Cross-slab

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a low rise of ground 60m NE of Rinardoo Bay on the E shoreline of Lough Ree with a stream marking the townland boundary with Killinure immediately to S. Depicted on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map as a roughly D-shaped 'Grave Yard' standing in the S quadrant of a field called the 'Church Park' with motte castle (WM022-015----) immediately to S. On the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map a tomb is shown located in the S quadrant of the graveyard. This graveyard appears to have been built in the bailey of the motte castle (WM022--015---) which in turn may have been built on the site of an early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure (WM022-014002-). A church building (WM022-014003-) now levelled may have stood inside the graveyard. On the revised 1914 ed. OS 6-inch map a smaller rectangular shaped burial ground belonging to the Smyth family of Portlick Castle (WM022-045----) is depicted standing in the centre of the D-shaped graveyard. This drystone walled burial ground belonging to the Smyth family incorporates architectural fragments of a late medieval building possibly from a church which stood inside the earlier graveyard. An early Christian cross-slab (WM022-014004-) now housed in the National Museum of Ireland was recently discovered in the fabric of this burial ground wall (Reilly 2016, 113). A possible bullaun stone (WM022-016---) and cross (WM022-017----) are located 120m and 165m respectively to the S.
Early Christian cross-slab used as a building stone in the wall of the Smyth family burial ground (WM022-014----) which was discovered in 2009 (Reilly 2016, 113). Described by Reilly (2016, 118) as following; 'One stone in particular stood out from the others in the north-west corner of this wall. The stone, a slab of pale yellow sandstone located near the top of the wall, differed from those surrounding it in colour and texture. Lying loosely on top of it were some grey limestone pieces that were removed for closer inspection. On lifting the stone and turning it over it was revealed to be the upper half of a previously unknown Early Christian cross-slab with a fine cross and a partial inscription pecked into it. The surviving portion is roughly triangular in shape and measures approx 40cm x 40cm x 11 cm thick (NMI Acquisitions 2009:184). The Portlick cross-slab is of Clonmacnoise type, belonging to O Floinn's `Type B' category, which date from the later ninth century to the end of the tenth century. Type B cross-slabs are characterised by a Latin cross with a central circular expansion and semicircular terminals that are sometimes looped'.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 29 July 2017

References

Reilly, D. 2016 Miscellany: A newly discovered early Christian cross-slab from Portlick, Co. Westmeath. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 144, 113-21.