Cross - High cross (present location)

The National Monuments Service's description

In St Mary's (C of I) Cathedral (GA029-179002-), in Tuam town (GA029-199----), to which it was moved in 1990 from the Market Square. Known as 'The Market Cross', as presently constituted it comprises fragments of two separate sandstone crosses of mid-12th-C date: (a) the base and shaft, and (b) the head (see GA029-179007-). It was assembled from scattered fragments for the Great Industrial Exhibition in Dublin in 1853: the base originally stood in 'the old shambles' (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 47) which was on W side of Vicar St. Though subsequently returned, it was not erected in the Market Square until 1874. The square tapering base (L 1.65m, Wth 1.1m, H 0.65m) bears the inscription: 'Prayer for Turloch O'Conor ... of Iarlath by whom was made' (Harbison 1992, 175, no. 216). There are also two small circular vertical holes, and two pairs of figures in high relief, on the opposing faces. On the tapering rectangular shaft (L 0.7m, Wth 0.3m, H 2.9m), there is a small square hole on one of the narrow faces and a rectangular hole on the upper part of one of the broad faces. Both base and shaft are covered in lightly carved Urnes-style ornament. (Claffey 1966; Henry 1970, 140-3)

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).

Date of upload: 05 August 2010

This monument was taken into Guardianship under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 - National Monument 505.