The document discusses the origins and history of the Ogham writing system. There are three main theories for its origin: 1) It is named after the Irish god Ogma and was used for flowery speech. 2) It was created by Irish scholars to provide secret communication against Roman Britain. 3) It was invented by early Irish Christian communities to write short messages in Irish. Ogham inscriptions date from the 4th to 7th century AD in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. It is the earliest written form of the Irish language, using perpendicular or intersecting lines.