Ogham was a cumbersome method of writing used by the ancients to inscribe the Irish and Pictish languages on stone monuments. It was popular between the 4^th and the 7^th centuries but there are some scholars who think the stones date back at least to 100 AD. Ogham script consists of lines and notches incised on the edge of a stone, with each line or notch, or series of lines and notches, representing different letters of the alphabet. It is usually read from the bottom upwards. The origins of ogham is in dispute with some scholars seeing it as having a connection with the runic alphabet, (a writing system used by the peoples of northern Europe, Britain, Scandinavia, and Iceland, from about the 3^rd century AD.) while others maintain it is simply a transformation of the Latin alphabet.

The Kilgarvan stone was reported to the authorities in Duchas and an archaeologist, who is an expert in deciphering the script, examined the monument. He was of the opinion that it was a memorial stone bearing the name of an individual, and that the inscription was in Old Irish. However, it will take some more detailed study before any firm conclusion can be reached. We await the outcome with interest.