Penitential station

The National Monuments Service's description

Originally located near the S landing on High Island. Described by Fisher (2014, 212, no. 22, Fig. 7.5) as a short-armed cruciform cross-slab (H 0.72m; Wth 0.53m; T 0.07m) of garnet mica-schist. It is decorated on both faces and one side. The N face bears a Latin cross in high relief. The cross is framed by a band which encloses a double-banded cross. A triquetra is visible in the top terminal and there is a boss or raised area in the upper left quadrant. A worn linear cross within a double roundel and is visible on the S face. Its terminals end in crosslets. The flat surface of the surviving left arm also bears a linear cross with crosslet terminals. This cross-slab in now in the care of the OPW (Athenry depot, Co. Galway see GA084-151018-). (Higgins 1987, vol. II, 346, no. 71; White Marshall and Rourke 2000, 141, no. 1)

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 18 December 2015

References

White Marshall, J. and Rourke, G.D. 2000 High Island: an Irish monastery in the Atlantic. Dublin. Town House and Country House.

Fisher, I. (revised by Scally, G. and Maddern, C.) 2014 Catalogue of cross-slabs. In G. Scally, High Island (Ardoileán), Co. Galway: Excavation of an early medieval monastery. Archaeological Monograph Series 10. Dublin. The Stationery Office.

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.