Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Cross-inscribed stone
Lemanaghan, County Offaly, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Lemanaghan
- County
- Offaly
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.29299, -7.74395
- SMR number
- OF015-004033-
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 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
A monastery at Lemanaghan (Liath Manchán) was founded in the 7th century by Manchán whose feastday is celebrated on the 24th of January (Ó Riain 2011, 429). Early Christian cross-inscribed stone the location of which is now lost. Described by Crawford (1911, 152-3) as a ‘rough piece of reddish sandstone, 27 inches (0.68m) by 20 inches (0.5m) by 4 inches (0.1m) thick, having a Greek cross, with almost square expanded ends, and centre bounded by curved lines, incised in a circle 14½ inches (0.37m) in diameter, and surrounded by a second circle 2 inches (0.05m) larger. The centre contains an irregular hollow or cup, which seems to have been smaller originally and to have formed the centre of a crosslet. The latter is now almost obliterated by the flaking away of the stone. This slab is lying on a grave west of the church (OF015-004003-) and close to the stile in the boundary-wall (OF015-004004-)’. This cross-inscribed stone is remarkably similar to a cross-inscribed stone (OF015-004022-) recorded in 1988 (Kelly 1998, 97).
Compiled and revised by: Caimin O’Brien
Date of revised upload: 17 August 2018
References
Crawford, H.S. 1911 The early slabs at Lemanaghan, King's County. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 41, 151-6.
Kelly, D. 1988 Cross-carved slabs from Latteragh, Co. Tipperary. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 118, 92-100.
Nearby in the register
- Cross-slabunder 1 mi
- Buildingunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Decorated stoneunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.