Cross (present location)

The National Monuments Service's description

Housed within a glass cabinet, at the NE end of the nave of St Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, Tubber since June 2011. According to the SMR file, it was found in the graveyard (CL018-003002-) when digging near the N wall of Teampallnadeirka (CL018-003001-) at Blakemount (see CL018-003004- for the original location record). A small, relatively crude cross (H c. 0.7m; T c. 0.12m) possibly carved from a type of shale. The disc-shaped head (0.28m x 0.24m) is in the style of a Celtic cross, although it is not completely circular and is irregular around the edges. The shafts of the head are broad in relation to the four residual quadrants which are quite small and not equal in size. The lack of symmetry makes this a crude and quite rustic type of cross. The surface of the head has slight dimples suggesting that it was dressed. These may have continued onto the slightly curvilinear stem (L 0.42m; Wth at top 0.11m; Wth at base 0.16m), although it bears no obvious markings or depictions. According to Higgins and O’ Grady (2011, 38), the head of the cross is ringed on both faces and dates to the first millennium AD, however this cross is likely to date to the 17th or 18th century.

The following images have been uploaded:
CL018-111----_01.jpg Cross in glass cabinet which is built into one of a pair of confessionals.
CL018-111----_02.jpg Cross-head.
CL018-111----_03.jpg Cross and stem.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney, Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 6 February 2019

References

Higgins, J. and O'Grady, B. 2011 A newly discovered Early Christian cross from Teampallnadeirka, Co. Clare. The Other Clare 35, 38.