Slievenamon – A Mystery on the mountain
Slievenamon, county Tipperary
Landscape photography, Nigel Borrington
Slievenamon the mountain is covered with different type of megalithic remains going back many thousands of years and a lot of these areas remain undocumented.
It was in spring 2012 however while I was walking up the path that rises to the top of the mountain, about half way up I noticed this new monument. I have passed it a few time since and its a bit of a mystery.
If anyone can help with the symbols it would be very much welcomed….
Nigel Borrington 
Hi Nigel, ah the view looks like it was taken from the top of the world. What an interesting monument and very mysterious. Maybe aliens??? 🙂 🙂
June 27, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Oh ye 🙂
That’s it – why did I think of that one from the start.
So all I have to do is camp out next to it and get the first seat when you come back !
Brilliant Sharon 🙂
June 27, 2013 at 12:09 pm
PS Now you say it, it does look like something from Stargate 🙂
June 27, 2013 at 12:13 pm
haha – just sayin’. First Stonehenge and now this. 🙂
June 27, 2013 at 12:16 pm
I know 🙂
It is an odd object, usually modern things like this would have something to tell you why its was put there, our who for, or if its to mark some kind of event.
But here, nothing just the stone and its symbols ?
June 27, 2013 at 12:21 pm
I’ll save a seat for you! 🙂 Nigel the third image I noticed the mountain sits on a plateau and then there’s a valley below that. Three levels – wow! Truly breathtaking vista. Lucky you 🙂
June 27, 2013 at 12:15 pm
Yes, It is a wonderful area. Slievenamon itself is only part of a set of smaller hills that branch of from both side of the mountain towards county waterford, forming a kind of dish shaped plateau as you say. You could have a full weeks worth of walking around this area.
If you want to look for yourself go to bing maps and find clomel county tipperary and the range is just north of the town towards killkenny
June 27, 2013 at 12:30 pm
🙂
June 27, 2013 at 9:04 pm
This stone was erected in 2009 and it shows in signs the dissapearance of the megalithic remains in the past 500 yrs. I can’t read what’s written on the foot of the monument. Think that the artist who made this monument did a wonderful thing but you have to understand old Roman digits and use your imagination to understand the, more or less, mathematical signs. Guess that if you look into the landscape and the signs below MVM (1500 AD) you can locate the different remains. The sign at the top directs to movement in the cosmos (moon and stars) and the influence this had on the original works.
Hope I don’t sound as an Irish story teller…. 🙂
June 27, 2013 at 1:17 pm
Hello Gc
Thank you that’s brilliant 🙂 🙂
So who ever commissioned this work understands that something has been removed from the local landscape that was of great historical importance, lots still do remain but I wonder what it was that needs marking here ?
I think them the starting point is to find who commissioned this work ?
Thank you…
June 27, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Have seen quite we few megalithic remains in France and UK and a few in Ireland but I don’t recall that area. It may be worthwhile to look thoroughly around over there and ask a local historian (NOT a storytelling historian 🙂 ). It’s indeed interesting to find out who commissioned the work and especially the artist/artisan who made it! Would like to read about it sometime!
Herman
June 27, 2013 at 3:35 pm
The symbols on the face appear to be Ogham alphabet runes and assuming the letters are roman numeral years, that gives:
ILLIB 1995 ADAF 2009
What that means I have no idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogham
Maybe it means “This is the place where we invented computers after nearly 2000 days but we destroyed them all two weeks later because we forgot to invent electricity at the same time.”
June 27, 2013 at 2:06 pm
Hello 🙂
Thank you !
Hum, well it a big step forward so a big thanks for that!!!
I wonder who or what is ILLIB and ADAF is, the mystery move on 🙂
June 27, 2013 at 2:14 pm
Excellent captures and an interesting mystery. I would begin with the property owner, likely, privately held and maintained/regulated by some group or historical society? Surely someone has information. Best wishes in finding the answers; I will look forward to an update. Beautiful countryside.
June 27, 2013 at 4:21 pm
Hello Scott
Thank you
Yes I will keep digging, I phoned the Tipperary council – they have no historians employed at the moment what so ever..
