The Donard Ogham Stone

Donard takes it's name from Dún Ard - High Fort - the ruins of which are still somewhat visible on a rise above the town. The tranquil village is surrounded by Table Mountain (702m), Church Mountain (546m) and Lugnaquilla (924m) and Keadeen (655m). The 'Norman Motte' sits squat above the small settlement and the ruins of the churchyard, sheep graze upon its grassy flanks as it still watches over the flat fields of Donard Glen. The churchyard is overgrown and unkempt as all such buriel grounds should be, there is an atmosphere of 'the old' and of the 'ancient'. The graves are marked by weathered stone or rusted iron reveal buriel dates from the mid-nineteenth century, though after further exploration we found the grave of a 93-year-old interned as recently as 1997. The village square is marked by a statue of the Virgin Mary with arms outstretched, whether to offer aid and comfort or in a beckoning plea for help I can't decide. Next to the statue and dwarfed by it stands a stone whose edges are marked by ogham script, I have a feeling that the stone was moved to allow a more prominent position to be given to the statue of the Virgin - However, I do like the juxtaposition between the two.