Drumlohan Souterrain and Ogham Stones facts for kids

Drumlohan souterrain and ogham stones, often called the Ogham Cave, is a very old and special place in County Waterford, Ireland. It has an underground passage called a souterrain and ancient stones carved with a special alphabet called ogham. This site is protected as a National Monument.

Location

Drumlohan souterrain and ogham stones are found in a field. It's about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) east of a town called Lemybrien.

History

Ancient Carvings

The ogham stones at Drumlohan are very old. They were carved by people living in Ireland between 400 and 700 AD. Ogham is an ancient Irish alphabet, and these stones were like messages from the past. They often marked graves or important people.

Underground Passages

The souterrain, which is an underground passage, was built later. Experts believe it was made around the 9th century AD. Souterrains were important in ancient Ireland. People used them for different reasons, like storing food to keep it cool and safe. They could also be places where families would hide if there was danger.

Rediscovery of the Site

This amazing ancient site was found again by a local farmer in July or August of 1867. Later, in 1936, some parts of the souterrain were carefully taken apart. Some of the ogham stones were then put back up above the ground. This made it easier for people to see and study them.

What You Can See

The Souterrain

The souterrain at Drumlohan is like a long, narrow tunnel. It is about 4.9 meters (16 feet) long and 1.3 meters (4 feet) wide. The roof inside is up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) high. It was built using large standing stones called orthostats. These stones support big flat stones called lintels, which form the roof.

What makes this souterrain extra special is that ten of the ogham stones were used to build it! Some of them were even placed upside-down. One of the roofstones also has small, round hollows carved into it, which are called cup marks.

The Ogham Stones

The ogham stones at Drumlohan are all different sizes. Most of them are made from a type of rock called greenschist. However, two are made of slate, and one is made of a rock called conglomerate.

These stones have ancient messages carved into them using the ogham alphabet. Here are some examples of what the inscriptions say:

• "MANU MAGUNO GATI MOCOI MACORBO" – This means "of Manu the boy of Gáeth, of the tribe of Macorbo."
• "CALUNOVIC[A] MAQI MUCOI LIT[EN]Ị" – This means "of Culann, son of the tribe of Litenos."
• "CUNALEGEA MAQI C[ ... ]SALAR CELI AVI QVECI" – This means "of Conlaoi son of C ... salar, follower of the grandson of Cuach."
• "[ ... ] MAQI NE[TACUN]AS" – This means "... son of Netacunas." The name Netacunas means "Hound's champion."

These inscriptions give us clues about the names of people and tribes from ancient Ireland.