Hi Toni, always wonderful to meet another fan of ogham! It is just so interesting isn't it? I have asked one of my colleagues to get back to you with some options. Thanks for getting in touch.
Ogham, The Ancient Irish "Tree" Alphabet
Written by Ciaran on Jul 04, 2019 | 12 Comments
Used in Ireland from at least the 4th century AD, Ogham, pronounced Oh-um, is an ancient alphabet of 20 letters that can be found on over 400 stone monuments around Ireland and the UK.
Ogham stones in fields, and on hilltops like this one on Mt. Brandon in Co. Kerry give glimpses of Ireland’s ancient past. Many are border markers or monuments and memorials, engraved with the evocative names of their commissioners.
Photo Credit: kevin higgins CC BY-SA 2.0
This ogham stone on Mt. Brandon is inscribed with crosses and the ogham text which reads “of the priest Rónán son of Comgán,” while other stones have even more enigmatic dedications like ”Belonging to the Three Sons of the Bald One,” or for “He Who Was Born Of The Raven” or "the druids helped."
Where to See Ogham Stones?
For those in Ireland, these stones can be found with a good map.
A map of ogham stone sites in Ireland.
Photo Credit: Florian Thiery (CC BY 4.0 DEED)
If you don’t fancy getting your feet muddy, there are beautiful examples on display in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, with the largest collection in University College Cork. And those farther afield needn't miss out, as the Ogham in 3D project has documented them all online!
The Dunloe Ogham Stones near Killarney in Kerry is another great spot with a collection of eight stones from the 5th and 6th century.
Photo Credit: Berthold Strucken (CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)
Reading Ogham
Known as the ‘Celtic Tree Alphabet’, each of its 20 characters, or “trees,” is made out of a vertical reference line, or “stem,” with one or more slashes, or “twigs” which make up the sounds of the Irish language. It is read vertically from bottom to top, “up the tree”.
Each letter is associated with a tree, often one that starts with the sound the letter represents. The “B” sound, for example is called “Beith,” or birch tree
The Origins of Ogham
An medieval tract called the Lebor Ogaim says it was conjured up by the Celtic god of eloquence, Ogma as a secret code for the learned. More scholarly speculation suggests it was indeed invented as a secret language, but by humans rather than a god. Made to be indecipherable to neighboring British tribes. Still others think it was created by early Christians who found it difficult to translate Gaelic sounds into Latin letters.
Ogham Today
We may never know its true origins, but Ogham still intrigues to this day and is a unique and mystical alphabet embedded in the Irish landscape. All we can do is speculate and of course, and keep this tradition by reading and using this wonderful enigmatic script. We do so by using Ogham in our lovely jewelry and of course in our logo, "HOME."
A Piece for Every Occasion
Ogham is the perfect touch to any of our Sterling Silver or Gold pieces. Write a message for the man or woman proud of their Irish heritage, in the ancient Irish alphabet.
Get In Touch
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Ciaran
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
Comments
I would appreciate what the names Shannon also Brad or Bradley would look like engraved in Ogham. Thank you!
Thanks for getting in touch. I've asked our customer care team to get in touch with those names via week email 😊
I would like ogham spelling for
Karlee brokenshire
Flynn brokenshire
Phoenix brokenshire
Hi Karlee, always happy to help a fan of ogham. I've sent you an email with those three translations. Let us know if there's anything else we can help with. Hope you have a great Paddy's Weekend ☘
Would love Ogham spelling for Raven, I recently found out I was part Irish and with my native heritage the raven in my Spirit animal, I'd love to give respect to my Irish bloodline with the wording.
Hi Mike, Thanks for writing in! I've sent you an email there with what "Raven" would look like in Ogham. It's great that you are connecting with your roots. Do let us know if there's ever anything we can do for you. All the best, Liz.
I would like the Ogham spelling for my name.
Phyllis Muns
Thank you for your help
Thanks for reading, Phyllis! We'd be glad to help. I've asked one of my colleagues to reach out via email with more on Ogham and how your name might appear/fit on our selection of pieces. All the best from Dublin.
Love your designs and informative emails.
Thanks so much Vickie! We love to share our design inspirations with our friends around the world. Liz.
Ask Gemma
Hello, I'm so in love with ogham and would love to have our original name on a piece of jewelry. MacCrystyn was our original name and it changed 3 times through the centuries and now is Christian. Looking forward to seeing what you design. Thank you Toni Christian Miller...