Cross-inscribed stone in Inishtrahull

A re-used saddle quern with a design, similar to that on the base of the Marigold stone at Carndonagh (1532), was dug up on the island c. 1900. It is now in the National Museum of Ireland (JRSAI 1961, 90). According to a letter from the NMI the cross-inscribed stone was acquired by the museum in 1959. 'It is described as a reused saddle quern found 8' (inches) below the surface of the earth while excavating foundations for a fog station on the island (c.1900). The design seems to represent a flabellum as e.g. on one of the Carndonagh stones and could be anything from 7th-9th century' (NMI Correspondence files 1981).

Probably dating to the early Christian period, the cross-inscribed stone reflects the adaptation of pre-existing tools or monuments for Christian symbolism. Its reuse suggests a continuity of sacred or symbolic landscape features in the region.