Talk at Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University

Hamden, CT – Colleen Conway, co-owner and artist of Ogham Art in Southington, will discuss “The Ogham Alphabet: Past & Present,” at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University, 3011 Whitney Ave. Registration is $5 for the public and free to students and museum members. To register, visit www.ighm.org.

Represented as a series of perpendicular and intersecting lines, Ogham is the earliest written form of primitive Irish and the oldest of the Gaelic languages. It is thought to be influenced by the Latin alphabet using 20 characters. It is most commonly written vertically and is read from bottom to top. When presented horizontally, it is read from left to right.

“Ogham was first used in Ireland and parts of England, Scotland and Wales between the second and sixth centuries,” Conway said. “Though its actual origins remain a mystery, it is believed the Celtics preferred a cryptic alphabet that could not be deciphered by Roman Britain.”

Conway will present a concise history of the Celts and an outline of the Celtic languages. She also will teach attendees to write their names in Ogham. Her presentation will include visuals and reference materials for those interested in learning more about this relatively unknown chapter of Irish history.

Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University is home to the world's largest collection of visual art, artifacts and printed materials relating to the Irish Famine. The museum preserves, builds and presents its art collection to stimulate reflection, inspire imagination and advance awareness of Ireland's Great Hunger and its long aftermath on both sides of the Atlantic. The museum is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays, 1-5 p.m. Admission to the museum is $5 for the general public, and free to Quinnipiac students.