1. The ancient Irish alphabet composed of 25 unique symbols dates back to the 1st century.
2. Originally carved in rocks, it is to be read from bottom to top.
3. The Ogham is inspired by the ancient Irish God of Ogham or “God of Eloquence.”
4. Another interpretation of the word is from the Irish og-úaim or “point seam,” referring to the seam made by a sharp weapon.
5. There are only 400 stone monuments inscribed with the Ancient Ogham (carved from left to right) in Ireland and Britain with the majority of the Irish ones to be found in Counties Kerry, Cork, and Waterford.
6. Nicknamed the “Celtic Alphabet Tree,” the main twenty letters of the text are of tree names sacred to the druids including birch, willow, oak, hazel, and apple.
7. The stone-based languages are known as “primitive Irish.”
8. The Ogham is confirmed in the 15th century book The Book of Ballymoote to be a secret ritualistic language.
*Originally published in 2013.