Cross-inscribed pillar

The National Monuments Service's description

When this cross-slab was recorded by Higgins (1987, part ii, 321, no. 38, Fig. 38) it stood to the E of what is regarded as the earliest church (GA069-001007-) at Annaghdown (Harbison 1975, 81) but it was not firmly set into the ground. It came to light during works in this area, by the Office of Public Works (OPW), in the 1950s when it was subsequently set upright (pers. comm. J. Higgins, 23 October 2014). A lost slab (GA069-001010-) used to lie beneath it (Higgins 1987, part ii, 312).
By the early 1980s the cross-slab had been moved to the interior of the church (GA069-001011-), which lies c. 55m to the SE (SMR file 1983). It was moved again and when inspected in October 2014 it was standing against the external face of the E gable of this church. In April 2015 it was temporarily removed to the OPW depot for safe-keeping.
The cross-slab consists of a small round-topped limestone pillar (H 0.63m; Wth 0.16m; T 0.09-0.1m) decorated on both faces with a cross. The cross on the front face is a simple one-line Latin cross, which occupies the upper third of the slab. The cross on the reverse face is more complex in design and it occupies the upper half of the slab. It consists of a cross with two arms with two additional vertical lines running midway between the arms (Higgins 1987, part ii, Fig. 38).

Updated by: Olive Alcock

Date of revised upload: 10 April 2015

The following images have been uploaded:
GA069-001009-_01.jpg
GA069-001009-_02.jpg

References

Harbison, P. 1975 (2nd. ed. 1992 reprint) Guide to the national monuments in the Republic of Ireland. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin.

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.