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 monastery 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; Lacy et. al. 1983, 261). A magnetometer survey carried out by the Bernician Studies Group in 2014 in the fields surrounding the churches (DG021-008002-/003-) and graveyard (DG021-008001-) at Cooly revealed the outline of the ecclesiastical enclosure (DG021-008----) of the Early Christian monastery of Cooly (O'Brien and Adams 2014, 4). The graveyard was subject to a clean-up scheme in 2010 which resulted in the discovery of several unrecorded cross-slabs. The Bernician Studies Group carried out a survey inside the graveyard and recorded twenty cross slabs, 10 of which were ringed cross slabs. One of these stones was described by the Bernician Studies Group as following ‘A coarse-grained laminated stone, neatly squares standing with a lean to its right (S) side. Max. height above ground is 540mm, width 390mm and thickness 80mm. Both surfaces are flaked. The W face is carved to form a cross in low relief. The depth of carving goes nowhere deeper than 5mm, and in places less; towards the top left and the left side the detail is lost in flaking of the surface. Detail on the right shows a cross arm with curved upper and lower edges and a curve coming around to the head of the cross’.

Sketch drawing of possible ringed cross slab (DG021-008029-_01) uploaded courtesy of Bernician Studies Group.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 28 October 2015

References

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

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.

O'Brien, C. and Adams, M. 2014 Field Survey at Cooley Graveyard 2014. Unpublished report, Bernician Studies Group: Inishowen Fieldwork 2014. Newcastle upon Tyne.