Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Cross-slab
Inishcaltra Or Holy Island, County Clare, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Inishcaltra Or Holy Island
- County
- Clare
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 52.91553, -8.44811
- SMR number
- CL029-009033-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Not listed in the SMR (1992) or the 1996 RMP. This record is for the original location of a recumbent cross-slab in the Saint’s Graveyard (CL029-009030-) on Inis Cealtra (Holy Island), Co. Clare. It is visible still in situ in a photograph from de Paor’s excavation report (1997) and was indicated as such on his plan (SMR file). It was exhibited in Mountshannon in August 1982 and was then placed for safe keeping in the OPW depot in Athenry, Co. Galway where it has SMR number (GA084-151007-). The slab (H 1.6m; Wth 0.59m; T 0.06m) has a ringed Latin cross in false relief. All four terminals have semicircular expansions, that of the shaft dividing into two petals. There is four-pointed recess at the centre of the cross. There are the outlines of two shod feet on the right hand side, the right foot above the arm of the cross and the left foot below it, both pointing to the top. Macalister suggests that this may indicate that the person commemorated was a pilgrim. The inscription which is incised in two lines above the head of the cross and inverted reads ‘COSCRACH LAIGNECH’ (Coscrach the Leinsterman). The form of this cross is unique at Inis Cealtra and is dated by Macalister to the 10th century. (Macalister 1916-17, 153, no. 31, and plate XX; Okasha and Forsyth 2001, 58-61)
Compiled by: Mary Tunney
Date of upload: 22 July 2015
References
Macalister, R.A.S 1916-17 The history and antiquities of Inis Cealtra. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 33C, 93-174.
de Paor, L. 1997 Inis Cealtra: report on archaeological and other investigations of the monuments on the island. E000180. Unpublished excavation report submitted to the National Monuments service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin.
Macalister, R.A.S. 1906 The inscriptions of Iniscaltra, Lough Derg, County Galway. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries 36, 303-10.
Okasha, E. and Forsyth, K. 2001 Early Christian inscriptions of Munster: a corpus of the inscribed stones. Cork University Press.
Nearby in the register
- Cross-slabunder 1 mi
- Cross-slabunder 1 mi
- Graveslabunder 1 mi
- Graveslabunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.