Sometime here it like history only started with the church ?
I best keep my mouth closed about that !
June 28, 2013 at 9:47 am
Hi Nigel, regarding the church, that’s a common thought in most areas I’d say – I believe a lot happened before all that 🙂 …. according to http://www.fethard.com/attra/Slievenamon.html “…The entire range is now owned and operated by the Slievenamon Estate of Ballypatrick County Tipperary. It is privately held and all of the Land is Registered Land with a series of separate portfolios. It is the property of Mr Anthony M. Sheedy and operated as the Slievenamon Estate….” … hoping this is helpful, and I understand if you delete or edit this if you don’t want the link or name in your comments … a good day to you
June 28, 2013 at 3:51 pm
The story of this monument is really fascinating, and having some clues in the comments adds more curiosity 🙂 Like the pictures too, especially the last where the monument is facing the valley from high ground !
June 27, 2013 at 7:40 pm
Hello Guillauebx
Yes, thank you to everyone who has add comments, its given a great starting point 🙂
June 28, 2013 at 9:49 am
Now that is verra cool. I really appreciated what people had to say in the comments. I hope we learn more.
June 27, 2013 at 8:26 pm
Hello Elen.
🙂 yes the comments have been helpful and brilliant 🙂 🙂
June 28, 2013 at 9:49 am
I was about to suggest that I would make a quick dash up to UCC to check out the Ogham alphabet that’s up there but I see that Murray Foote has cracked it! P
June 30, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Hello Ws 🙂
Everyone has been brilliant, thank you for your comments and its a great suggestion one I will still take up, I would love to know more, we have lots of sites around Kilkenny that have Ogham stones.
July 1, 2013 at 10:34 am
Next time I’m there I’ll take a picture of it and will send it on. I’m not sure if it has all of the alphabet but it will be a starting point anyway.
July 1, 2013 at 6:03 pm
Aliens. It looks so out of places 😉
July 4, 2013 at 2:17 pm
*place*
July 4, 2013 at 2:17 pm
Stand in front of it and press the middle of the top plate and you will be taken to many *places*
July 4, 2013 at 5:51 pm
Hello Norma or is it Dana Scully, the truth is out there. 🙂
Fox
July 4, 2013 at 5:50 pm
I love these comments – fascinating – but love the scenery even more; breathtaking! Thank you once again, Nigel, for helping me to re-live my one visit to Ireland.
July 11, 2013 at 2:44 pm
Hello Theresa 🙂
A pleasure and thank you for your wonderful comments 🙂
July 11, 2013 at 3:05 pm
As Owner of he entire Slievenamon Estate – nearly 6,000 acres – and it being the single biggest such Estate in all of Ireland……It gives me great pleasure to assure you all that this is but a minor mystery in the great realm of the wildness of the Slievenamon Mountain Range….
In this ancient corner of an ancient land our cares are shed……retired within the great boulders are many a gentle ghost……but beware………we are erecting the Calling-Stones of our distant heritage………..from a far off galaxy. DO NOT BE ON THE MOUNTAIN at the changing of the Moon…..
Anthony M. Sheedy
Keeper of Slievenamon.
December 2, 2013 at 7:47 pm
🙂 🙂 🙂
I will check the sky’s and the cycle of the Moon and put on the tin foil hat 🙂
Thank you Anthony 🙂
Great addition to the post !!!!
December 2, 2013 at 10:45 pm
Was there today. The stone is ogham as you discovered earlier. A memory stone for Fada died 2009 and Billi (no Y in ogham) 1995. You read ogham upwards.
At the foot in irish reads. ‘Forever in my heart.’ ‘I gconai I mo chroi’ direct translation ‘living in my heart’
The symbols…. Now that’s another story.
July 23, 2014 at 7:49 pm
Hello George 🙂 🙂
Thank you 🙂
What a great day to do this walk , I hope you had a great time, a big cooler than down below 🙂 🙂
Thank you , this is great info and help 🙂 !!!!
July 23, 2014 at 7:57 pm