Cross-slab

The National Monuments Service's description

This fragment of a cross-slab was found lying face down on a heap of stones 10m to the S of Teampall Bheanáin (GA119-009001-) (Manning 1985, 102). When recorded in 1839 the almost complete Latin cross with open expanding terminals survived but a break across the top of the slab cut across the upper terminal (O’Flanagan 1927, Vol. 3, facing p. 196). The slab was subsequently broken again and the surviving fragment (L 0.95m; Wth 0.42-0.45m; T 0.14-0.17m) bears the stem of an incised two-line cross with an expanded triangular terminal with a pointed projection extending down from the centre of it (Manning ibid., Fig. 25(b)). (Crawford’s (1913, 156) descriptions for cross-slabs (d) and (e) are duplicate references to this slab; Higgins 1987, vol. 2, 332, no. 58)

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 3 February 2016

References

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.

Manning, C. 1985c Archaeological excavations at two church sites on Inishmore, Aran Islands. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 115, 96-120.

Crawford, H.S. 1913 A descriptive list of early cross-slabs and pillars. (cont.) Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 43, 151-69, 261-5, 326-34.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1927 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Galway collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Typescript in 3 vols. Bray.