Ogham Art2

Ogham - first written form of Ancient Irish

Ogham Alphabet

Over the next few months I used my hobby to fill time in the house and produce gifts for family and friends. The reaction was overwhelming- “Ogham? I’ve never heard of it.” “This is Irish?” “How did you learn about it?” “My family is very Irish and I have never seen this.”

These gift-giving occasions quickly turned into history lessons. I would explain that Ogham was the first written form of Ancient Irish. Letter counts of the alphabet range from 20-25 distinct characters (we use a 21 letter version).

Ogham’s roots lie southwest Ireland.

Ogham’s roots lie roughly in the 4th Century AD in southwest Ireland. It consisted of a series of perpendicular and intersecting lines carved into trees and stones. Its primary use was marking territory with a name or expressing a short message or blessing. It eventually spread to the rest of the British Isles before giving way to the more compact Latin alphabet in the 7th or 8th Century. Today there remain less than 400 examples of Ogham stones in the world.

The tipping point for me came in October of 2009, when I traveled to Ireland with my mother and brother to bury a portion of my father’s ashes in Ireland. A week before his death on April 19th 2009 he expressed his wish to have part of his ashes laid to rest in Killybegs, Donegal at the birthplace of his grandmother. The property is still owned by members of our family whom we have grown very close to since my first trip in 1993. As a thank you gift for hosting us, I painted their name in Ogham and framed it.

An American explaining Ogham to the Irish

My father was a frequent visitor to Killybegs and was known by many of the locals who came to pay their belated respects. The Ogham painting was a major topic of discussion for the nearly 50 townsfolk who came to the house that night. They were asking me, an American traveling abroad, to explain Ogham to them.

They would tell me that they had heard about it growing up and had even seen some of the stones, but really did not know about it. After holding court in a house in the northwest corner of Ireland I came to the realization that I had found my calling. When I returned home I began to lay the groundwork for my company Ogham Art.

Dedicated painters, sculptors, engravers and designers

Circle of Life

My stated goal became my company’s mission statement. “We are committed to presenting and preserving this beautiful writing system in unique presentations.” I secured what I felt were the best people to help me fulfill my vision.

My wife Colleen took over the role of chief painter; she has created all of our stock prints, which portray common Irish words and phrases translated into Irish Gaelic then painted in Ogham. They are presented matted and framed in full color dimensional prints.

Prints

She also hand paints all of our custom work where people can get a word or name created in a framed Ogham print. My brother Kevin designed our Irish County window clings, which are presented in English, Irish and Ogham in the official GAA sporting colors. I have served as the primary designer creating our stationery, pewter pendants and Christmas ornaments in collaboration with a team of dedicated sculptors, engravers and designers.

Ogham art is carried by several Irish Gift Shops and other retailers in the Northeastern United States and continues to grow weekly. We have also done design work for Celtic musical acts and have even created a custom Ogham tattoo design for a Hollywood actress. (Hint- See if you notice anyone with a lot of make-up on their right forearm on the next season of Army Wives.)

Stationery

The summer of 2011 represents our inaugural introduction to the Irish Festival circuit. The response has been overwhelming. Colleen and I have literally written out thousands of names for people who stop by to meet us. Sometimes they even buy something or order a customer print for that special person or occasion.

As I said at the beginning of this piece, the launch of my site was a smaller part of a much greater whole - my work has just begun. Everyday Ogham Art is fulfilling our mission of educating people about Ogham and making unique gifts, which honor this mysterious writing system, available to them.

SPECIAL OFFER
We invite you to visit our Ogham website and check out what we have to offer. If you see something you like - enter coupon code MUSIC at check out to receive a 10% discount on your entire purchase.
We are always available via email or phone for questions, comments or to discuss creating a perfect gift you or someone special.

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