Cross-inscribed stone in Lemanaghan

A monastery at Lemanaghan (Liath Manchán) was founded in the 7th century by Manchán whose feastday is celebrated on the 24th of January (Ó Riain 2011, 429). Early Christian cross-inscribed stone the location of which is now lost. Described by Crawford (1911, 152-3) as a ‘rough piece of reddish sandstone, 27 inches (0.68m) by 20 inches (0.5m) by 4 inches (0.1m) thick, having a Greek cross, with almost square expanded ends, and centre bounded by curved lines, incised in a circle 14½ inches (0.37m) in diameter, and surrounded by a second circle 2 inches (0.05m) larger. The centre contains an irregular hollow or cup, which seems to have been smaller originally and to have formed the centre of a crosslet. The latter is now almost obliterated by the flaking away of the stone. This slab is lying on a grave west of the church (OF015-004003-) and close to the stile in the boundary-wall (OF015-004004-)’. This cross-inscribed stone is remarkably similar to a cross-inscribed stone (OF015-004022-) recorded in 1988 (Kelly 1998, 97). Compiled and revised by: Caimin O’Brien Date of revised upload: 17 August 2018

Probably dating to the early Christian period (7th–9th century), the cross-inscribed stone likely served a religious or commemorative function, possibly associated with the monastery founded by St Manchán. Such stones often carried Christian symbols and inscriptions linked to local saints or ecclesiastical sites.