Cross-slab

The National Monuments Service's description

Inscribed cross-slab dedicated to 'Cormacán' first recorded in 1869 when the Rev. James Graves made a rubbing of the slab (Stokes 1872, 57). Cross-slab location described by Stokes (ibid.) as, 'found among the ruins of the church on the island of Inisbofin, in Lough Ree'. In 1912 this cross-slab which had been broken into three pieces was described as following; ‘In the graveyard (WM015-001001-) of one of these are three slabs. Two of these are without inscription. They look as if they might have come straight from Clonmacnois, being of the regular pattern of the tenth-century slabs of that collection; but, remarkably enough, the key-pattern in the expansions are unlike anything in the corresponding crosses there. The third slab which is larger, and probably older, commemorates one Cormacan. This is a fairly common name, and there is no necessity for assuming the monument to be that of Cormacan Eigeas, the well-known poet of the Circuit of Ireland. Previous drawings and descriptions have overlooked the tail of the " h", showing that the initial C was aspirated after do, as, of course, it ought to be. The stone had already lost its initial C, when drawn for Christian Inscriptions, where it appears on plate xlviii. But it was otherwise intact. It has since been broken into three pieces. I believe by one of the pestilential tribe of treasure-seekers’ (Macalister 1912, 29-30). Listed Slab E by Robert Cochrane for the OPW in 1912 and described as 'the fifth stone (E) is the only one of this series previously known or described. The design is a four-line ringed cross with small loops at the foot. The inscription OROIT DO CORMACAN runs into two lines across the top. The stone is cracked in several places and a small part is missing. This latter carried the first letter of each line - viz., O and C. (Size of stone, 3' 7¼" [1.09m] x 2' 3" [0.68m])' (Anon. 1913, 46).
The location of the inscribed slab was described in 1913 as 'in the northern church on the island in Lough Ree'. Recorded by Crawford (1913, 329) as slab (a.) and described as a, 'slab broken into several pieces [3 pieces], 3 ft. 6 in. [1.06m] by 2 ft. 1 in. [0.61m], incised with a two-line ringed cross, having plain arms and top and a looped base. The centre is circular. Across the upper part is the inscription in two lines [O]ROIT DO [CH]ORMACAN’ [Pray for Cormacán]. In 1949 Macalister recorded that this was the only cross-slab that could still be seen on the island of Inchbofin (Macalister 1949, 79). Listed by Macalister in 1949 as slab no. 873 (Macalister 1949, 79). Cross-reference with GA084-151030- as the slab has now been moved to the OPW Depot in Athenry, Co. Galway.

See attached image of cross-slab drawn by Margaret Stokes from a rubbing of the stone taken by the Rev. James Graves in 1869 (Stokes 1872, Fig. 122) and 1912 OPW drawing of the cross-slab (Anon. 1913, 47).

Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 23 April 2021

References

Stokes, M. (ed.) 1872 Christian inscriptions in the Irish language, chiefly collected and drawn by George Petrie L.L.D., 2 vols. Dublin. The Royal Historical and Archaeological Society of Ireland.

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.

Macalister, R.A.S. 1949 Corpus Inscriptionum Insularum Celticarum, 2 vols. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Macalister, R.A.S. 1912 Some cross-slabs in the neighbourhood of Athlone. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 42, 27-31.

Anon. 1913 Eighty-First Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland with appendices for the year ending 31st March 1913. London. HMSO.