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Cross-inscribed pillar in Inis Gé Thuaidh

Cross-inscribed pillar

What is recorded here

Bailey Mór mound on Inishkea North holds a cross-inscribed pillar that Françoise Henry first recorded in 1951, found lying beside an upright companion near a house wall. The incised Latin cross cuts through solid stone, marking the mound as a place of reminder rather than forgotten debris. It remains a National Monument, preserved in state ownership, while the sea wind keeps the island quiet around the stone.
On Bailey Mór mound (MA023-014003-), adjacent to the S side of a house (MA023-014008-). This cross-inscribed pillar bearing an incised Latin cross was first recorded by Françoise Henry (1951, 67; Pillar 11), who found it lying on the ground beside an upright cross-inscribed pillar (MA023-014021-). National Monument in state ownership (no. 379). Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 20 July 2023 References: Henry, F. 1951 New monuments from Inishkea North, Co. Mayo. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquities of Ireland 81, 65-69
Probably dating to the early Christian period (5th–9th centuries AD), the cross-inscribed pillar likely served a religious or commemorative function, possibly marking a sacred site or burial ground associated with the early Christian settlement on Bailey Mór. Such crosses are often linked to monastic or ecclesiastical activity in the region.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
Recorded monument

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