Ogham 'Health, Love and Happiness' Frame

Regular price $73.00
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For Health, Love and Happiness

From the Gaelic Sláinte (Health), Grá (Love), and Sonas (Happiness).

This small Health-Love-Happiness triple Ogham Wish combination is a unique and affordable gift, perfect for weddings or anniversaries. The traditional Claddagh combination of wishes is handpainted on a single piece of handmade paper and framed in a sleek black frame. This gift is crafted by Ethel Kelly in Co. Roscommon, Ireland.

Frame size: 10" x 10"

History of Ogham

Ogham (pronounced 'ohm') was the earliest form of writing in Ireland, existing from the 4th-9th centuries AD. Typically etched into stone or wood, it consists of a series of strokes along a line, where the strokes' quantity, length, and direction determine the letter. Most of the letters correspond to the Roman alphabet, with a few local additions, so in fact, it's a translatable cipher rather than a language, read from the bottom-left upwards. 
Some historians believe it may have been used as a secret alphabet that Roman Britain wouldn't be able to understand, while others suggest it may have been developed by early Christian communities as a form of shorthand. Most surviving examples are found on stone monuments in southern Ireland, though there are also some inscriptions in the west of Britain too, particularly in Wales.