Cross - High cross

The National Monuments Service's description

On a small hillock in Tullaghan village. A plain upright Latin cross (dims of base 0.6m x 0.3m; H 3.21m) with slightly expanded arms is set in a chamfered sandstone base (dims 1.4m x 1.04m; H 0.87m). It leans slightly to the W and was erected here in 1778 according to the inscription on its base, while local tradition maintains that the cross was found at the foreshore of Donegal Bay c. 300m to N (Wakeman 1896, 299). Archaeological testing (00E0486) in the vicinity failed to recover any archaeological features (Halpin 2002), as did testing (03E0504) c. 50m to the SE across the road (Timoney 2006), or immediately (05E0502) to the NE (Timoney 2008). (Crawford 1907, 213 14; O'Connell 1937, 208-10)

Described by Harbison (1992, vol. 1, 178) as 'A tall, ringless and undecorated cross, with straight arms but an expanding upper limb and a shaft tapering near the top, was uncovered by a sandstorm on the coast at Tullaghan and subsequently erected to the north of the new Sligo Bundoran road. It is about 4.25m high.’

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

See the attached view _1

Date of revised upload: 13 February 2017

References

Wakeman, W.F. 1896 Proceedings - Lough Erne and Ballyshannon excursion. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 26, 299-300.

Halpin, E. 2002a Tullaghan. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2000: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 188, no. 569. Bray. Wordwell.

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

O'Connell, P. 1937 The Diocese of Kilmore: its history and antiquities. Dublin. Browne and Nolan.

Crawford, H.S. 1907 A descriptive list of early Irish crosses. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 37, 187-239; 43, 151-69, 261-65, 326-34.

Timoney M. A. 2008 Duncarbry: no archaeological significance. in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2005: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 233, No. 934. Dublin, Wordwell

Timoney M. A. 2006 Duncarbry: no archaeological significance. in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2003: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 301, No. 1111. Bray, Wordwell