Cross in Cloon AND Commons

Church ruins (LI001-004001-) of a possible early Christian monastery stands on the grounds of 'Cloon Island Ho.' (NIAH Reg. No. 21807009) located 20m to the SW. Two early Christian cross-slabs (LI001-004002-/003-) are incorporated into the W gable of this church. No church is depicted on the Down Survey map of Stradbally parish and not mentioned in the terrier of the map where it is described as 'an Island in ye Shannon' (NLI, MS 718). A possible cross-base was recently recorded by Okasha and Forsyth (2001, 187-8) and described as following; 'Cloon island is a former island in the channels of the river Shannon, 7km downstream of Killaloe. The site now covers approximately nine acres but the water is considerably lower than previously, due to a hydro-electric scheme extraction. The ruined church may date from the twelfth century. In addition to the inscribed stone [LI001-004002-], evidence of an early medieval foundation is provided by an uninscribed cross-slab (H. 65 cm, W. 80 cm) incised with a Latin cross with expanded terminals, enclosed in a rectangular frame [LI001-004003-]. Between the church [LI001-004001-] and the house [Cloon House] there is a cross-base, with a T-shaped slot, of unknown date' Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 1 May 2020

A local church or high cross; wider significance not recorded.