Cross

The National Monuments Service's description

Mounted on the N wall of the nave of St. Caimin’s church (CL029-009011-) and 6.42m from the W gable. Described by Macalister (1916-17, 147, no. 14 and Pl. XVII) as an important cross, once smashed to pieces but collected and cemented together by the Board of Works. This highly ornamented cross (H 1.59m; Wth across arms 0.97m; T 0.08m) was carved from a large slab and, similar to CL029-009054-, it has hollowed angles, no surrounding wheel and two rectangular panels at the base on either side of the shaft. Most of the left side panel at the base is missing. A roll moulding extends all around the outline of the cross and the arms and shaft had elaborate interlace that is now very faded. All that can be seen on the left side-panel are two boss-like objects, but on the right panel there is a quadruped, perhaps a unicorn, with the leg of a devoured human protruding from its mouth (Harbison 1992, 98, and pls 317 and 1015). On both sides there is text starting at the outer edge of the underside of the arm and reading down along the shaft. The right-hand text reads ‘OR DOARDSE[N]OIR HERENN I DO CATHAS[A]’ and the left-hand text reads ‘OR DO TH[-O] DORIGNIICROI-’ (Okasha and Forsyth 2001, 52). (Okasha and Forsyth 2001, 50-56)

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 5 October 2015

References

Macalister, R.A.S 1916-17 The history and antiquities of Inis Cealtra. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 33C, 93-174.

Okasha, E. and Forsyth, K. 2001 Early Christian inscriptions of Munster: a corpus of the inscribed stones. Cork University Press.

Harbison, P. 1992 The high crosses of Ireland: an iconographical and photographic survey, 3 vols. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy. Bonn. Dr. Rudolf Habelt GMBH.