Cross - High cross (present location)

The National Monuments Service's description

Although marked on OS 6-inch maps 65m WNW of a church (GA016-013001-) and graveyard(GA016-013002-), this high cross has been fixed on the wall at the SW corner of the graveyard (pers. comm. Dr. Christy Cunniffe, 22 May 2013). Its original location (GA016-013006-) appears to have been on the summit of a hillock (Topgr. Files, NMI) but this has since been quarried away. It consists of the unfinished head of a sandstone cross (Wth 1.2m, H 1.4m) some 0.25m in thickness. The short arms appear to spring from a small solid ring. Both the arms and shaft are decorated with volutes. One face bears the outline of a figure in high relief with drooping outstretched arms and the head tilted slightly over the righ shoulder; evidently an unfinished figure of Christ. (Neary 1914, 125, no. 76; Crawford 1918, 176; O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 28; Higgins 1987, 278, P1. 46b; Harbison 1992, 9-10, no. 3)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999).

Revised by: Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 29 May 2014

References

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

Higgins, J.G. 1987 The Early Christian cross slabs, pillar stones and related monuments of County Galway, Ireland, 2 vols. British Archaeological Reports, International Series 375. Oxford.

Neary, J. 1914 On the history and antiquities of the parish of Dunmore in the baronies of Dunmore and Ballymoe, Co. Galway. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 8, 94-128.

Crawford, H.S. 1918 Supplementary list of early Irish crosses. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 48, 174-9.