OGHAM ALPHABET
All our timepieces have engraving work on both the case and the presentation case. This engraving was inspired by the Ogham alphabet.
Ogham (pronounced ‘oh-am’) is an Early Medieval alphabet used to write the early Irish language which takes the form of linear strokes cut into stone or etched onto wood. It is found extensively in Ireland but also in Scotland, Wales, England and the Isle of Man. The characters of the Ogham alphabet each comprise between one and five perpendicular or angled strokes or dots arranged around a central line.
For more information, click on the photos below.
It has been suggested that Ogham script was based on a secret way of communicating using the 5 fingers of the hand which has associations with druidic nature-oriented religion.
A page from The Book of Ballymote, a fourteenth century manuscript with examples of the Ogham alphabet.
Most Ogham characters stand for both a letter (based on 15 consonants and 5 vowels of the latin alphabet) and the name of a tree. Ogham is sometimes called the “tree alphabet” or the “Beith-Luis-Nion” (i.e. Birch-Rowen-Ash), each letter representing the name of a tree.
Tourbillon
This spells McGonigle in the Ogham alphabet
McGonigle Time (Tourbillon) spelt in the Ogham Alphabet
Grooved with Ogham Alphabet
Grooved with Ogham Alphabet
Presentation case with Ogham inscription "McGonigle Ireland" on the sides.