed in South Gloucester, Ontario

Part of a series of articles composed by Ua Baíghell and published in various American newspapers. This piece concerns Ua Baíghell’s global reputation as an authority of the Irish language. Ua Baíghell, from his small cabin near Enniskerry, Ontario, was a respected scholar of Ogham in this early period of academic attention to ancient Irish texts and the interconnectedness of languages. Though the study of languages has evolved, such as that we now know that Ancient Egyptian was a Semitic language and unconnected to Indo-European languages, Ua Baíghell was at the cutting edge for his time, with the code of Egyptian Hieroglyphs only cracked by Champollion during Ua Baíghell’s life.

“In a future notice we may treat of other mythological and historical names in our ancient history; at present we will briefly consider the Ogham Inscription published in the Dublin Nation, of the 14th of May, 1859. As it has been placed before the public, the gentleman who published it, together with his interpretation, will not, I trust, feel offended if we offer a different explanation of it. We will set it before the reader in the position that such usually hold on the pillar stones. In offering my interpretations of those exceedingly old and difficult monuments, I do not pretend being more capable than others. It may, however, happen that my interpretations may be found, if not altogether correct, embracing the chief ideas of the Ogham text. It must be borne in mind that I have never seen any of these monuments in situ, that I have not the power of visiting and of verifying the groupings of the letters, &c, being, alas! Too far away from old Erin.

Here is the true text and reading of the Deacon of Ardfert, to which Mr. Williams, of Dungarvan, takes exception. The points, however, in which his reading of the inscription differs with that given here are so trivial, that I do not consider they can affect the interpretation in the least. As far as I can judge, however, without having seen the inscriptions in situ, I am bound to say that I consider the text of the Ogham as given by the Deacon of Ardfert as the nearest to the status and position of the inscribed characters.

A group translated f f by Mr. Williams is represented as in two groups corresponding to the letters ff, in the published copies of the Ogham. This, I fear, has been arbitrarily done, and I doubt whether the original, on examination, will warrant it. This very important monument, however, as I understand it, will give the reading:-

S o c u C e i n b m o n i S o c u r i

which I have divided into words thus: Socu Ceinb moni Socu ri.

The first word Socu is explained by the Sanscrit, Sacha, amicus, interpellator, a mediator; in the Sanscrit the word Sacha is anomalous, and is put for Suchar; cf. the Latin, Sac-er; and the Greek, ‘egios, ‘eg being for sag xath. Compare the Saxon, Sec-an, Saec-an, to seek; the German, Such-en, to seek; the Gaedilc, Seith, to follow…

...The god Champ, or Chameph, who was the same deity as Cenb, or Chenph, was worshiped in ancient Egypt as the creator of all things. He was variously represented on their sacred monuments. He was sometimes portrayed as a bearded serpent with a hawk’s head in a blue circle from which flames (...), sometimes as a serpent (...) which, in holding his own tail, formed a circle, in the middle of which was a cross like that which is termed of St Andrew. Cnub, or Cameph, was also represented under a human form with a green head of a ram, a pair of long horns, and the disk and serpent uraeus os Amon-Cneph. We find him still portrayed under a human figure, to symbolize his intelligence, hermaphrodite, to express his absolute independence in the production of all things, with a hawk’s head to signify his nativity, and with an egg issuing from his mouth, to show that he was the first cause and creator of the elements of all things. Among the pictorial decorations of the temple of Philae, there is one which represents the god Amun-Cnub in the form of a human figure, with a ram’s head, seated in front of a potter’s wheel, which he is turning with his foot, while with both hands he fashions a lump of clay, which revolves on it, into a form. The hieroglyphic inscription which surmounts it, has been thus translated:-

“Coum, the Creator, on his wheel, mould the divine members of Osiris (the type of man) in the shining house of life.”

…I think we cannot fail to recognize in this cnub, the identical mythological being from whom one of the most celebrated caves in Ireland derives its name: I mean the uaimh Cnoghbhai, now Knowth, in the parish of Monkanewtown, near Slane, in the county of Meath, mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, at the years 784 and 881. The annalists write the word Cnoghbhai; but this is evidently a corruption of cnobh, cnubh, cnumh.

…The word socu is repeated in the Ogham, a circumstance which seems to indicate that the monument was raised over the priests. This, moreover, is a singular confirmation of Keating’s account of the death and burial of the two eminent druids, or socu, priests, as they were termed in the primeval language of that remote time…

Our inscription therefore would read thus: “Socu Ceinb moni, Socu Ri;” translated thus: “Sacerdos Cnub is venerandi, sacre dos solis;” “The priest of Holy Cnub, the priest of the Sun.”

In giving these interpretations of the foregoing Ogham inscriptions, we do not pretend to absolute certainty. All sound scholars will admit that it is an exceedingly difficult task to investigate fully, and thoroughly explain, monuments like these, that certainly belong to the prehistoric period of antiquity. We have had to labor under many inconveniences in our attempt to examine them. We could not see the original monuments themselves, that we might glean assistance from the groupings of the characters, &c.; and, I fear, we have to regret that these monuments are scarcely ever copied with scrupulous attention to the relative position and grouping of the letters: care should be taken in these circumstances to give us, the mutilations even when such exist, of any, or of all the letters.

In dealing with the above inscriptions, I cannot, I think, be charged with having forced or dislocated any one letter, or group of scores in the entire text. I have taken some trouble in this paper to point out the general principles which guide me in my investigations of obscure words and documents: it will be seen that my inferences are always based on system and sustained and confirmed by analogous illustrations. I feel convinced that men of learning and of sound judgment will perceive, as it were, instinctively, that I have arrived, generally at least, at the true interpretation of those exceedingly valuable inscriptions. They give us a substantial clue to the original country of the authors of the inscription, whether Tuatha Dé Danann or Milesians, I will not at present presume to say. There are peculiar circumstances to show that they were not Egyptians, while there are the clearest evidences of the common origin of their religious systems.

I am of opinion that they were the Pelasgians who in the remotest antiquity dwelt in the islands of the Aegean Sea. If they came from Egypt, it must have been when the initiations of that country were in their infancy, and before its religious system had developed itself into the corrupt pantheistic form which it afterwards assumed. The religious system of the Pelasgians was the worship of the Cubiri, of whose mysteries so little is known.

At some future time, we may find leisure to examine the origin of the words Gael, Clanna Mileadh, Cabiri, &c. In conclusion, we beg to say, that in differing, as we do in our interpretations, with other able Irish scholars and antiquarians, we do so in the most respectful manner, knowing that in such circumstances, when the object of all is the illustration of the ancient monuments of dear old Erin, we may do so in a gentlemanly, Christian manner, without giving, or at all events, intending to give, offence. Had I more of those Ogham inscriptions, such as they are found on our monuments, I would employ some leisure hours upon them.

I remains, dear Sir,

Very sincerely yours,

Eire go Bráth.”

For citation, please use: Ua Baíghell, Tomás. 1859. “Ancient Irish Inscriptions.” Ó Dubhghaill, Dónall. 2024. Na Gaeil san Áit Ró-Fhuar. Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir: www.gaeilge.ca

Adapted from: Ua Baíghell, Tomás. 1859. “Ancient Irish Inscriptions.” The Irish-American. 27 Aug. Lynch, Cole & Co: New York.