Cross-slab

The National Monuments Service's description

The early ecclesiastical site here consists of a sub-rectangular shaped graveyard inside of which are a number of earlier features. The site is located on excellent land sloping to Lough Foyle to the E and is traditionally claimed to have been founded by St. Patrick (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 399). To the W outside the entrance to the graveyard (DG021-008001-) is a tall, plain, ringed high-cross (DG021-008005-). Inside the graveyard are the remains of two churches (DG021-008002/003-) and a mortuary house or tomb shrine (DG021-008004-). One of the churches served as a medieval parish church (Leslie 1937, 265).
E of the Mortuary House is a small basin stone or possible bullaun stone (DG021-008007-) and to the NW a small cross-inscribed slab (DG021-008006-) 0.8m high × 0.46m wide E-W. The Latin cross has bar terminals and the upper portion of a central ring (Lacy et. al. 1983, 261) Listed by Herity in 1997 as Cooly 01 and described as a 'broad rectangular upright slab with an encircled cross with T-bar terminals incised on its east face. Near the north-west corner of the Mortuary House' (DG021-008004-) (Herity et. al. 1997, 94). A graveyard plan drawn by the Cooley Cross Heritage Committee shows location of cross-inscribed slab as number 9.

The attached image (DG021-008006-_03.jpg) is a plan of the church and graveyard commissioned by the Cooley Cross Heritage Committee showing location of cross-slab number 9 inside graveyard.

The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 24 February 2015

References

Herity, M., Kelly, D. and Mattenberger, U. 1997 List of Early Christian cross-slabs in seven north-western counties. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 127, 89-124.

Lacy, B. with Cody, E., Cotter, C., Cuppage, J., Dunne, N., Hurley, V., O'Rahilly, C., Walsh, P. and Ó Nualláin, S. 1983 Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century A.D. Lifford. Donegal County Council.

Leslie, J. 1937 Derry clergy and parishes. Enniskillen.

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.