Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Sundial
Monasterboice, County Louth, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Monasterboice
- County
- Louth
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.77792, -6.41752
- SMR number
- LH021-062011-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Vltoniae Orientalis Pars" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
A monolith of fine greenish sandstone (H 1.85m) now erected beside the N cross (LH021-062009-) at Monasterboice. The S face is decorated and there is a plain panel in slight relief at the top of each of the narrow sides. At the top of the S face there are the remains of two horizontal lines. At the mid-point of the lower of these there is a small hole from which three incised lines radiate. Each of these lines terminates in three prongs indicating the hours of terce, sext and none. Below the sundial there is an incised circle, now faint. A vertical line divides this circle in two. There is another circle below the last; this surrounds an incised maltese cross.
See attached photographs courtesy of M.J. Harley (https://www.sundials-ireland.com/amedieval/medmellifont.htm)
Compiled by: Claire Breen
Revised by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of revised upload: 27 May 2022
Nearby in the register
- Cross - High crossunder 1 mi
- Cross - High crossunder 1 mi
- Cross - High crossunder 1 mi
- Cistunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.